Lipstick Jungle Hunk Feels Privileged to Keep His Shirt On

This week on the penultimate Season 1 episode of the CW's Privileged (Tuesdays at 9 pm/ET), Robert Buckley — who has been wowing the womenfolk as Lipstick Jungle's "eight-packed" Kirby — arrives in the recurring role of David, the boss of the start-up magazine for which both Megan and Will work. Does this editor have the "write stuff" to derail Megan's romance with Will? Buckley shared a sneak peek. Plus: Where do things stand with Lipstick?

TVGuide.com: I understand that as we speak, you're preparing to man a charity kissing booth.
Robert Buckley: That is right. I'm going to be giving out kisses over at the Armani Exchange in Santa Monica, raising money for AIDS research.

TVGuide.com: How do we do kissing booths in today's day and age? Do you, like, kiss an index card and hand it to the person?
Buckley: That's a very astute question. It's more like a Hershey's Kiss. But it sounds good if you just hear that I'm "giving out kisses."

TVGuide.com: What sort of magazine is your character, David, running on Privileged?
Buckley: The conception of the magazine happens pretty much in my first episode, and it's very much up in the air. The characters themselves are still figuring out what they want to do with it.

TVGuide.com: How does his first encounter with Megan go down?
Buckley: She comes across very strong, in very typical Megan fashion. She lets her mouth get ahead of her brain, stepping on her words. But it's very endearing, and he immediately enjoys her company. They're very like-minded, both being passionate and very easily excited.

TVGuide.com: Will they be "heading to the kissing booth," so to speak, by the Feb. 24 season finale?
Buckley: Ummm, I wouldn't bet on it.

TVGuide.com: What is David's take on Will?
Buckley: He likes Will. A bit of a "bromance" starts to unfold. David is a tough boss, in that he's a perfectionist. If you've ever worked for a perfectionist, you know that it's a nightmare. But they become allies — misery loves company.

TVGuide.com: I was told that compared to Lipstick Jungle, there will be decidedly more shirt-wearing on your behalf here — and that you're happy about that.
Buckley: That is very much true, and I am happy about it. It's been a while since I've been to the spray tan, so I'm gosh-darn pale. I would not look quite the same now that I have this radiant white glow about me.

TVGuide.com: At the TCA Press Tour, NBC entertainment president Angela Bromstad maintained that "Lipstick Jungle is not canceled; the sets have not been struck." Is that true?
Buckley: This is the irony of the whole situation — I get my updates on the show from you and other reporters in interviews. What you just told me is the newest piece of news I have heard on the show.

TVGuide.com: Bromstad said the solution might be to find the show a new home on cable.
Buckley: I have heard that; [NBC entertainment co-chair] Ben Silverman made a comment like that a few weeks ago, that they were exploring other venues. So maybe we will go to a sister channel of NBC's. But again, there's so much speculation going around.

TVGuide.com: Do you have any idea what would have been coming up for Kirby had Lipstick done a full second season?
Buckley: I don't. The fun part of the show was the writers did a good job of keeping things fresh and not letting anything get too comfortable for too long. Kirby and Nico were just settling into their groove and becoming a nice little couple, and, "Oh, here comes [Nico's desire for a] baby." Deal-breaker!

TVGuide.com: What would you like to see happen for Kirby?
Buckley: It would be nicer to see Kirby suddenly land some huge gig or win the lottery, so he can be A) as successful and B) as rich as that Griffin character [played by Las Vegas' James Lesure]. That guy has boatloads.

TVGuide.com: How was it being one of the gents on a female-centric show?
Buckley: It was, like, probably a dream come true for most men. The women, they happen to be about three shades of gorgeous. Kimmy [Raver, Nico] is stunning. It's not too shabby to work in an office where all of your colleagues are gorgeous, very, very good at what they do, and very nice.

TVGuide.com: Lastly, what's this nonsense I see in your bio that you were one of those kids who swam with his shirt on, because he was a little chunky?
Buckley: What do you mean nonsense, my friend? That's a way of life for the portly child. My first swim party, I was very embarrassed and shy about showing off my sweet chub love, so I swam with my shirt on! What didn't kill me only made me more neurotic.