The series is shot at a defunct hospital in Los Angeles. Is that a cost-cutting measure?
I'm pretty sure there's nothing cheap about it, because typically someone's whining that we should move to a studio, and something breaks down every single day. But I don't want to move. It's like Scrubs University there, because there are no network suits around. And it's funny, because the writers' room is in the old psychiatric ward.
Can you explain the ''Scrubs Fear Factor''?
I never leave my dressing room, so I'm not so hip to it. But we collect money every Friday, and to get the kitty, someone has to complete a certain extreme task over the weekend. Somebody ate pigs' feet once, and then another guy had to wear Maori face makeup that was applied with a Sharpie. He made about a thousand dollars, and it's tax free.
Weren't you supposed to get an Emmy nomination this year?
I bought into all that Emmy buzz for a minute or two. John Cusack [his ''Fat Man and Little Boy'' costar and longtime friend] and I had a conversation about that -- because for every movie that he's in, it seems like someone gets nominated for an Oscar but never him. And he told me, ''Cut it out. You play the most fun character on TV, so nail it, grow up, and be quiet.''
What's this about you filming another project on the ''Scrubs'' set?
Well, I'm shooting a public service announcement for the National Down Syndrome Society this month, but I'm just going to borrow the ''Scrubs'' crew for a medium shot, then a tight shot, and that's it. The producers said it was okay, which was great because NDSS has exactly zero money for this sort of thing. I'm this year's spokesman for the organization's Buddy Walk, which means a lot to me. My son Max, who's five, has Down syndrome, and he has completely informed how I play Dr. Cox. He's the angel on my shoulder. When those times come when Dr. Cox drops the tough-guy act to show some love, those are what I call Max moments. Since he's been born, I don't want to play tough guys anymore. I don't have it in me.
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