New McKidd in town

Kevin McKidd has gone from taking drugs in Trainspotting, to giving drugs in Grey's Anatomy. Photo / Supplied by TV2

Thirteen years may have passed but Scottish actor Kevin McKidd is still recognisable as Tommy, the star athlete turned down-and-out junkie in Trainspotting.

These days though McKidd is enjoying his role as Dr. Owen Hunt in Grey's Anatomy, especially because he is romantically involved with Cristina Yang (played by Sandra Oh).

"It's really fun being the new kid on the block, and so far everyone has been really nice to me. They didn't have to be, so I'm grateful for that. I expected it to be different" he laughs.

"As soon as I heard I'd be working with Sandra Oh, that was the main pull to come to Grey's Anatomy," he says. On the set the actors are dressed in full scrubs and surrounded by medical paraphernalia and he quickly discovered one of the benefits of working on a hospital set.

"There are beds everywhere and that is always good. It's a really big plus," he laughs. "Not that I'm sleeping, don't get me wrong! I'm just meditating."

And a lie down is just what the doctor ordered after a hard day at the office.

"As far as working with the medical equipment and the jargon, it's really tough. I was nervous. In fact, I was terrified the first time I had a big dialogue scene, and you can see the sweat trickling down from underneath my cap," he says. "It's weird. It's like patting your head and rubbing your stomach."

Now in season five, his relationship with Yang is a little troubled and his personality is somewhat of a mystery. "I don't think their relationship is going to be easy. It gets explosive between them, but Owen has a lot of stuff going on right now." Hunt is dealing with his post traumatic stress disorder after his experience in the Iraq War. "It's a touchy subject and he doesn't want to drag her into his hellish world. He should try and a have a little more fun, but I think that will come back. I keep meeting people in the supermarkets who say, 'We miss the Owen Hunt from the premiere episode.' But I assure them that I think we'll get back to that guy."

His real life is much simpler. Living in Los Angeles, McKidd, 35, has been married to Jane Parker since 1999 and they are raising two kids: Joseph, 9, and Iona, 7.

Hailing from Elgin, Scotland, he says. "Of course I miss the rain. I miss the cold and the grumpy people," he laughs. "No, seriously, I miss my mum and dad. I do miss Scotland a lot and have been really homesick recently. I miss all the crazy characters from my hometown, but I'm happy in LA and I'm enjoying myself."

And now he's surrounded by all things medical, has he picked up any invaluable information he didn't know before? "Well, I knew that Advil helps many things. But that's the sum of my medical knowledge, I'm afraid to say."

LOWDOWN
Who: Kevin McKidd
What: Grey's Anatomy, Sundays, 8.30pm, TV2