James Denton is taking a dramatic turn on the stage with an all-new production of How Cissy Grew in Los Angeles, and ET gets the lowdown from the hunky "Desperate Housewives" star about acting opposite his wife, Erin O'Brien -- and his upcoming nude scene on his hit ABC show!

"When I found out I was going to be stark naked in an episode of 'Desperate Housewives,' which we just shot, I worked out pretty steadily for a month," James confides to ET. "That's pretty good motivation."

Previews for How Cissy Grew begin October 16 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood, with its limited six-week engagement ending November 23. The play takes place in West Virginia and studies a family's dramatic, long-term struggles in the wake of having their daughter abducted -- and returned only a few days later. James stars opposite his wife in the play.

"We met doing a play, and then we did another play, so we've been on stage together before," says Erin.

"It's a chance to act together, and it's a great role for [Erin]; she doesn't get many opportunities to act, so it made a lot of sense," says James, adding, "The subject matter's very heavy, but the play's very funny. Susan Johnston, the playwright, was smart enough to load it with real funny, laugh-out-loud moments."

And James says that you can expect a nice red-carpet showing for the play's premiere with many of his "Desperate" castmates: "We'll have a really supportive Hollywood family show up."

Watch ET for more with James!