Nicollette Sheridan Takes Stand In Desperate Housewives Trial

‘Desperate Housewives’ Trial Puts Behind-The-Scenes Drama In Spotlight Freelance writer Dominic Patten is a Deadline contributor Nicollette Sheridan wants the jury to know she is not Edie Britt. “She is a character I play,” the actress said in court this morning on the first day of testimony in her suit against Desperate Housewivescreator/executive producer Marc Cherry, ABC Studios and ABC for wrongful termination and battery. “Honesty was the only thing we shared.”Sheridan, co-questioned by her co-counsel Patrick Maloney, is the first witness in a trial expected to last two weeks. She is expected to testify all day today and all of Friday’s half-day session. Cherry, who is in court today, is expected to testify next week, a source told Deadline. Starting with biographical questioning from Maloney and persistent objections from defense lawyer Adam Levin, Sheridan told the jury that despite missing the 2009 pilot season the actress has worked fairly steadily since leaving the hit ABC series in early 2009 after the alleged abusive circumstance that is the core of her case. Maloney emphasized in his questioning Sheridan’s professional attitude and how this was appreciated by the producers and network behind Desperate Housewives.The jury saw the actress’ initial contract for Desperate Housewives and the $125,000 first-season bonus Sheridan received, and also were treated to video clips of Sheridan on the show. Those included the infamous car-washing scene from early in the series and others depicting the Britt character, in Sheridan’s own words, as “sexy overt and audacious.” The silence after the lights went up after the clips were played was broken by Sheridan saying, “That was embarrassing” to chuckles from the judge and jury.