Interview: John C. McGinley Chats About the Life of an Actor, the New Challenge of His ‘Rooster’ Role, and Returning to ‘Scrubs’

John C. McGinley is a real actor’s actor. Whether it’s on the big or small screen, you see a man who loves what he does. The role can be big or small, you just know that McGinley is not simply giving it his all, but committed to showing you something. It could be a supporting part in The Rock or a huge role on Scrubs, seeing him pop up is simply a good sign. As I like to say, crediting a phrase Kevin Smith has said, McGinley is the marrow of any work he’s in. With his performances on Rooster and the return of Scrubs generating some real buzz, I recently had the opportunity to speak with him. McGinley was incredibly generous with his time, so today I’m very pleased to present a freewheeling conversation about all things acting.

2026 has seen McGinley appear in both the first season of Rooster as well as the newest season of Scrubs. I wrote here about the latter show, which has a late season character arc for McGinley that takes Cox in a whole new direction. As for the former, it’s a unique challenge being presented to him by series creator Bill Lawrence, in that the character is based on himself. Seeing both of these performances side by side is just more evidence of the man’s talents, as well as his range. The opportunity has not been lost on him, either, as he’s incredibly grateful.

Below, you can see my discussion with McGinley. Again, he was very generous with his time, and as substantial as this chat was, we spend the same amount of time before I hit record just talking, as well as some additional back and forth afterwards. Truly, I could have talked to him all day. You’ll hear about being asked by Lawrence to try something new on Rooster, what the return of Scrubs has been like, and tons of fun stories. McGinley is quick, smart, and very funny, so I was delighted to just listen to his gems. I suspect you’ll feel the same way. This is one of the best conversations I’ve had in some time, so it’s an absolute pleasure to present this one to you all.

Here now is my interview with Rooster and Scrubs cast member John C. McGinley. Enjoy:

Rooster is streaming on HBO Max and the new season of Scrubs is streaming on Hulu!