From ‘Scrubs’ to Lexington Comic Con fans, John C. McGinley’s always about inclusivity

As an actor whose film and TV career spans nearly four decades and includes a 10-year-run on a popular network sitcom, John C. McGinley (Dr. Perry Cox from the NBC sitcom “Scrubs”) became re-acquainted with his career in an unexpected way at one of his first Comic Con experiences.

While McGinley made prior appearances at some of the country’s biggest events in San Diego and New York to promote his horror-comedy series “Stan Against Evil,” his first experience at a convention solely to meet fans took place in October 2021 at the Fanboy Expo in Knoxville, Tennessee.

“When you’re standing there and you’re at your station, there is a collection of about 12 different stacks of photos in front of you,” McGinley said. “I’ve been lucky enough that those 12 different stacks are 12 different projects, from ‘The Rock’ to ‘Stan (Against Evil)’ to ‘Scrubs’ to ‘Office Space.’ All these things ... they’ve watched them over and over.”

McGinley was tapped by top directing talent for his acting ability early on, making appearances in Oliver Stone projects ranging from 1986’s “Platoon” and “Wall Street” a year later to 1989’s “Born on the Fourth of July.” McGinley has made appearances in projects big and small on screens big and small ever since, whether it was the 1991 action movie classic “Point Break” or historical dramas such as the 2013 Jackie Robinson biopic “42.”

But according to McGinley, at his Knoxville Fan Expo experience, roughly half of the fans were there because of his portrayal of ranty, rough-around-the-edges Dr. Cox in “Scrubs.” It’s a role he embodied from 2001 to 2010, a timeframe whose significance isn’t lost on him.

“Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as 10 years anymore. There’s three seasons and out,” McGinley said.

While getting to work with Bill Lawrence, the writer-producer of “Scrubs” who currently heads the hit AppleTV series “Ted Lasso,” definitely had its appeal, what led McGinley to pursue this role more was his son, Max. Max was born with Down Syndrome and he wanted to be in Los Angeles due to Max’s challenges.

According to McGinley, other than multi-camera sitcoms on studio sound stages, very few TV shows were actually filming in Los Angeles at the time. “Scrubs,” despite its single-camera format, was filming at a hospital in nearby Burbank. He said he found a dream role logistically but also creatively, allowing his personal experience away from acting to be felt on screen.

“Dr. Cox is the kind of character that writers kind of drool over, exercising some different demons on the page,” he said. “I brought Max into Dr. Cox’s heart into work every day, and that rounded out the edges.”

McGinley said one of the reasons he thinks “Scrubs” resonated so well with people was not just the writing or the cast, which he said became like family by the show’s end, but it provides a bit of levity and relatability in a usually somber setting.

“When any of us go to the hospital, we are scared to death. We are usually not there for a good reason,” he said. “When you’re circling the drain, there are times when if you don’t laugh right now at something, our brains are going to explode. That’s where ‘Scrubs’ lives. ‘Scrubs’ lives right in there.”

When it comes to his upcoming Lexington Comic Con appearances on Friday and Saturday, March 25 and 26, McGinley wasn’t content with a meet-and-greet line. He said he made sure to include a 90-minute Q&A (he wishes it was longer) so that fans can ask him the most nuanced and nerdy questions about the numerous roles he has portrayed in his career.

“That is right in my sweet spot, being in an auditorium with 1,000 people and someone asks an obscure question,” he said. “I’m comfortable being a storyteller so if your question is a catalyst for a story, if you ask something about ‘Platoon,’ we can have a fun story exchange.”

McGinley is still passionate for acting and storytelling. He has currently written two half-hour shows (one comedy, one cop show) that he is pitching to various networks and streaming services. That being said, he is even more passionate for being an advocate on behalf of Down Syndrome and the special needs community.

McGinley is a board member and an international spokesperson for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation and a global ambassador for the Special Olympics. He said he sees the parallels between his work for the special needs community and talking to various fans at conventions. Based on the feelings and interaction he gets from these experiences, it may not be the last time Lexington gets an appearance from Dr. Cox.

“I think if you can provide a sense of inclusion, whether it is with fans of comic con or in the special needs community, you are doing a service, and it makes me feel good,” he said.

Lexington Comic and Toy Convention

When: 6-10 p.m. Thursday, March 24; Noon-8 p.m. Friday, March 25; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, March 26; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, March 27

Where: Central Bank Center, 430 W. Vine St.

Tickets: $30-$100

Online: lexingtoncomiccon.com

This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 6:00 AM.