Nov. 22, 2005

America has gotten to know Felicity Huffman as the uncomfortable mom Lynette on "Desperate Housewives." However, many of her fans might be in for a shock when they see Huffman's new movie, "Transamerica." In the flick, she plays Bree, a pre-op transgendered man about to undergo the final transition into becoming a woman. Huffman admits she was "lost" when she first got the role.

"I started reading every article I could get my hands on, I saw every documentary I could and I think I read every biography and autobiography I could find," she says. "I started going to transgender conventions, because as with any segment of society, there's a wide spectrum and Bree was in a particular place, so I wanted to see a lot of different transgender women."

Making the naturally beautiful Huffman look more masculine was actually easier then anyone expected. The difficult part was finding the right "voice."

"One thing the hormones do not change is your voice, so you can look like Kate Moss -- and some of these transgender women do, they're incredibly stealth -- but you sound like James Earl Jones," Huffman says. "So, there's a lot of training out there about finding your female voice, because you don't want to sound like Tony Curtis in 'Some Like It Hot.'" (Laughs.)

Huffman became so immersed into the part she at times even forgot whom or what she was.

"Towards the end of filming, I walked into the ladies room in full regalia and went 'Wow, I'm not supposed to be here' and I walked out," she says. "Then I said 'Oh no, I am' and walked back in again. It took me twice before I said 'OK, I'm actually a woman' and walked into the ladies room. That was sort of frightening." (Laughs.)

Even more difficult was the transition from shooting "Transamerica" to beginning shooting the mega-hit "Housewives." Huffman had shot the "Housewives" pilot first, but then went into production on the movie before the show had been picked up.

"If you watch the first four or five episodes, I am not good," Huffman says laughing to herself. "[The show] has a certain voice and it's a certain sarcastic, loving, wicked, twisty voice and you need to play with that and I came in a little heavy handed. Plus, I kept answering to Marcia Cross' character, Bree." (Laughs.)

Already an Emmy winner for "Housewives," Oscar buzz is building for her role in "Transamerica." Is Huffman ready for all the inevitable movie offers that are about to come her way?

She smiles and says, "To quote my husband [fellow actor William H. Macy], 'I will kill you if you take a movie on your hiatus.' So, unless I want to take my life in my own hands, I don't know yet."

"Transamerica" opens in limited release on Dec. 2.