John C. McGinley Says He Wrote a '6-Page Manifesto on Loneliness' to Play Character Based on Himself in “Rooster” (Exclusive)
John C. McGinley Says He Wrote a '6-Page Manifesto on Loneliness' to Play Character Based on Himself in “Rooster” (Exclusive)
Brenton BlanchetWed, March 11, 2026 at 8:50 PM UTC
0
Steve Carell and John C. McGinley in 'Rooster'Credit: Katrina Marcinowski/HBO -
John C. McGinley is revealing how he prepared to play a man based on himself
The Rooster star tells PEOPLE that Bill Lawrence asked if he "could steal my life" for the new HBO comedy, so he wrote a manifesto on how loneliness has impacted him to really get into the role
"The character was going to be me," he says of college dean Walter Mann
John C. McGinley had to look inward for his latest performance.
The Rooster star, 66, tells PEOPLE that since his character in the new HBO comedy is based on himself, he took a little time to self-reflect to really get into the role.
It all started when series co-creator Bill Lawrence swung by McGinley's house in Southern California for a "whole summer." At one point during his stay, he asked his longtime collaborator — who he had been working with since they teamed up on Scrubs in 2001 — if he "could steal my life."
"I couldn't have been more confused," McGinley says. "I didn't know what that meant. I didn't know if it was euphemistic or some kind of analogy. And it turned out that, as usual, he was just telling the truth. And it was to be in a Steve Carell TV show that would realize fruition a year and a half later. So that's how I came to this piece."
John C. McGinley and Annie Mumolo in HBO's 'Rooster'Credit: Katrina Marcinowski/HBO
— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
As McGinley explains, in order to play the role of the college dean and sauna-loving Walter Mann in Rooster, he decided to really think about being John C. MicGinley. And he wrote about it, too.
"Walt is me. And so in other words, I told you, Billy asked if he could steal my life to play a character. The character was going to be me. And so I know that's all backwards, but that's what I was dealing with. And so I didn't tell you this, but I wrote a six-page manifesto on loneliness," he says.
He adds, "Not 'who am I,' I just decided that if we're going to work from me, I wrote a six-page single-space manifesto on how loneliness has impacted me. I sent it to Bill and [co-creator Matt Tarses], and that's how they wrote backwards from there for John C. McGinley."
Advertisement
John C. McGinley attends the premiere of HBO's 'Rooster' on March 3, 2026Credit: Stephanie Augello/Variety via Getty
In Rooster, McGinley's Walt forms a working dynamic (and friendship) with Steve Carell's Greg Russo — a popular author who makes a decision that leads to a hilarious chain of events on a college campus. The series also stars Danielle Deadwyler, Phil Dunster, Charly Clive and Lauren Tsai.
Tsai, who plays a grad student named Sunny Salewski, says she learned something from watching McGinley portray a man somewhat inspired by himself, too. "It's interesting to know it's a version of yourself, too, and how you're inhabiting that in the scene and presenting it and taking over things," she tells him. "I learn so much every time we work together, truly. It's an honor."
Speaking during a Tuesday, March 3 press conference in New York City, Carell broke down the dynamic on set and explained how working with the cast of his latest comedy reminded him of his time on The Office.
"It just felt like a true ensemble," Carell said of his costars. "You don’t know what the energy’s going to be like, you don’t know what each of them are going to be like as people. But there was just such a pervasive kindness and generosity. And, honestly, it reminds me of my experience on The Office in terms of that."
Reflecting on his time on the NBC hit, Carell added that all the people working together was part of its magic. "We were an ensemble and we shared — and that includes cast, crew, writers, producers, everybody. It was like, we just wanted it to be good," he said.
As McGinley puts it, "Steve is the most nimble, present, cerebrally agile, gifted, physical actor I've ever been able to work with."
"And what happens when you get in the frame with someone who's that extraordinary is it ups your game," he tells PEOPLE. "Your level of expertise is impacted by Steve and you play better every time."
New episodes of Rooster arrive on Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
