Jesse Metcalfe Recalls Going To Extreme Physical Lengths For 'John Tucker Must Die'
As he contemplates reprising his iconic character from âJohn Tucker Must Die,â Jesse Metcalfe is opening up about the intense physical pressure he experienced when he first played the part nearly 20 years ago.
âYou guys have no idea,â Metcalfe told fans during a Sunday appearance at Epic Cons Chicago, an entertainment convention. âI was not eating, and I was working out three times a day.â
The actor noted that he would hit the gym âanytime that I was not on set,â adding, âI was taking it pretty darn seriously.â
Directed by Betty Thomas, âJohn Tucker Must Dieâ is a modernized take on Shakespeareâs âThe Merry Wives of Windsor.â The comedy follows a trio of teenage girls (played by Ashanti, Sophia Bush and Arielle Kebbel) who enlist a shy classmate (Brittany Snow) to help them publicly humiliate their high schoolâs star basketball player, John Tucker (Metcalfe), after learning that heâs been secretly dating all three of them.
One of the movieâs most memorable scenes involves John stripping down to a pair of lacy thong underwear in hopes of seducing one of the girls in a hotel during an out-of-town game, only to end up in a teacherâs room by mistake.
Metcalfeâs claims about his on-set fitness regimen were supported by Bush and Kebbel, who agreed on Sunday that the movie was ârough in terms of body imageâ for everyone involved.
Released at the peak of Metcalfeâs âDesperate Housewivesâ fame, âJohn Tucker Must Dieâ earned mixed reviews when it premiered in 2006, with Rolling Stone calling it âa timid, screamingly unfunny rip-off of Heathers.â Still, it was a modest hit at the box office, raking in a reported $68 million worldwide.
Kebbel confirmed at Epic Cons Chicago that a screenplay for a long-planned sequel to the film had been written, and that it involves âall of the OG cast.â As for Johnâs storyline, she noted that the character âmay or may not get a chance to change, which would be very exciting.â
Though Metcalfe said he hadnât seen the script just yet, he said he was very excited by the prospect of an on-screen reunion. But he noted that heâd be embracing a less stringent routine this time around.
âI canât wait to unleash this dad bod on the big screen,â he quipped.
Watch the trailer for âJohn Tucker Must Dieâ below.