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McGinley Goes to Bat for Locklear on 'Scrubs'
by Rick Porter Zap2it, TV News LOS ANGELES - John C. McGinley is a sports fan, and he's fond of using athletic metaphors when he's talking about his work as an actor. He calls the "Scrubs" ensemble -- himself, Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, Judy Reyes, Ken Jenkins and Neil Flynn -- a "pretty good starting seven." He praises the comic timing of Heather Locklear, guest-starring in two episodes beginning Thursday (Nov. 7), by comparing her to a boxer landing jabs.
"If they fill a capacity someone in the ensemble doesn't, that's why [creator Bill Lawrence] brings them in," McGinley says. "It's not very often -- it's almost like the Lakers, where you have a pretty tight team. And when a guest star does come in, someone in the ensemble gets elbowed out a little bit, because that guest star is going to have a pretty substantial plate appearance." The double-edged guest-star sword apparently wasn't a problem with Locklear's appearance. For one thing, Thursday's episode is longer than normal, part of a night of "super-sized" comedies on NBC. (It's also airing at 9:20 p.m. ET, switching spots with "Will & Grace." It returns to its normal 8:30 spot next week.) Also, the fact that the relationship between Locklear's character, a drug-company rep, and McGinley's Dr. Cox plays out over two episodes means the story won't feel rushed. "I think these two [episodes] are the best we've done," McGinley says. "When you get the opportunity to explore a subject for two episodes in a row instead of trying to cram an A, B and C story into 21 minutes, you're able to open up a little and see what's underneath it. That's a bit of a luxury."
"When Barbara Stanwyck was at her best, she had this fantastic kind of edge to her, but also this wonderful sexiness underneath," he says. "And of course that's where Heather is." He was also impressed with a moment in Thursday's show where Locklear, uh, spanks herself. "Most men in America are gonna drop off their seats when they see Heather Locklear spank herself," McGinley says. "I damn sure did. A lot of us have been watching that ass for a long time, and then for her to self-spank out of nowhere, that's just outstanding work." |
And he serves up a doubleheader in explaining the dynamic of bringing a guest star into the close-knit group the "Scrubs" regulars have become.
McGinley, a veteran of several Oliver Stone movies, along with "Office Space" and "The Rock," is effusive in his praise of Locklear. During a conference call with reporters, he twice describes her as "so breathtakingly beautiful" and compares her combination of beauty and comic ability to that of Barbara Stanwyck.