Jerry O'Connell Would Do More Magic Mike Shows 'In a Heartbeat' – but Has to 'Unfreeze My Gym Account' First
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Jerry O'Connell is ready for an encore performance at Magic Mike Live.
In an exclusive First Look at Friday's episode of The Talk, O'Connell takes the stage alongside the Magic Mike dancers at the SAHARA Las Vegas in celebration of his 49th birthday on Feb. 17.
Speaking to PEOPLE about his memorable birthday celebration, the actor says he would "do it again in a heartbeat."
"I'm going to have to unfreeze my gym account, and I'm definitely going to have to up the pushup count I'm doing weekly," he jokes. "But I love to do it. Listen, Magic Mike is about having a good time and celebrating everybody, and that's what I'm all about."
O'Connell says the birthday performance came together once he learned that Magic Mike's Last Dance, starring Channing Tatum and Salma Hayek, would be hitting theaters this Friday.
"I said, 'Let's do a crossover with them,'" he recalls. "Little did I know it would mean Channing Tatum himself would be giving me notes on what I could be doing better."
Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty
RELATED: Jerry O'Connell and Rebecca Romijn's Relationship Timeline
O'Connell's prep for the big performance also included some grooming and physical maintenance.
"I went to a tanning salon," he explains. "There was some back hair that needed to be removed. That had to happen. But mostly, I worked with Channing Tatum's choreographer, Alison Faulk, who does all the Magic Mike stuff."
After working with the Step Up alum on the performance, O'Connell says he considers Tatum, 42, to be "a modern day Fred Astaire."
"Going into this show, I did not realize how multi-talented Channing Tatum is," he says. "I didn't understand the artistic talent that Channing Tatum has. I don't think he gets enough credit. He choreographed this live show. He choreographs these routines, and I had the utmost respect, not only for Channing, but for everything that Magic Mike is."
"It's also, I'll tell you, it's the gyrating thing that Channing Tatum is the Michael Jordan of men who moved their midsections in a fluid manner," he adds. "He's the Michael Jordan. And I'm pre-arthritic, so it's a little tougher for me, but it's been a lot of my wife watching me in the mirror gyrating move my hips while looking at myself in my reflection in a sexy manner."
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Despite the Magic Mike dancers being "welcoming," the television personality admits he had some nerves ahead of his performance.
"It was nerve-wracking, first of all, because you're next to people who are in peak physical condition," he says. "And as a 48-year-old man, I am not in the peak physical condition of my life, no matter how hard I try. But you know what? It's more than just physical appearance. It's really an attitude. And you know what? I feel a lot sexier these days."
He adds: "I want to personally thank Magic Mike Live and Channing Tatum for that... I suggest every 48-year-old attempt to dance with Magic Mike Live. It'll really help you get your mojo back."
the talk
RELATED: Jerry O'Connell and Rebecca Romijn Celebrate 15 Years of Marriage: We're 'Still Smiling'
O'Connell's pre-show nerves may not have been warranted, however, as he received the seal of approval from his wife, Rebecca Romijn, who celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary in July.
"My wife, after the show, she was a little bit tipsy, said to me, 'That's the best thing that you've ever been in,'" he recalls. "And I've been on Broadway. My wife has seen me on Broadway. I've been in movies. We've all performed."
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As for the couple's 14-year-old twin daughters, Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip?
"My kids are, of course, mortified. But that's my job is to mortify them," O'Connell jokes. "I'm realizing being a father of teenage girls, a big part of my job of being a dad of teenage girls is to mortify them as much as possible to prepare them for life."
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Jerry O'Connell's Take It Off on The Talk birthday show airs Friday at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on CBS and streams on Paramount+. Magic Mike's Last Dance hits theaters Friday.
