// The David Gallagher Resource //

Interviews - Big Hit
HeavenSent (June 2000, big hit magazine)

When you first started watching 7th Heaven, did you notice the cute, little blond guy? Of course you did. Well, now David Gallagher is all grown up...and he's just plain hot! You guys have been screaming out for more on this babe, so our Carolyn picked up the phone to have a chat with him about, well, everything.

big hit: Are you like your character?
DG: Me and him differ. Simon is very single-minded. He's very determined. More so than I am. Like in one of the first episodes, the way he went about getting the dog. He went to his parents, and then he went to God, and then he went looking on the street. Well, I would not have gone about it that way. I would have went to my parents and if they said no, I would try and save my own money...or I would have called up grandma and grandpa! I think grandparents are great. If you're looking for something, it's grandma and grandpa who you call. Grandparents have the tendency to spoil. That's not why I love my grandma...but it helps!

big hit: It doesn't hurt, does it?
DG: It does not hurt at all! I'd go to my grandparents "You know, I was thinkin', maybe if I could have this dog. It doesn't have to be a big one. My birthday's coming up, so...it'd be great if I could have a dog." Just lay it on and then - bam, you've got your dog!

big hit: How often do you shoot the show?
DG: We shoot five days a week, Monday through Friday, and if I have a day off during the week, I'll go to my normal school. I always have the weekends off to do whatever. Sometimes we have photo shoots on the weekend, but that's rare so I just try and live a normal life. Go to the movies or sleep overs at my friend's place. Whatever. I just try to keep it real.

big hit: What's your favourite episode?
DG: In the third season, we had an episode about the Holocaust where Simon teaches a lesson. It's like, my special episode. It tells the story of Simon who, like any other kid, has never heard of the Holocaust. That's why it was so great, because all these kids that saw the episode realized, "Man, is that really what happened?" Like me, when we shot that episode, I knew about Hitler and that he persecuted the Jews during the Holocaust, but that's all I knew. When we got into it, I was like, wow. It wasn't just the Jews, it was gypsies and Serbs and homosexuals and everyone else that he thought posed a threat.

big hit: What's the best part about doing the show?
DG: I love the cast, you know? We all know each other so well. We're on our fourth season so we've all been working together nearly four-and-a-half years. We've just grown this bond that really will last a lifetime.

big hit: Which cast member do you hang out with the most?
DG: I probably hang out with Stephen Collins [who plays David's dad] the most. Me and him have a lot of things in common. We both play guitar. We like to goof around. He's an all-around great second dad, you know?

big hit: Do the cast get up to any mischief?
DG: Well, I am actually a practical joker...but I haven't been up to speed lately! I should get around to it. I usually do something every April Fool's Day. We usually just goof around and attack each other. If someone's walking to the set in the dark, we jump out at each other. One day when I was working on another project, a make-up artist brought in a tarantula that they'd found in their bathroom and I was like, "Oh, this is perfect." So, I had an adult help me, because I was dealing with a tarantula, so we took it out of the container and put it in a cup and we hid it. We took the container and broke it in half and put it on the floor. When they all walked back in - "Oh my God. It's out!" They freaked out! It was perfect.

big hit: Do you look up to Barry Watson as a real-life older brother?
DG: Well, in my family I'm the older brother so when he does things to me, I kind of think, "Oh, I just did that, like, last week to my little brother." That's kind of strange for me because then I start looking at it from my little brother's point of view. I see things through Barry's eyes and I think, "Oh maybe I shouldn't be doing that," so it helps me out.

big hit: Do you muck around on the set?
DG: It's funny, because we'll be playing a serious part of the show and they'll be like, "Cut!" and we'll be like, "Ha! Did you see what you did?" and then we all goof around with the crew. We have a lot of fun. It's work that you look forward to!

big hit: Is your set near the Buffy set?
DG: Actually, the Buffy set is right down the street from us. The Dawson's Creek gang are down in Wilmington. I've only met Katie Holmes out of those guys. I've met Jason Behr from Roswell at a baseball game. I got invited and I was featured on the television watching the game!

big hit: What's your bedroom like?
DG: Well, I got a combined birthday and Christmas gift last year which was awesome. We just moved to a new house and, to go with my new room, my parents bought me a 61-inch television. It is fantastic. I've got all the hook-ups - I have it hooked up to my VCR, my DVD, HBO satellite, my Nintendo 64 and my Playstation and my Dreamcast. So, I have the hook-up in my room! I'm set for life. Give me a fridge and some food and I could stay in there forever!

big hit: What do your school friends think of 7th Heaven?
DG: Well, they always try and get messages to the rest of the cast. Sometimes I will pass them on to Barry and Jessica [Biel], just so they know what I'm going through at school.

big hit: Do you get recognized on the street a lot?
DG: (Pauses, like he has to think about it for a minute) Yeah! (laughs) Yeah, I do. It keeps progressing more and more...and more. Sometimes I have to be careful when I go to the mall and stuff. It can be embarrassing. It depends on the velocity of the attack. I've been mobbed twice - and that's not very fun.

big hit: Got anything you want to say to your Australian fans?
DG: There's this great quote from South Park that is so true. It's funny that I heard it in a show like that. This is a direct quote: "Follow your dreams. You can reach your goals. I'm living proof." Oh, and tell them I hope to get down to Australia one day, too!
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