'You guys have no idea': Jesse Metcalfe recalls being under 'a lot of pressure' while filming for lead role in 'John Tucker Must Die'

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Jesse Metcalfe remembered the pressure he was under while filming 'John Tucker Must Die.' “You guys have no idea,” he said during an onstage panel at 'Epic Cons Chicago' on Sunday, March 24, alongside Sophia Bush and Arielle Kebbel, two of his co-stars in the 2006 teen comedy classic.

“I was not eating, and I was working out three times a day,” revealed the 45-year-old actor as he recalled hitting the gym “anytime that I was not on set," People reports. 

Jesse Metcalfe took his role 'pretty darn seriously'

Metcalfe, who played a teenage womanizer named John Tucker, said he was involved in “working out and eating salmon every night". “I was taking it pretty darn seriously", the star continued. 

After his breakout role opposite Eva Longoria in 'Desperate Housewives', Metcalfe made his first big-screen appearance in 'John Tucker Must Die', a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare’s 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' from director Betty Thomas and writer Jeff Lowell.

Bush, Kebbel, Ashanti, and Brittany Snow all played love interests of high school jock John, teaming up to take murderous revenge on him.

Jesse Metcalfe 'had a lot of anxiety' on being the lead actor

Metcalfe admitted he “had a lot of anxiety” about being the lead actor of his first major project which motivated his diet and exercise habits while filming. “It was a lot of pressure,” he said. Both Bush and Kebbel also agreed that the movie’s set “was rough in terms of body image” for all actors involved. 

Jesse Metcalfe opens up on what it meant to play the lead character

Metcalfe noted that playing John also meant gaining confidence in pulling off the movie’s funniest scenes. “I had a complex about if I could pull off the comedy,” he said, reflecting on some of his most challenging, yet fun moments filming. 

“Running around in women's underwear in front of the entire cast and about 40 extras was humbling, to say the least,” he said of his character being convinced to wear a lacy thong and making it a fashion trend among the school basketball team. 

“Another one of my favorite scenes,” the 'On a Wing and a Prayer' actor said, adding that he was “scaling the building in a towel and dropping the towel and setting myself up on the bed” in said underwear. “And the women's volleyball coach comes in and grabs me by the ear, pulls me into the hallway — amazing. That was a hilarious scene… but also one that was terrifying,” he added.

He continued, “There’s a lot of iconic scenes in John Tucker, that's for sure.”

The sequel for 'John Tucker Must Die' is in works

Bush, Kebbel, and Metcalfe also revealed at 'Epic Cons Chicago' that a sequel is in the works almost 18 years after the release of 'John Tucker Must Die.' “There's a script," said Metcalfe who added he has not yet read it. "Apparently it's amazing… I'd definitely love to be a part of it,” he said.

Kebbel confirmed the sequel "does involve all of the OG cast," and that the titular character "may or may not get a chance to change" his ways, "which would be very exciting." "I'm here for it,” said Metcalfe, adding “I can't wait to unleash this dad bod on the big screen.”