When Rob Maschio graduated from Syosset High School in the late 1980s, his career goals included pre-med, pre-law and possibly even politics. At that time, he never pictured himself living in LA and acting - as he is now in NBC's hit comedy Scrubs.

After high school, Maschio went to Columbia University in New York City and got involved with the film school there and started doing plays. He befriended Danny Futterman, who recently wrote the film Capote, during a freshman literature and humanities class.

"It was a very dry class and I was a comedic guy," said Maschio during a recent interview with Syosset Jericho Tribune. "Danny thought I was funny and encouraged me to join his acting club, the Columbia Players."

Maschio was hesitant to join, but was convinced when Futterman told him there were 28 girls and only three guys involved in the group.

"I am not a mathematician, but I figured maybe I should follow-up with this acting thing," joked Maschio.

To further enhance his interest in acting, during his senior year of college, Maschio was dating then fellow student Lauren Graham, who now plays the mom on WB's Gilmore Girls.

"She was so funny and quick-witted and she was very encouraging," said Maschio. "She pushed me to pursue comedy and theater because it seemed to be something I was good at. That is how I got started."

After Columbia, Maschio went to the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater, a two-year classical acting conservatory in New York. "I became a triple threat - I was singing, acting and dancing," said Maschio. "It was a very old-fashioned approach to making a living as an actor as it was more geared toward Broadway."

After the two years at the Neighborhood Playhouse School, Maschio stayed in Manhattan, did plays and was also writing comedy. He started to appear in comedy clubs at night and carried on the busy lifestyle of theater during the day and comedy at night for six years. He was also auditioning for television shows at that time, but found that most of the sitcom work was in Los Angeles.

He eventually went to LA to try to make a living. In 1993, he auditioned for a play written by Bill Lawrence, who is the creator of Scrubs. "The play was a success and it really highlighted Bill's great talents as he was unknown at the time," said Maschio. "I was back in New York in eight months because I was broke and had no idea how the game worked."

A few years later Lawrence created a show called Spin City, which shot in New York and he gave Maschio some guest roles on the show and the two continued a friendship as well as a working relationship.

When Scrubs came up five years later, Lawrence called Maschio and said he had a great part for him, but he had to move back to LA. Maschio took him up on the offer and made the bicoastal move.

"A year later, Scrubs made it onto the air and I have been playing The Todd ever since," said Maschio, who still lives in LA.

Maschio plays Todd Quinlan, more commonly known as "The Todd" on the comedy Scrubs, which airs on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC. Maschio describes his character as a sexually charged, high-fiving, frat-boy surgeon who thinks he is the life of the party wherever he goes and he really had no understanding how other people see him. "He is a bit of an exhibitionist," said Maschio.

Maschio's character Todd's sexuality has been an ongoing joke on the show. Since the first season, The Todd operates with so much bravado when it comes to the ladies. "There is the story-line that maybe I am over-compensating for the fact that I am gay, since my character has never been seen with a girl," said Maschio, who said that viewers should tune in this Tuesday, April 25 because The Todd's true sexuality will be revealed.

Maschio gave us the scoop on the show: "The girls on the show get me to admit that The Todd is gay. I think it is interesting because you never see a guys-guy who is gay. There is a very funny twist at the end of the episode where viewers will be left wondering - is he gay?" Maschio loves the character he plays on Scrubs as he gets to do things he would never do in real life. "I play such a silly character and it is so much fun. Everything I would never do in everyday life I get to do on the show," said Maschio.

Maschio said that the fifth season of Scrubs is almost done shooting and they are hoping that it is picked up for a sixth season. In explaining the shooting schedule for Scrubs, Maschio said that an episode takes five days to shoot with 12-14 hours days. The show is shot like a film, a single camera comedy with no audience, on a set in North Hollywood. The set was previously North Hollywood Hospital.

Between shootings, Maschio works out and said he does everything he can to keep himself in top shape, as he doesn't want to endure the scrutiny of the tabloids. He also does a lot of writing in his spare time and said he would one day like to write for a television sitcom. Since Scrubs will not starting filming season 6 until August, if it gets picked up again, Maschio said he will be auditioning for films this summer and maybe spend some time in New York City.

Some of Maschio's favorite moments on the show, aside from working with a great cast and crew, are working with the many guest actors who have appeared on Scrubs. He has worked with Dick Van Dyke, Tom Cavanaugh, Heather Locklear, Michael J. Fox and Heather Graham, to name a few.

Although Maschio lives in LA, his family is still in Syosset and Maschio's mom Patricia Maschio is the vice president of the Syosset School District's Board of Education.

The upcoming episode of Scrubs that features The Todd is called "My Lunch" and it is scheduled to air on Tuesday, April 25 at 9 p.m. Maschio also encourages people to visit his site www.robertmaschio.com which has more information about him as well as a way to contact him as he loves getting fan mail, especially from old friends in Syosset.