Rob Lowe And Ryan Murphy Will Finally Work Together After 'Nip/Tuck' Missed Connection

Rob Lowe will enter the world of Ryan Murphy's prestige dramas when he stars in the 9-1-1 spinoff 9-1-1: Lone Star, premiering on Fox on January 19 ... and that's exactly what the Parks And Recreation actor has always wanted.

Lowe expressed his great excitement over being cast in the upcoming series during a recent Television Critics Association panel. Lowe admitted he's looking forward to the show is particularly due to Murphy's involvement. The American Horror Story showrunner created the series' mother show, 9-1-1.

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A Longtime Fan

Lowe claimed to be a major fan of Murphy's body of work and revealed that he had once asked for a meeting to be set up between the actor and showrunner. At the time, Lowe was just ending his critically acclaimed run on the presidential drama The West Wing and Murphy was being lauded for his subversive dark comedy nip/tuck.

The 55-year-old actor said he specifically asked to meet with Murphy in order to figure out where his career would go after his series ended.

The Perfect Role

Lowe admits to practically gushing over Murphy's work during their lunch meeting. The Holiday In The Wild star says he couldn't help but sing the showrunner's praises the entire time they were dining together, complimenting his shows and characters.

One of those characters, Lowe's favorite at the time, was nip/tuck's ladykilling surgeon Dr. Christian Troy, was exactly the sort of character the performer was hoping to be able to add to his resume. At one point, Lowe asked Murphy, "[W]hy can't I do something like that?"

A Missed Opportunity

According to Lowe, Murphy looked shocked by this admission of fandom from the Californication actor. After turning what Lowe describes as a ghostly shade of pale white, Murphy finally admitted the truth about the iconic character: Dr. Christian Troy had originally been written for Lowe to play.

Little did he know, Lowe had indeed had the opportunity to play one of his favorite Murphy characters from the very beginning, but his agents had never bothered to inform him of this opportunity.

A Relative Unknown

Murphy said he actually understood Lowe's agents' decision not to tell the actor about his potential role in nip/tuck. According to Murphy, he simply hadn't created enough of a name for himself yet to warrant an agent approaching such a big-named actor. Especially for a series that was so quirky and unique. Not to mention, the FX network had never done a scripted drama before that point, making the venture an extra risky one.

Lowe reiterated his happiness, stating the two had been searching for the right collaboration for 20 years.