Nip/Tuck’s fourth season promises many more Christian Troy antics than season three. With no more Carver mystery to deal with, Christian is back to seducing the ladies. He’ll be in therapy with a psychiatrist played by Brooke Shields, in bed with a mother/daughter duo and even questioning his own sexuality.
Why do you think Christian is so appealing to women?
”I think that he kind of lives by his own rules. He’s very gregarious in his own manner and the way that he lives his life, and I think that that’s fascinating to women. It’s not just fascinating to women, though. I think it’s fascinating to everybody.”
What do you love about him?
”I love all of those things. I love the fact that he’s extraordinarily honest. I like the fact that he’s honest about his manipulation. I like the fact that he says things that we’d all like to say and don’t actually get the opportunity to, or don’t feel we have the right place to, or don’t feel like we can say it to that person. Playing him, sometimes, is a good cleanser because you get to get all that stuff out of your system.”
How do you top making a woman put a bag over her head?
”I don’t know. That was a big one. I don’t know if anybody liked that or didn’t like it. I thought it was pretty out of control. Last season was a tough season and I think that episode would have looked a little different, had it been in a season like the season that we’re having now, which is a bit more rambunctious, a bit more fun and a bit more enjoyable. So, I think it came across a little differently to the way it was and the way we depicted it last year. I think it was just very depressing and sad.”
It seemed like the only real Christian moment of the season.
”Well, I think that the relationship that he struck up with that woman was quite extraordinary, but I think that he does that consistently. Don’t forget Mrs. Grubman. The relationship that he had with Mrs. Grubman was pretty intense. The relationship that develops with Larry Hagman is pretty intense. As shallow as this guy seems, if you really go back and look at the people and the path that he’s traveled, than you get to see a guy who’s been many different people, not just the shallow, women-crazy, fast car driving guy.”
Christian keeps getting further and further out there. Can you talk about how you don’t bring that character home with you at night?
”Just so you know, one of the reasons that Christian has gone so far out there is because that’s what I wanted to do. I don’t know if this is just a depiction of a build up of doing things for three years and playing that character, and also particularly after last year, I just wanted things to be sexier, wilder, more out of control, and I wanted to push that enveloped as much as possible. I wanted to rip it up and throw it to the wind. I wanted to push things as far as possible, and I still want to do that. And, we’ve done that. We’re back to the good, fun, raunchy Nip/Tuck that I like.
How do I not take it home? I just don’t take my work home with me. You learn, after a period of time, that you switch it on when you need it. It’s not just about not taking it home. You can’t take it to the trailer. You can’t take it to lunch. You need to have those little breaks, so that you can perform properly. If it’s encumbering you throughout the day, for me, personally, I don’t get the opportunity to perform properly when the cameras are rolling.”
When you see a scene like the one where you put the bag over the woman’s head before you have sex with her, do you ever shake your head and say, “All right, here we go?”
”Definitely. I shake my head in many different directions. The bag over the head thing was a tough one for me, just because it was so denigrating. But then, I like the way they finished it. She comes into his office afterwards and says, ‘Anytime you want another date, I’m ready.’ So we always travel that journey, and the journey always fulfills itself in some way. It’s not just denigrating somebody. It really was about opening up people and expressing themselves. If you had to put a bag on somebody’s head to do that, as ludicrous and horrific as it sounds, that’s what it takes. I find that truly interesting.”
Is Christian going to be involved with both Kimber (Kelly Carlson) and Brooke Shields’ character this season?
”No. Christian and Kimber are pretty much over and done with. Kimber moves on her own path for a while, anyway. I think it’s a good idea. I think that they traveled their whatever and it’s time for both of them to move on. There’s plenty of other people in Miami for her, and there’s plenty of other people in Miami for him.”
