When the fourth season of "Desperate Housewives kicked off a couple of weeks ago, Felicity Huffman's character, Lynette, had long, flowing hair that was drawing raves from neighbors on Wisteria Lane.
But underneath, Lynette was bald and battling cancer.
I caught up with Huffman, an Emmy winner and Oscar nominee for "Transamerica," earlier this week at the Les Girls cabaret show, a fundraiser for the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund, where she was the night's emcee.
"About four years ago, my husband [William H. Macy] were performers in it. And it was so bad that they've asked me back to host and not to sing," she said. "I think they were pretty hard up."
But Huffman wanted to anything she could to help this worthy cause: "Three billion women have breast cancer, only 2 billion are diagnosed. Breast cancer is really a political issue, it has to be a part of everyone's campaign, we have care about who we elect and if they care about this cause. It's about having health care and information and access for all women regardless of income."
With the cancer storyline of "Housewives," the neighbors have rallied around Lynette as she undergoes chemotherapy - including a reluctant Gabby (Eva Longoria). It has given the show's core characters more reason to interact which has always been the strength of "Housewives." Lynette has initially tried to hide her condition from here friends but finally, literally flipped her wig in the season premiere when a PTA mom accused her of being a flake.
But Huffman doesn't feel like the show is attempting to teach anyone about cancer and the real-life suffering involved.
"I guess what I hope for the show, which is in the very capable hands of Marc Cherry and the writers, is that we do it accurately," she says. "It's not that we're there to help or to teach beacuse, what would we know? But we want it to be accurate and truthful. It always helps to see your story represented whether or not you learn something."