Edie Britt - Development and Casting

Development and Casting

At the end of the reading, the director looked at me and said, "No, no, I see you as Edie." I said, "Oh, I see, I come in a housewife and mother of two and leave the slut."

Nicollette Sheridan on her audition
for Bree Van de Kamp

The character Edie was originally written as a recurring role in the series. Actress Nicollette Sheridan, who originally auditioned for Bree Van de Kamp, one of the series' more prominent roles, was cast in the role in February 2004. On August 11, Sheridan was announced to have joined the main cast for the series' first season, the thirteenth cast member to do so. Despite proving popular with fans and critics, Sheridan's role remained somewhat minimal in the series' first two seasons. Series creator Marc Cherry insisted that Edie served "only as a spoiler to complicate the other women's lives." Although Sheridan thought of Edie as the fifth main housewife—in addition to Susan, Bree, Lynette Scavo, and Gabrielle Solis—the opening credits only pictured the other four women, excluding Edie. Additionally, Cherry shared that his goal for the series would be to have the central four women remain in the series.

However, Marcia Cross's maternity leave caused Bree to be absent in several episodes of the third season. Edie's character was elevated in prominence, providing the fourth concurrent storyline for the episodes. During this time, the character's "layers are peeled away and the character is developed on a deeper level than has been previously explored." Despite Cross's return, Edie maintained a more important role throughout seasons four and five until the character's death.