Swordplay Has Its Rewards

High time television viewers had a swashbuckler of their own.

Adrian Paul, that heartthrob, is the right man for the job. He stars as Duncan MacLeod, a 400-year-old immortal, in “Highlander, the Series.” As MacLeod, Paul has to fight evil forces, but the actor has no quarrel with calories.

“It’s really tough for me to gain weight,” said Paul, 37, even in Paris where the syndicated TV series is filmed half of the year (the other half in Vancouver, Canada). Occasionally he will grab a croissant, but for the most part he finds the food in Paris too salty and too creamy. Here’s what he prefers: fruit in the morning plus an omelet of six to eight egg whites and boiled potatoes; pasta in the afternoon along with protein powders and liver tablets; fish and vegetables for dinner.

Paul, who was born and raised in London, gets a workout from all the fencing he does on the show.

“I got hurt in the first two years because I wasn’t as quick. I’ve been cut open and stitched up quite a few times. But now I can usually tell when I’m going to get hit.”

The rest of his fitness program is less dangerous--stretching, cardiovascular work on a rowing machine and weights.

We had to ask--about that kilt.

“It’s drafty,” he said with a laugh, “and your knees get a good chafing if you’re riding a horse. But it makes me feel like a real Scotsman. It’s one of my favorite outfits.”

Ours too.

* Guest Workout runs Wednesdays in Life & Style.