Phil McGraw Calls ‘Bull’ Star Michael Weatherly ‘Absolute Home Run’ Casting

TCA 2016: “I’ve made it real clear this is not biographical, it’s inspired by [me],” Dr. Phil says of new CBS show

Michael Weatherly Bull TCA
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Dr. Phil McGraw, the inspiration for CBS’ upcoming drama series “Bull,” praised the casting of Michael Weatherly in the lead role, calling it an “absolute home run” at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour on Wednesday.

“I always find that people are psychologically minded or they’re not,” McGraw said after joking about their similar physical appearance. “And he so got it and so quick, and started layering and texturing this character.”

But no matter their similarities, McGraw made it clear that “Bull” is not a direct account of his career, it is about a fictional character named Jason Bull.

“I’ve made it real clear this is not biographical, it’s inspired by,” he said, joking that the characters “break two or three laws before the first commercial break.”

“While this isn’t a biographical show, Phil is the inspiration for a complex and super intelligent guy who understands how simple people can be, but how tricky it can be to find that elegant simplicity,” Weatherly added.

“Jason Bull isn’t Phil McGraw, and I think that’s a real relief to Phil because that would be heavy,” he said. “So it’s not a real person. … We’re trying to get to the heart of a truth, and I think that’s really our journey as actors, to tell this story in a relatable fashion.”

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