Troy Boy

By Darren Devlyn

Imagination and sensitivity are the keys to sexual stamina for Julian McMahon.
Filming scenes of physical intimacy can fill an actor with trepidation.
Sex scenes are often painstakingly choreographed, technically demanding and physically confronting. Most actors will tell you the atmosphere on set is anything but relaxed when it coms to simulating a steamy encounter in front of a film crew.
Julian McMahon, 35, is an exception. He has no qualms about exploring the insatiable sexual needs of Dr. Christian Troy, the character he plays in the spicy Channel 9 drama Nip/Tuck.
But McMahon feels he'll have failed in his portrayal of "Tool Man" Troy if the audience remembers nothing about him except his bedroom antics.
The aim, he says, is to make a lasting impression in the show by imbuing Troy with psychological depth and emotion.
"There is no escaping the fact that I do have a lot of sex scenes...in one episode, in fact, I have six of them," McMahon says.
"As a lead member of the cast, I try to be someone who keeps everything comfortable because there are plenty of actors who find it intimidating to get naked while there are cameras rolling. I have a responsibility to bring about that degree of sensitivity to the set, to protect other people who might be feeling exposed. It is a nurturing environment on the show. The way I approach these scenes is to use them as an exploration of Christian that just happens to be in a sexual medium. I wanted the audience to learn about Christian through these experiences. The last thing I want is for people to watch it and say, 'Oh, Christ, not another shot of his ass', so I work incredibly hard to bring something new to each one. It is hard work, given you do one sex scene at least three or four different ways before everyone on the set is satisfied with the result. It's a real test of your imagination, trying to find different positions, when you have up to six sex scenes in one episode."
McMahon says making series TV is physically and emotionally exhausting.
He is up before 6am each working day and rarely returns to his home in the Hollywood Hills before 10:30pm. He has a quick dinner and often falls asleep in a chair with the next day's script in his lap.
It can be hard balancing his working life with his responsibilities as a father to three-year-old daughter Madison (by ex-wife and former Baywatch babe Brooke burns).
"I have a great ex-wife and a wonderful kid and I'm proud to say my daughter and I spend a whole lot of time together. It would be much harder if the other people involved didn't make it as easy for me as what they do. I have an incredibly demanding life at work, but I don't think it has compromised the relationship I have with my daughter."
McMahon moved to the US in the early '90's and rarely returns to Australia to visit.
"I have been in the US so long now that there is not much except family and some friends that I really miss about Australia any more," he says.
"The great thing is that my family comes here a couple of times a year and we have great fun catching up."
Contemplating his recent achievements, McMahon adds, "I couldn't be happier or prouder...what a great ride this has been."
He's relieved he survived eight auditions to score Nip/Tuck.
"It's definitely a gift role," McMahon says. "But I knew that as soon as I read it. That's why I fought so hard for it. It's wonderful to come into your own as a man and then put that on the screen."