The actor has praised his time on 'Shrinking' and his connection to his character, Derek
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/ted-mcginley-john-c-mcginley--scrubs-4626-2d6fe3027b6f415e80fe2fe95f4f8b16.jpg "Ted McGinley, John C. McGinley, Scrubs")
Credit: Stewart Cook/Apple TV via Getty; Mitch Hasseth / Touchstone Television/Courtesy Everett Collection
NEED TO KNOW
- Ted McGinley tried for many years to work with Bill Lawrence on a project before Shrinking came together
- McGinley recalls auditioning for the role of Dr. Perry Cox in Scrubs, which ultimately went to John C. McGinley
- Ted, 67, reflects on what the role in Shrinking has meant to him
Ted McGinley is grateful for the journey that brought him to Shrinking.
The actor, 67, appeared on Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia, where he discussed working with creator Bill Lawrence on the series, revealing Lawrence had been looking for the right project for them to work together on.
“He tried to cast me a few times…generally, I tanked it. It didn't work out," McGinley shared.
“And the last one was on Scrubs…I was testing for the same role that John C. McGinley tested for. And John got the role and probably, thank God, for Scrubs,” he said. (Despite sharing a last name, the two are unrelated.)
Lawrence didn't give up on the idea of working with the Love Boat alum, who shared, "Bill Lawrence said, ‘Someday we're going to work together. We're going to do something.’ And he called me up and said, ‘Hey, I got a little part on this pilot if you're interested.’ And I was like, ‘Yes, I'm interested. Say when, say where.’ ”
McGinley connected with the character of Derek from "the day I got the script."
"I said, ‘This is the best half-hour script I've ever read.’ It made me laugh and cry, and I said, ‘This is so smart.’ And I was so proud of myself because I was exactly right.”
Credit: Beth Dubber/Apple TV
At the Dec. 12 "An Evening with Shrinking at PaleyLive" event, McGinley explained that it has been one of the highlights of his career to portray the steady, easygoing husband of Christa Miller’s Liz and next-door neighbor to Jason Segel’s Jimmy.
“I have had great jobs,” he continued, noting that he’s worked with “great people,” but his current project is “the sweetest spot [he’s] ever been.” He credits that to the writers, who created a character that “people respond to.”
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“Derek represents light at the end of the tunnel and a warm blanket when you're on a raft in the middle of a cold,” he said. “And I think that's beautiful. That's how I see it.”