Talking tech anxiety with Katharine McPhee

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – On the new CBS TV series Scorpion , actress Katharine McPhee stars in a sort of dramatic Big Bang Theory, about a team of super nerds and an ordinary waitress, played by McPhee, who interprets the outside world for them.

Off-camera, the former Smash co-star is a little scared by technology but totally fascinated when a USA TODAY reporter shows up on the day the new iPhones came out and shows the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to her.

iPHONE REACTION

"Oooh, it's a beauty," she says, when presented with the iPhone 6. Then, when shown the larger of the pair, the iPhone 6 Plus, she adds, "This is massive. It won't fit in my handbag."

WHEN A NEW DEVICE COMES OUT...

"You just feel, like, not as adequate a human being when a new iPhone comes out. You just feel slightly uncool. It's part of the mastermind."

TECH ANXIETY

"I'm OK with iPhones, I know my way around them. But anything new, it always seems like a daunting task to see how it works. What makes me anxious is loading photos from phone to computer, or backing up the phone to computer. The idea of going to an Apple Store to get answers to something I don't know how to do makes me crazy. I'd rather be getting my nails done."

NEW JOB DESCRIPTION: PHOTOGRAPHER

She's never been a fan of taking photos, but as a working actress on a network TV series, she's encouraged to take snaps and post them online. "I've become much better at it, because the camera is so good on the iPhone." She was expected to tweet and post Facebook updates on her previous series, NBC's Smash, but now it's "much more so. The fans really like it. Research shows that it really does help with the awareness."

FAVORITE APP: TALKING FUNNY MIRRORS

"If you're ever depressed or need to laugh about something, download the app (free; Apple, Android), and send your friends video messages. It contorts your face and changes your voice quality. I live for that app." She texts her best friend Sarah and with the different voices, "It creates a character, this character who isn't you. It's so much fun."

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