Eva Longoria Defends Felicity Huffman’s Character In Letter To Court

On Friday, prosecutors recommended that Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman spend a month in prison after admitting to paying $15,000 to have her eldest daughter’s SAT scores corrected to boost her score and make her a candidate for selective colleges.

Huffman’s attorneys however, are pleading with the judge to have the actress sentenced to probation and significant community service. This comes in a 161-page sentencing memo that includes a deeply personal letter from Desperate Housewives costar, Eva Longoria.

The letter speaks to Huffman’s character during a time when Longoria said she often felt bullied and looked over on set. She said Huffman was always pulling for her from day one and never let others take advantage of her.

“From the first table read of the script, she noticed me sitting alone, scared and unsure of where to go and what to do. Her gentle character and kind heart immediately opened up to me,” Longoria stated.

Longoria noted three instances when Huffman stood up for her and helped her through difficult times.

“There was a time I was being bullied at work by a co-worker,” Longoria revealed. “I dreaded the days I had to work with that person because it was pure torture. Until one day, Felicity told the bully ‘enough’ and it all stopped. Felicity could feel that I was riddled with anxiety even though I never complained or mentioned the abuse to anyone.”

In response, Huffman approached the bully and said that they needed to stop and put an end to the daily trauma that Longoria had to endure.

In another instance, Huffman and fellow Desperate Housewives co-stars Teri Hatcher and Marcia Cross were all nominated for Golden Globes one year, leaving Longoria without a nomination. But, Huffman was the one to reach out to Longoria, telling her how talented she was and that she didn’t need a piece of medal to confirm that.

In addition, when Longoria was getting paid significantly less than others on the Housewives‘ set, Huffman approached her offering to engage in contract negotiations with her. After weeks of arguments, Huffman convinced the other stars of the show to enter negotiations with them so they would all receive equal pay.

Longoria says she knows it “these things may sound like first class problems or small insignificant moments. But to a young, naive, Mexican girl who felt like I didn’t belong, those gestures meant the world to me” and that she “wouldn’t have survived those ten years on the show without Felicity.”