Outfitted: Jason O’Mara

The Irish actor may not be a doctor, but he plays a damn good one on TV.

After suffering one too many injuries during his high school rugby career, Jason O’Mara turned to acting and theater, his other passion, to fill the void. “This was the turning point in my life,” he says. “Once I was at Trinity College Dublin, I found the academic stuff relatively easy. Theater work led me to more work and then to me moving to the States. I’ve been very fortunate in that I love what I do.”

Now, the Dublin native is taking the United States by storm. Jason made his U.S television debut back in 2001 in the award winning HBO miniseries, Band of Brothers. It was after that that Jason found himself taking on several multi-episode character arcs on hit series, such as Grey’s Anatomy, The Closer, and The Good Wife.

Now, you can catch him this summer on USA’s Complications as an ER doctor whose life takes a turn after stepping in during a tragic encounter. Lucky for Jason, he’s wanted to be a doctor for as long as he could remember. “The really good doctors out there are real life heroes,” he says. “Playing one on TV is a cheaper alternative and certainly satisfies what is left of my medical ambitions.”

Jason had a chat with Maxim about “bulging”smartphones, the coolest sneakers in the world, and why German is the best language to curse in.

I always carry wallet, keys and phone. Although I like the larger screens on these new smartphones, I find I have to clip it into a charger case to give me a full day of juice. The result is a massive bulge in my pocket. “Is that a smartphone with a charger case in your pocket or are you just very pleased to see me?”

I stopped drinking 20 years ago. If you are still reading, I like that blood orange sparkling San Pellegrino. Now I know you’ve stopped reading.

When I was 16, it was 1988 and my style was a mess. Fur-lined brown suede jacket, paisley shirt, chinos and Doc Martens. My hair was blow dried into a large quiff. That might sound vaguely cool. It wasn’t. I went through a purple dungarees with bleached hair phase in college. Once I discovered that acting was a marginally less offensive way of expressing myself, I started wearing more conservative clothes while trying to hold on to a little bit of style.

Every guy needs a pair of beaten up Converse Chuck Taylors. The coolest sneakers in the world. They never go out of fashion and should help remind every man that they should make time today to go outside and just have fun. You know, like you used to do years ago. In your beaten up Chuck Taylors…

I’m always looking for curse wordsthat I can use in mixed company without the perpetual effing that we Irish are known for. My favorite is: “Scheiße! Die kleinen hosen flauße!” Ok, full disclosure here. I don’t speak German. Not even a little. But to my ear, German sounds like the best language to curse in. Literally translated this phrase roughly means “shite, the little Floss trousers,” but that’s not the point. If it’s said with commitment and verve, it sounds like you’re so angry that you had no choice but to break into fluent German. Just for a moment. It’s also funny enough and long enough to bring levity to a tense situation. What I’m saying is, it gives you a chance to get your scheiße together.

On a first date, I would suggest wearing what I still wear when my wife and I go out. A non-patterned, pressed collared shirt. The non-pattern says “tonight’s about you, not me,”  the pressed part is important; “I have my shit together” and the collar says “you’re worth it.” Jeans are only ok if they are very dark. You want them to notice your winning smile and quick wit, not your clothes.

As for what’s next, I just finished shooting a Netflix movie called Jadotville with actors Jamie Dornan and Mark Strong. An extraordinary true story about a company of Irish soldiers fighting in the Congo in 1961. Look out for it next year.