Kiss and tell! Jesse Metcalfe spilled the tea about some of his John Tucker Must Die costars, including who was his top on-set smooch
The 43-year-old actor, who played teen heartthrob John Tucker in the 2006 rom-com, described Ashanti, who portrayed cheerleader Heather, as a “great kisser” during an exclusive episode of Us Weekly’s “Costar Secrets.”
In the film, Metcalfe’s character falls for new girl Kate (played by Brittany Snow), but he has no idea that she is scheming with his exes, Heather, vegan activist Beth (Sophia Bush), and school journalist Carrie (Arielle Kebbel) to take him down. The cast also includes Penn Badgley as John Tucker’s lesser-known brother, Scott, who is also smitten with Kate.
“I had four female costars and I had to kiss all of them,” Metcalfe recalled to Us. “[Ashanti] was really cool, really down to earth. … And a really good actor too. I don’t think she had a ton of acting experience at that time, but she kind of impressed me.”
The California native, who has been acting since the late ‘90s, noted that his go-to trick for a successful kissing scene is to always “brush your teeth” before the shoot.
“You just kinda gotta go for it,” he said. “Sometimes you don’t really know what you’re gonna get. You don’t know if your costar is gonna meet you on that level, you know? If you talk about it, you know, then it kind of kills the moment. You kind of, just wanna, like, go for it.”
The Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries star also gushed over Snow, 35, calling her, “So sweet” and a “really, really kind person and talented actor.”
Since starring in John Tucker Must Die, Metcalfe has become a Hallmark Channel staple, having appeared on Chesapeake Shores from 2016 to 2021. He most recently starred in the Fortress trilogy alongside Chad Michael Murray and Bruce Willis.
Metcalfe plays Paul alongside Murray’s Balzary and Willis’ Robert in 2021’s Fortress, 2022’s Fortress: Sniper’s Eye and the upcoming Fortress 3, but offscreen his relationship with each actor is very different.
“Love Chad. Really stand-up guy. Very dedicated to his craft and his family,” Metcalfe told Us, noting that he and 40-year-old Murray “work well together.”
He admitted that he isn’t as close with the Die Hard actor, 66, however.
“I don’t know, Bruce Willis,” the Desperate Housewives alum confessed. “I have a lot of respect for Bruce and his cannon of work, but we’ve done three movies together and I don’t know the man really.”
For more of Metcalfe’s costar revelations, including which actor is someone that everybody “absolutely loves” and who is “hyper intelligent,” watch the exclusive Us Weekly video above.
With reporting by Mandie DeCamp
