Jesse Metcalfe finds new ways to help those in desperate situations

For actor Jesse Metcalfe, it was easy – learn how.

In “On a Wing and a Prayer,” a based-in-truth drama on Prime Video, he plays a pilot who has to recreate the cockpit in his home, then relay the moves to a man with elementary knowledge of flying.

“I had to look basically everything up,” Metcalfe says. “There’s a lot of aviation jargon specifically for my character and I had to have a cursory understanding of what I was talking about.”

To film the scenes, an assistant director stood near Metcalfe and fed him the lines that would be delivered by Dennis Quaid and others.

“It’s usually pretty flat and monotone,” he says of an off-camera prompter’s work. “But, you know, it’s our job to bring all that emotion and energy to our performance.”

Heading in a new direction

For the former “Desperate Housewives” star, “On a Wing and a Prayer” represents another shift in his career. “I definitely want to move away from the matinee idol and move into more serious roles,” the 44-year-old says.

Already, Metcalfe has two other films ready for release – “The Comic Shop” and “The Latin from Manhattan” – that should put him in a different light.

In a series of V. C. Andrews films on Lifetime, he also plays the father of a girl dealing with an evil grandmother.

“It’s my first dad role,” he says with a smile. “(The series) is very, very charming. I’m excited for people to see it.”

Coming on the heels of his Hallmark Channel run (he starred in the hit series “Chesapeake Shores”), Metcalfe sees his latest ventures as a way to move into other aspects of filmmaking. “I’d like to move behind the camera, specifically in producing roles,” he says. “I have an interest in directing. I went to New York University for writing and directing and I’ve seen how much work directing is. You’re the first person on the set and the last person to leave.”

While working with the Hallmark Channel (he starred in a number of its holiday films, too) Metcalfe was able to produce and write. “They allowed me to executive produce some projects and be involved in the creative and casting of those projects. I’m proud of the work.”

For the one-time soap star, that’s a fairly big leap. Metcalfe had been on daytime television for five years when he got the call to play John Rowland on “Desperate Housewives.”

“Daytime television and primetime are worlds apart,” he says. “You can work on daytime your entire career and the average person might not know your name. To become a household name pretty much overnight was definitely interesting.”

As the gardener who falls for Eva Longoria’s character, “it wasn’t the most challenging role in the world, but I tried to bring vulnerability and depth to it. But it was a whirlwind that just kind of swept me right off my feet. I didn’t anticipate the success. To still be talking about the show 20 years later means it’s achieved some level of iconic television status.”

After his run ended, Metcalfe found himself auditioning for other roles. Had the success come later in life, “I’d be much more prepared. I’d like to believe that the best of my career is ahead of me.”

Other film and television work followed (including a reboot of “Dallas”); then he entered those Hallmark years.

“You have to find the lessons in everything you do in life,” he says. “It’s about relationships. (Show business) is a collaborative art form and you have to work well with others. Producing is a big sales job – you’re trying to find financing for ideas that you have and that can be a little soul-sucking.” The work, however, intrigues him.

With “On a Wing and a Prayer,” Metcalfe got a chance to see how its producers navigated the system. “It was the right team with the right script. I’m really proud of what they produced. It’s a very watchable movie that really keeps you on the edge of your seat.”

And the man he portrays? Metcalfe didn’t get a chance to meet him, but he’s ready – just in case. “I basically looked up everything I could find on him in print interviews,” he says. “But the picture that was painted of him within our script was more than enough for me to grab hold of as an actor.”

“On a Wing and a Prayer” airs April 7 on Prime Video.