A chat w/Bree's mini-me...

The absolute funniest part of last week's episode of "Desperate Housewives" was when Danielle Van De Kamp (Joy Lauren) showed up to Bob and Lee's Halloween party dressed...as her mother, Bree! Bree (Marcia Cross) is pretending to be pregnant, Danielle really is. So guests assumed it was Danielle with the padded belly...then her water broke! I love the delivery scene with Andrew dressed as Cher and the doctor dressed as Frankenstein.


It was pure comedic genius!

"It was so much fun, it was so much fun," Joy told me when we gabbed a few days ago at the party for the People's Choice Award nominations. "That whole Halloween scene was so big that we shot all week so I was in the red wig and the heels and the pearls and the belly all week and it was really such a blast."

Who knew she had such comic chops? I got her to repeat my favorite line of hers from the episode when someone asks her what the name of her child will be and she answers as Bree: "You're not good enough if it's a boy and you'll always disappoint me if its a girl."

We crack up after she says it again.

Last we saw Dannielle, she was packing her bags and leaving her baby behind for Bree to raise. Will she be back?
"Wisteria Lane has a certain draw, you can't stay away for two long so hopefully I'll be back soon."

What's it really like to work with Marcia Cross?
"She's very different from Bree. She's very warm. I feel like Bree is very cold and straight. Marcia is very warm and fluid, graceful and nice and giving. The only similarities I can see between her and Bree is she's very specific and professional when it comes to acting."

Do you miss the Applewhites?
"I do! But we have really good new characters like Tuc [Watkins]."

Does she ever want Danielle to just get to act together, stand up and fly right?
"It's really fun to play the bad gikrl and a good outlet. I don't get to do that in my everyday life. I don't get to throw plates against walls, I don't get to have babies while I'm dressed as my mom, I get to experience all these things I normally wouldn't. But whle it's really fun to play the bad girl, I think Danielle has been too mean for too long."