Neither a doctor nor a bastard in real life, Aussie Julian McMahon, 36, has carved a niche playing both. In the new Fantastic Four, he's Dr. Doom, a cocky magnate who goes all Vader after being severely disfigured in a lab accident. And in the FX drama Nip/Tuck (season 3 begins Sept. 20), he's Dr. Christian Troy, a cocksure plastic surgeon fans love to hate. We consulted with McMahon on his career in medicine.
Dr. Doom and Dr. Troy are obsessed with their looks. Are you going for the gold in narcissism?
It was a fluke that [both] look in the mirror constantly. They seem to have everything, and they're going through battles — emotionally, physically, spiritually.
Your mom must be proud that you keep playing doctors. What was her reaction to all your naughty bits on Nip/Tuck?
''Nice ass.'' [Laughs] The first time I showed [the series] to her, it was a little embarrassing. But she enjoys it — she thinks it's great fun.
Did Nip/Tuck's bloody surgery scenes prepare you for Doom's gruesome physical transformation?
It looks real when you're [on Nip/Tuck's set]. Bits of steak and chicken underneath skin — it's disgusting. But I was macabre before Nip/Tuck. In Fantastic Four, I decided instead of putting a bandage on Doom, it might be better if we put staples in. [Giggling] There's a great scene where he's picking staples out of his head. . .
And what of Christian, last seen, in Nip/Tuck's season finale, left for dead under a serial slasher's knife?
He's somewhat disfigured. He's at the place where ending his life may be easier than continuing. But bad boy Christian is coming back. . . .[This season] is deeper, darker, more screwed up. Our show has always been on the precipice of exploding into some atomic-bomb-type thing. Now it's getting worse.
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