Darren McMullen is easy to love. He’s handsome, Scottish and a bit of a rogue. He’s also not “backwards in coming forwards”. These attributes have made him a clear stand-out on the current season of Celebrity Apprentice.
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Not only is he raising megabucks for his chosen charity, Feel the Magic, but he’s also entertaining viewers with his quick wit and hilarious take-downs.
“I think it’s important to be genuine,” McMullen, 40, tells WHO direct from Los Angeles.
While the show expects local stars to compete for good causes, some participants – such as The Block’s Ronnie Caceres and international model Jarrod Scott – are using the gig to do some “pretty sh–ty things”, McMullen says.
“With Jarrod, we knew right away that he was a snake. Even in our first challenge, he was a b—h from the start.”
From what we’ve seen so far, it’s clear there’s no love lost between McMullen and Scott, whom he accused of trying to sabotage his celebrity golf day challenge, which saw his team raise more than $400,000.
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“He’s NQR [not quite right], as my friends would say,” the Scot jokes.
“‘Hello, is anyone home?’ He wants to show everyone he’s more than a pretty face. But he’s not even a pretty face.”
Of Scott and Caceres, whom McMullen claims shows a more ruthless side in upcoming episodes, the actor says he’d never “hold anything against them”.
However, he adds “I would never buy them a drink, and they’d probably p–s in mine while I was in the bathroom.”
It’s this larrikin sense of humour and honesty that’s made McMullen one of our favourite imports. He emigrated to Australia from Scotland with his family when he was 12.
From hosting The Voice Australia to starring in shows such as House Husbands and Doctor Doctor, he’s come a long way since his 20s when he went back to Glasgow.
“I was in sales and marketing and I felt like I was selling my soul. So I took off around the world,” he tells.
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“I did every sh–ty job on the planet. I was cleaning toilets, I was a janitor at a school, I did housekeeping at a hotel, I was a valet driver … you name it, I’ve done it.
“Then, in my 20s, I was living back in Scotland with my grandparents and I’d wake up every day and watch this terrible kids’ show.
“At first I had no idea why I was watching it. Then I realised it was because of the host. I was like, ‘That’s what I want to do. I want to be a real person on TV.’”
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McMullen returned to Australia and worked on his show reel, which eventually led to his first gig hosting an entertainment show on Arena.
“My big break was getting my own show called MTV’s The Lair. They gave me permission to go nuts on TV. To this day I don’t use autocue,” says McMullen, who has ADHD.
“I very rarely follow the autocue, very much to the dismay of the operator. I love flying by the seat of my pants and keeping my mind active. I like to live on the edge!”
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