Summerland Stud's Sexy Parts
A popular As the World Turns alumnus, Shawn Christian has left daytime behind, yet he still attracts very soap-studly roles. At 37, he remains the casting director's go-to guy when scripts call for a charmingly naughty piece of eye candy. Let's review his sinfully tasty résumé, shall we?
Since ATWT, he's played Jennifer Aniston's gynecologist on Friends — "Rachel was randy and wanted to maul me" — and Bo Derek's boy-toy on NBC's short-lived Hawaiian sudser, Wind on Water. "I also did CSI, where I was a serial killer sleeping with my sister," he reminds TV Guide Online. "I'm always sleeping with someone!"
Now, Christian's flexing his pecs on Summerland, the WB family drama created by Full House star Lori Loughlin. "I feel like I was stalking Lori," he chuckles, "because we'd worked as guest stars on the same shows, like Drew Carey, Spin City and Birds of Prey. We also have the same manager. So when the audition came up, he said, 'Get in there!' I went in one morning, and by that afternoon, we were hammering out a deal. It was great." (Not only that, he later scored a regular gig for his 19-year-old stepdaughter, Taylor Cole, who plays surfer girl Erika.)
Christian and Loughlin's characters, Johnny and Ava, were hot 'n' heavy in high school. Don't expect them to hook back up anytime soon, though, since they're Summerland's token star-crossed lovers. As Christian explains it: "Johnny's so in love with the Southern California lifestyle and trying to make his real-estate selling dreams come true that he can't see the love right in front of him, which is Ava. So they date other people for now."
Since it's a beach show, the actor still feels obligated to stay soap-star buff. "I'm not a workout-aholic or anything," he says, "but when you see a script that says you'll be shirtless on a weekly basis, that's a good incentive to get into the weight room!"
Christian counts himself lucky that fans — and boss Aaron Spelling — don't mind his hairy chest. "Fortunately, they said, 'We like you furry, Shawn,'" he laughs. "Once, earlier in my career, I had to shave my chest and put Nair on. It was horrible! All of a sudden, my nipples were on fire. I'll never do it again — unless there's a $20-million paycheck."
