This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Kevin Rahm doesn't know what's in store for his character on this, the final season of "Desperate Housewives," but he knows how he'd like it to end.
"I want to go down big," said Rahm, who co-stars as Lee McDermott, half of the gay couple who live on Wisteria Lane. "I want to die or I want to kill someone. That would be great fun."
Rahm has played the fussier half of Lee and Bob (Tuc Watkins) since 2007. "I've enjoyed every minute, but I'm sure it's not what people were expecting to see me do when I left BYU," he said with a laugh.
He spent three years in Provo in the mid-'90s, starring in campus productions and winning the prestigious Irene Ryan Acting Award at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Weirdly — and coincidentally — his first appearance on "Desperate Housewives" included a Mormon reference.
Susan (Teri Hatcher) introduced herself to Bob and Lee, and misunderstood a comment that they'd moved to the suburbs because "it would be better for Raphael." "So, there's three of you," she said, unaware Raphael was their dog. "Well, that must be … cozy."
Lee sarcastically replied, "Yes, we're gay Mormons."
No longer a practicing Mormon, Rahm said he hasn't been back to Provo for a while. "Obviously, BYU doesn't ask me to come back to do lectures," he said with a smile.
Since leaving Utah, Rahm has had a long string of guest roles on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Beverly Hills 90210," "Ally McBeal," "Friends," "Grey's Anatomy," all three "CSIs," "Scrubs," "The Mentalist," "Mad Men" and more. He headlined the short-lived 1999 sitcom "Everything's Relative," co-starred in the second season of the Christina Applegate sitcom "Jesse" and co-starred in "Judging Amy" for 2½ seasons.
In addition to his recurring role on "Desperate Housewives," he's co-starring in the Fox sitcom "I Hate My Teenage Daughter" as Jack, the ex-brother-in-law and potential love interest for Annie (Jamie Pressly). The show has taken a beating from critics, but Rahm said he's happy to be back doing a show that's filmed before a studio audience.
"I love the format, I really do," he said. "It's so much fun. It is like a mini-play every week. I love the energy. I just love being in front of the audience and having that mutual, shared experience."
Rahm's next big production won't be for television. He's getting married in April.
His fiancée, Amy, "was pushing for a spring [2011] wedding, but she's training to be a heart surgeon," said Rahm, who proposed a year ago. "She works, like, 80 to 100 hours a week. And knowing that I was going to have to do a lot of the planning, I said, 'You realize that three months is not enough time to let everyone know who's coming from out of town, let alone plan everything.' So we compromised on next April."
Marrying a cardiothoracic surgeon puts his profession in perspective.
"I learned very early on in our relationship that I would never win the I-had-a-bad-day game," Rahm said. "She's, like, 'Really? Was it hard in your trailer memorizing those words? Did people bring you coffee? Was that really hard for you while I was saving this baby?' It's a whole different world."
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On TV
"I Hate My Teenage Daughter" • Airs Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. on Fox/Channel 13.
"Desperate Housewives" • Returns with new episodes on Sunday, Jan. 8, at 8 p.m. on ABC/Channel 4.