{alltv} Delany gets into 'Body' role

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- OK, we've heard of preparing for a role, but Dana Delany took it to ridiculous extremes.

In her new series Body of Proof, which debuts Friday, Sept. 24 on ABC, Delany plays Dr. Megan Hunt, a brain surgeon who is forced to give up that line of work following a car accident. Subsequently, she becomes a coroner.

So what did Delany do this summer?

"I was hit by a bus two weeks before we started filming," Delany said.

"I broke two fingers, and my car was totalled, exactly like the accident in the pilot. So I think I am becoming the character."

To which Delany's Body of Proof co-star Jeri Ryan added, "A little too 'Method.' "

No kidding.

Delany was pushed for more details, obviously.

"I was in Santa Monica, 8:30 in the morning, and I was hit by a bus while I was making a left-hand turn," Delany explained. "I'm lucky to be alive.

"(The bus) hit my passenger side as I was turning. The irony is when I got out of the car, the bus driver said to me, 'I know who you are -- can I have your autograph?'

"It was my fault. So don't turn unless you have to."

Notably, Delany has not adhered to the philosophy of, "Don't switch shows unless you have to."

For the past three seasons, Delany, 54, played Katherine Mayfair on another ABC show, Desperate Housewives. But she suspects it was a guest spot she did on yet another ABC show, Castle, that may have opened the door to Body of Proof.

"I actually blame it all on Nathan Fillion," said Delany, referring to the Canadian male lead on Castle. "He's the one who asked me to go on Castle as a favour, because we're old friends.

"I think (former ABC president) Steve McPherson saw me in Castle and said, 'Oh, she'd be good for this pilot.' I think that's how it happened.

"I had a ball on Desperate Housewives. I had a great three years. But when ABC came to me with this opportunity, it was kind of an offer I couldn't refuse. And (Desperate Housewives creator) Marc Cherry was great. He said, 'I don't want to get in the way of you having a lead in a show, so I wish you well and you're always welcome back.' "

The truth is, Cherry and his cohorts seemingly had run out of interesting things for Delany on Desperate Housewives. Her first season on the show was brilliant, but it went downhill from there, not in terms of her performance, but rather the value of her story lines.

Regardless, it's on to Body of Proof for Delany, who -- tenuous links between real car accidents and fake accidents aside -- actually did some hands-on research for her new role.

"I went and saw an autopsy," Delany said with true excitement in her voice.

"I encourage everyone to see an autopsy. It's fantastic. It will make you really want to take care of your body and have even more awe for what we've all been given. It's a miracle.

"I got nervous because people told me I should be nervous, but once I saw it, I loved it. I got to hold a brain in my hands. It was very heavy."