The Teens of Wisteria Lane

Joy Lauren, 15 (Danielle Van de Kamp)

“Sometimes I think about high school and wonder, What am I missing?” notes Lauren, whose sudden visibility is still sinking in. But she’s thrilled to be learning from actors she considers “at the top of their game” and giddy over perks like the on-set smoothie machine and free Juicy Tubes and shipments of Lip Venom Lite. “This is a dream place to work,” she says.

Shawn Pyfrom, 19 (Andrew Van de Kamp)

“I used to say I could never kiss another guy,” Pyfrom says, recalling the challenge he faced when his character had a make-out scene with Justin (Ryan Carnes). “My parents thought it was so funny.” What of plans for Andrew to torture Bree? “It’s exciting to play someone with that kind of depth,” he says. “But it’s hard to be mean to Marcia because she’s so nice.”

Cody Kasch, 18 (Zach Young)

“The glasses, comb-over and tucked-in polo just popped into my head at the audition,” says Kasch of his disturbed alter ego. Off-set, Kasch is earning a pilot’s license and plays bass in a blues band with his two brothers and a pal. Coverage of his May arrest for allegedly smoking pot in N.Y.C. (Kasch maintains his innocence) gave him a taste of fame’s downside. “I had no idea I was that much of a public figure,” he says.

Andrea Bowen, 15 (Julie Mayer)

“When I go out to events, people say, ‘Wow, you look a lot better in real life!'” says Bowen. Such are the hazards of playing smart girl Julie Mayer. Bowen, who made her Broadway debut at age 6 in Les Misérables, appreciates that Julie’s not “the stereotypical teenage girl.” A serious student, she logs 25 hours a week with a tutor. “Sometimes,” she says, “it’s hard to go from being Julie to doing algebra.”

Mehcad Brooks, 24 (Matthew Applewhite)

“Even I am stupefied,” observes Brooks of the dishy mystery surrounding his new role as the secretive son of Betty Applewhite. Unlike the other Desperate teens, Brooks, a 6’3″ former model, plays younger than his 24 years. But he likes older women. If he could write his own plotline, he’d “like to make the rounds of the Housewives,” he says with a laugh. “Wisteria Lane needs a gigolo!”