The sight of blood makes him queasy, but Julian McMahon is having a ball playing a womanising plasitc surgeon on Nip/Tuck

Julian fakes it

Julian McMahon laughs at the irony that is latest Hollywood success comes from a show about a profession that terrifies him. The 35-year-old former Charmed star is now starring in controversial drama Nip/Tuck as plastic surgeon Christian Troy, a womanising doctor whose ethics and morals are constantly in question.
How do you feel about plastic surgeons?
I hate going to the doctor and get shaky just hearing the word. I'm really squeamish and hate blood so it was a challenge. I taped ay show that had plastic surgery in it and watched them all so that I could become desensitised. We have an episode coming up where a girl was hit by a car and I have to tell you I just couldn't even look. Slicing a steak is good to me, becouse I like steak, but slicing people is not my forte. I've hated going to the doctor since I was a kid so it's funny that I'm now getting paid to pretend to be one.
How do you feel about Christian's morals?
I think my character is a very confused individual and goes between what he thinks is morally right to the extreme of what is ultimately morally wrong. But inside of that he's trying to be honest and I love playing a character that goes so far out there. In one episode, he takes cash to do something he shouldn't do and he ends up getting Botox injected all over himself, tied to a chair and beaten up, so he certainly learns there are consequences for his actions!
Is it comfortable to film sex scenes with so many different acresses?
I just find it so strange that at 6am you're introduced to someone and by 7.30am you're having sex with them on a table! I'm a little more comfortable with it now because I've been doing the show fora while, but most of the acresses who come in don't know the crew and it's very awkward. I want to try and make the other person feel as comfortable as possible but at the same time, because my character is not conservative in his sexual manner, you want to push things.
Can you relate to your characters's playboy lifestyle?
I wish! When you work so hard for so many hours, the time for fast cars and girls kind of goes out the window, particularly when you also need to sleep! Any spare time I have is spent with my little girl (three-year-old Madison) and ever since I had her, my priorities in life have changed. We garden together, we watch rugby togrther and she drags her chair over to the stove and gets up there to cook scrambled eggs with me. That's my playboy lifestyle!
What does your mum think about your new role?
She came to visit and we had a specialchair made for her on the set that said "Lady Sonia"!My mum is beautifully critical and always picks at the details of my work but after she saw this show, she couldn't stop talking about it. She was asking me to make copies so she could take them back to Australia to show her friends!