Julian McMahon - The Doctor is In
by Laura Grover

As high-profile plastic surgeon Dr. Christina Troy on FX’s revelatory and dare-I-say brilliant new drama “Nip/Tuck”, Julian McMahon has accomplished the all too rare feat of realizing a character that is wholly original, and therefore completely unforgettable. Without overstating at all, it is a star-making role for the Sydney-born actor, who has lived in the States since the early 90’s. From the moment we meet him in the pilot, from the very first time Dr. Troy asks a patient to “Tell me what you don’t like about yourself,” the camera, and the audience, can’t get enough of McMahon – he had us at “Tell.”

On FX’s first heat-seeking, breakthrough phenomenon, “The Shield,” Michael Chiklis’ award winning Vic Mackey rightfully declared he was “a different kind of cop,” but Julian McMahon’s Christian Troy is something different altogether. While the airwaves circa 2003 offer a wealth of outstanding programming choices, only once in a great while does something radically new appear on episodic television, and “Nip/Tuck” indeed delivers the extraordinary. Created by Ryan Murphy, the show explores modern mores through the prism of the long term friendship and Miami-based medical partnership of McMahon’s Dr. Troy and Dylan Walsh’s flawlessly acted Dr. Sean McNamara. The yin to Christian’s yang – and the symbiosis is that inter-connected – Sean is a pent up father of two (including the astonishing John Hensley as son Matt) suffocating under the weigh of his withering marriage to Julia, masterfully played by Joely Richardson. “I’m a surgeon,” he says, “If I get emotional patients will die.”

Christian’s mantra, on the other hand, leads towards, “If you stop striving for perfection, you might as well be dead.” Without a road-map, emotional or otherwise, to that ultimate goal – although the ladies, both in the viewing audience and in “Nip/Tuck’s” fictional South Beach surroundings, might easily vote him a perfect 10 – Dr Troy very often finds himself in decidedly less-than-perfect situations, in under a dozen episodes, we’ve already watched him burying a body in the Everglades (with Dr. McNamara), and, on his own, being attacked from head to groin with Botox injections, and helplessly tied to a bed while spurned girlfriend Kimber – whom he traded for a car – drags a knifeblade down his torso.

All in a day’s work, and play, for Dr. Troy. Despite his arrogant default mode, sexual gamesmanship, and go-go lifestyle, however we are witness to as much of his vulnerable side as we are to his rabid alpha male ego. Through his deep bond with Dr. McNamara, his intermittent longing for Mrs. McNamara, and his incessant evaluation and re-evaluation of the world around him, Christian offers up – as does Sean in parallel fashion – a stunning portrait of the male psyche in all its many-hued complexity. Millions of ‘looky-loo’ viewers may have been lured in by the tease of a glossy, over-the-top send-up of the plastic surgery and our national obsession with it. They have instead been delivered – and stuck around for – one of the most honest depictions of the nature of men that has ever graced the small screen (one friend of mine original though it was a reality makeover show, but the reality on “nip/Tuck” is of a different ilk”. As a title, ‘The Secret Lives of Men’ was of course already taken, but as a possible subtitle for Ryan Murphy’s brainchild, the shoe fits.

Julian McMahon is the son of the former Australian Prime Minister – “Australian royalty,” states an FX executive – and that heritage can be felt in his bearing and engaging articulateness. Equally apparent is the style and confidence that equip him to event Christian Troy, yet McMahon’s laid-back charm starkly contrasts his alter-ego’s hyper velocity manic state. A relative latecomer to acting, he has been a regular presence on American television since his two-year stint on “Another World” a decade ago. Primetime viewers know him as Detective John Grant on NBC’s award winning series “Profiler,” and as the deliciously demonic spirit Cole Turner on The WB’s “Charmed.” With the persona of Christian Troy on the truly groundbreaking “Nip/Tuck,” he has encountered the role of his lifetime – so far. There’s no doubt more to come, and Venice recently and quite luckily, had the chance to sit down with McMahon – amidst 18 hour days on the set – at this pivotal moment of his career.

Venice: You show is absolutely like nothing else on the air – ever.

Julian McMahon: You know, I remember when “Six Feet Under” came out, and I was just so overwhelmed that here was this overall concept we’d never seen before. And then the way they dealt with the drama was so honestly realistic, almost brutal. It’s my favorite show. I love all the HBO shows…but conceptually, the basis of that one was so different, it just set it apart.

You could just as easily be describing “Nip/Tuck.”

I like it’s exactly the same in that conceptually it’s brand new. Dramatically, where “Six Feet Under” was earthy and realistic, we’ve kind of taken the limitations and pushed them a bit further, particularly for cable.


Basic cable, no less. FX has really made a name for themselves.

Definitely. They’re following that great lead from HBO and Showtime, and then used it, manipulated it, in a way that’s extraordinary – certainly with both “The Shield” and “Nip/Tuck.” Every time I pick up a script, I just can’t believe it.

How did you feel the first time you read the material?

The stuff that was coming out of Christian’s mouth blew me away. And I got that from reading the pilot, the script just blew my mind for so many reasons. For the depth of the characters, their strength in their convictions, and their fallibility at the same time – that dichotomy was freaky. I’d never felt like I’d loved and hated people so much…and I felt so connected to it in may ways. Like, ‘that was me a while ago,’ or, ‘I think that way now.’

A writer friend of mine was saying how the show is marketed in away that leads people to believe it’s more superficial than it is – and that then when they tune in, they’re blown away – like you were at first glance.

I couldn’t agree more. The way they’ve marketed it is really quite brilliant, and the team behind this at FX has been fantastic…what they’ve done is try to appeal to as many cross-sections as possible. They’ve tried to make it brash. Then, when you sit and watch the show, you realize that things are constantly being moralistically challenged. It’s always addressing ethics, and types of personality, and right and wrong, deep and shallow, and heavy and light. There are so many things going on, that it’s not a cheap show. It’s not a cheap frontal look at life at all.

But the theme of plastic surgery initially suggests superficial vanity, people – women mostly – obsessed with physical beauty. But I think what the show really does through Dr. Troy and Dr. McNamara is portray and expose men’s character, and nature – and conflicts – with greater depth and complexity than I’ve just ever seen on television.

I agree 100%, it really deals with how men are, how confused and complicated we are. And both of these characters together seem to be one whole person in a way…they change, and things intermingle, with regards to who’s making the right choices, who’s made the mistake. And it constantly plays with the idea, just because it’s wrong in your eyes, but maybe that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wrong logistically, financially, or emotionally for the way I live my life. These characters are always challenging each other. It’s great, because one day you definitely have it where he’s a nice guy and I’m the bad guy, but then it’s not so clear at all. Those lines are so crossed, it’s like a mesh.

Both doctors famously ask, ‘Tell me what you don’t like about yourself.’ As an actor, what do you like about Dr. Troy?

Not everyone else likes the things I like about my character… I love the fact that he’s a man who’s made the choice to live the life he has, to be who he is. And I like him even without the damaging history that we’ve learned has made him the way he is. I like the fact that he tailors his suits just so, and we’ve done that very carefully for him, with everything he wears, because that’s who he is. It’s the same way he identifies with his car – his car means something to him, it has a value of life. I’m not like that, but I don’t mind it. I like cars, but for different reasons. I might like the hum of the engine, the comfort of the seat, but for him it’s a symbol, status. And one thing I’ve said from the beginning – which I think came out of the fact that people were always telling me what an asshole he was – is that if you really look at it, he’s probably the most honest character in the show. I like that.

I agree. There are many moments where you could easily say Dr. McNamara’s the asshole…

Yes. So I’ve always had this great affinity for Christian. He’s honest from moment to moment. I’ll change my tune sometimes just because of who I’m talking to, or the way I feel, but he has this brutal honestly about him that I really admire. Sometimes I wish I could borrow some of it.

Well you fight him like a glove…How did you land the part?

I’ve read a lot of scripts in my time in this business. I’ve tried to get roles that I could never get, I’ve tried to get roles that were bound for other people, and I’ve tried to get roles I never should have been cast in, and I’ve turned stuff down. There’ve been moments in time when I’d read things and say, ‘That fits,’ but, above anything else I’d ever read, this was just so explosive, so different. The writing was fantastic, and the dialogue blew my mind away. I asked if I could go in and meet on it, and they said no. At the time, they were going in two different directions, and one of them was towards a more Cuban-style Miami flavor. They had a lot of people interested in doing this, especially because after “The Shield,” FX was obviously pretty hot. People were clamoring for this role, a lot of well-known people.

It’s a career-defining role.

It’s fabulous, I auditioned myself at my acting coach’s apartment, in his kitchen. I hand delivered the tape to them, and said, ‘Please just watch this. If you don’t like it, there’s nothing I can do. But please just put it in the VCR and watch a couple of seconds. That’s all I’m asking.’ I got a call a couple days later to come in and meet with Ryan. From then on, it was just a war of attrition, and fighting to prove that I was the person who fit the bill better than anyone else. The one thing I love most now about the attention, and all of the great work that’s occurred, is that I really feel good about fighting so hard for this role. Usually I’d think, ‘Oh it will come,’ but I decided, ‘Screw that, I’m not gonna sit back, I have to fight for this stuff.’ I really feel like I’ve done the right thing.

No doubt, and you inhabit Dr. Try perfectly. Did you research plastic surgery to get into the part?

I did, but I don’t think that had much to do with the character.

How did you get inside his head?

Somehow, I just knew that person. There’s a part of me that’s in that person, there’s a part of me that’s seen that person – that knows that guy. I’ve contemplated a lot of choices, and I could have gone down his path…I’ve been very conscious about who I am in my life, and that’s enabled me to play different characters. I always go through an evolution of, ‘What is that direction, who is that person? Do I want to be that way?’ It’s always like daydreaming when you start to play the role. Christian’s the first character I’ve ever played where I feel like it’s an out of body experience when I’m watching.

Ah, through his body, there are some scenes that we’ve just never seen an actor go through before – like the one where you’re stabbed with Botox needles. It seemed to require such bravery to just lay there.

That was so hard. It was a very long day, and you could just feel the tension in the room. You could feel how horrific that moment was. It was what it looked like. There was almost no acting required, in a way, because it was so right there.

As a character, he’s pushed to the limit, and pushes the envelope, so often, it’s amazing – like the scene where Kimber drags the knife down his body.

I love the shot of him at the end of that episode, where it starts close in on his face and he’s got lipstick all over him, and he’s just gazing out at the camera. You kind of felt like he was there for days. I thought that was really cool.

He withstands so much.

I agree. He’s had so much shit thrown at him, I’m surprised he’s still standing. There are so many moments when I think, ‘Why am I here? Why did I get strapped to the bed and sliced up?’ That’s another thing I like about him – at no point in time does he ever go, ‘I can’t do it.’ At no point does he ever not take a challenge and evaluate it, whether he does it right or the wrong way. Sean will turn to him and say, “You’re not ethical, you’re not right.’ And Christian will say, “You know what, screw you.” He goes through an evolution each time. He’s a person who’s willing to survive, always.

Christian’s long friendship with Sean is fascinating. In the pilot, when Sean appears to be walking out on both his marriage and his medical partnership and Christian threatens him with ruin, that was profound.

I loved that scene. Christian would have done anything to stop that from happening. A wonderful thing that I’ve heard Ryan say a couple of times is that the show is about the love affair between two men.

Their relationship is remarkably intimate. The scene in the church, where you break down and reveal you were abused as a child, was stupendous. I’m always awed by the fact that “Nip/Tuck” has so many quiet moments that are just jaw-dropping.

That scene was beautiful. And it does come down to just simple moments, that’s what Dylan and I have really tried to portray.

Was Dylan already cast when you signed on?

No, he and I auditioned the same day, in what I call the depths of FX – you do down to like layer minus 563, in this elevator that goes to hell or someplace. We were there for hours, and there was just something that went on in the room between just him and me, with all these other actors around, something I felt towards him. We were the last to leave, and I remember standing at the valet waiting for our cars, wanting to turn to him and say ‘I don’t know why, but I don’t want to do the show without you.’ I didn’t, and we just had this bull-shitty kind of talk. Then my car comes up, and it’s a brand new Escalade EXT, and it’s just sitting there humming looking like the mack daddy of cars. And his drives up, and it’s this old BMW with a couple of car seats in the back. We looked at each other and when, OK, we fight the bill so perfectly…It’s a wonderful match of art meeting people, our being cast in the right mold.

Has doing the show affected your perception of our culture’s obsession with physical perfection?

Not really, although now I see to a certain extend the brutality of what we go through to make ourselves look good and feel better. And it is look and feel better. I like if somebody’s looking at themselves in the mirror every day and just hating it, and it causes them to live their lives in some kind of depressive manner, that’s not good. So if they can’t get it n therapy, or with anti-depressants, I’m an advocate of it, for sure. I mean, I’d rather see somebody do that then take pills all their life. I don’t know the long term consequences, and they kind of scare me a little bit, but plastic surgery’s a part of the way we exist now.

Where did Ryan Murphy’s inspiration for the show come from?

He was working as a journalist, back when plastic surgery was not so much at the forefront of our lives. He was asked to do a story on it, and I think it was meant to be something that wasn’t that deep. Ryan went to interview a plastic surgeon to get a feel for it, and within a few minutes was talked into about five different surgeries. He needed to get a nose job, his eyes done, some work on his chin, whatever. He walked away from the whole experience questioning himself, and wondering, is it the inside that needs to be fixed, or the outside, and does fixing one help the other? That was where the idea was spawned, and then it evolved into where it is today.

He’s really brought those questions to life with “Nip/Tuck” – and I mean with the regular cast, not just the characters brought in for the weekly plastic surgery stories.

I think what he’s trying to portray is the fallibility of all the characters, and all different kinds of people. Dylan and I constantly juxtapose each other. There might be the image of me as the bad guy, but then you look at him standing in the middle of his affair, and I’m the one standing there trying to support him. Now, is that warranted, is that support good or not? What do you do? What is right and what is wrong? In society we have so many rules about what we agree with and what we don’t agree with…and we all live by different ideas about what we think is right. Some are conservative and some are more open. I think that’s what we’ constantly acting out.

Speaking of acting, how did you get started? Did you act as a child?

Not at all. It’s been a strange journey for me. I went from law school to modeling, because I was asked to do a commercial, and all of a sudden, I got all this money. I was asked to travel overseas, and I thought all right, screw law, I’m going to do this.

And from modeling to acting?

My dad passed away, and I came back to Australia for the funeral. I was heading back to Europe, and this casting director called to say he had a producer interested in meeting me about a TV series. I’d studied a little bit of acting in Italy, for commercials, and for language, but I didn’t know what acting was. I went to the audition, and I was shore I’d done it horrifically, but I got the job. I was with all these English and Australian actors on a series called ‘The Power and the Passion,’ the first ever daytime soap in Australia. I just lapped it up. Every moment, I was on set, and if I wasn’t on set, I was at the acting teacher’s house.

What was it that you loved so much?

I just loved everybody else’s passion for it. I’d go to my co-star’s houses, and we’d sit for hours and just talk. I felt like it was an endless role, there was never a way you were going to get to the perfect acting, it could never stand still…I felt like it was never ending, and I loved that. I went on to New York a while, and then to Europe where I did a musical.

You sing as well?

I don’t know how that came about, it was kind of ridiculous. Then I thought, you know what, I have to try to take this more seriously. I knew if I really wanted to act, I had to go back to America and see if I could do it there. It was hard for me, because I was a pretty well known actor in Europe and Australia. I came here, and people were like ‘Who are you?’ Plus, I had this accent, and they’d say, ‘We can’t understand you, so there’s no point in even coming in.’ Everything had to start over again, and I had to work a lot harder. It was a challenge. And here I am. I learned so much as an actor I learned how to work with the camera, how to work with the crew to get the best shots, and how to manipulate my performance around the camera to best effect. I learned how to work with directors. I learned the real technical sides of acting, the things you don’t get taught in class.

And three seasons on “Charmed” – What was the lesson there?

First of all, I just loved my role, because I played the devil, and nothing could have set me up for Christian better than that, in a way. A lot of the work I did on my own, on green screen quite often, with no other actors, using just my imagination, my own life experience…so the one show developed my technical skills, and “Charmed” opened up my brain to new horizons, a different world.

And now, in your career-altering role as Christian Troy…
It feels, for me, like it’s making a moment in history. In my history, not history in general. I feel like it’s the beginning of a new journey, and everything is in line in the right direction. You know how sometimes things fit pretty well, but they’re just slightly off? I don’t feel ay of that now, I think it just fits – the character to the actor, the actor to the character. And that’s everything to where I am in my life. I feel like I’ve been taken along for a ride.

Except you’re in the driver’s seat.

I feel like I am and I feel like I’m not. There are times when I feel like I’m taking some kind of a space shuttle, and somebody else has got the controls. But every now and then, I guess I do think, “OK, I’ve got the wheel.’

Is it hard to let go of that wheel, and him, when you’re not working?
No, actually it’s not. But he exhausts me. I look at his life and think, ‘Oh dude, chill out.’ I could never live that way, because it’s too fast.

Acclaim for the show has been equally fast…I suspect there are many nominations and awards on the horizon.

The problem with that is it separates some of us, and I think all of us are doing a wonderful job, literally from the craft service people to the top of the table, to Ryan Murphy and Peter Liguori at FX. There’s nobody that’s not a piece of this puzzle, who’s not working their ass off. Whatever happens, I want it to be incumbent on the fact that it’s all of us doing the work.