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Interviews - Kid Planet
It's No Secret! We're In Seventh Heaven! (November 2002, KidPlanet magazine)

David Gallagher has been acting since he was a little boy and is quickly becoming a rising heartthrob! With his regular role on the popular series 7th Heaven on The WB, it is amazing that David would have time to take on any other projects let alone talk to us, but he was kind enough to grant us an exclusive interview.

KP: Hi David, thank you so much for talking to us today!
DG: No problem.

KP: Tell us, David, how did you get into acting?
DG: Well, it was actually something that my mom did. We lived in New York and it was really kind of a hobby. She answered an ad for a baby printing call in Manhattan and I ended up getting it. The photographer introduced my mom to a manager and we just kept doing it. We never thought of stopping and it just turned into a career.

KP: When you were very young you already had roles in films like Phenomenon and Look Who's Talking Now, in which you starred with John Travolta. Did you look at his career and think that this was something you could do for the rest of your life?
DG: Oh definitely. That was always the first thing on my mind when I got to work with people like him. It was always an incentive and an inspiration. The grandeur and the recognition were always something that I wanted as well. That's kind of the goal in this sort of industry.

KP: Most people probably recognize you from your role on 7th Heaven. How did you win that part?
DG: That role came about just like any role. It was a series of auditioning and the daily grind. My family kind of took a chance and moved out to LA. The business is out here and we just took a big risk to move out. About a year later the 7th Heaven audition came about and I just kept going back, one after another. Eventually you just get to audition for the big man himself and finally I got it. Now seven years later here I am.

KP: 7th Heaven has a large child cast; do you get along with everybody?
DG: Oh yeah...everybody is great. It really is like a second family. These people have watched me grow. They have seen me every day.

KP: Do you find it difficult for people to separate David the actor from Simon, your character on 7th Heaven?
DG: Definitely. That has actually proven to be quite a headache. Now that I am trying to make the transition it is a very difficult thing to do. People want to see you in a certain way. That's why movies are a little better than television. You get that diversity in every role in movies; people are more used to seeing you in different parts. When you are the same person year in and out, it becomes hard for people to see you as anything else. Everyday I get called "Simon" by someone on the street. But all it takes is that one role to help break you out and that's what I am looking for right now.

KP: Well, your role in Little Secrets has a little bit of a rebellious streak. Is that the sort of role you are looking for to differentiate yourself from Simon?
DG: That is kind of a step towards what I am looking to do. He wasn't a bad kid, but he did have a darker side than Simon does. It still isn't a flip though. That's what I am looking for...a complete flip. My favourite character in a movie is the bad guy. I think they are the most interesting. They are the easiest to mess up, when you are playing them and also the hardest to master. You can't just do this evil laugh and give a ridiculous speech about ruling the world. It takes a lot to pull off a character that everyone just loves to hate. That's the key...you have to have the audience want to hate you. It is a lot easier to get the audience to like you.

KP: Are you ready to become the typical teen heartthrob?
DG: Well, oddly enough...I think it is already starting. I am definitely going to try my best to fill those shoes. I will try to do my best.

KP: You can probably get some advice from your older brother on 7th Heaven, Barry Watson.
DG: I love that guy!

KP: What are you doing next?
DG: I have been very involved in my next project, Coldwater. I have been helping them look for distribution and I have been involved in all of the aspects of getting the film ready.

KP: Is that sort of behind-the-scenes stuff what you see yourself doing?
DG: There will very likely be projects in the future that I will be involved with that you won't even see me on screen. I am very interested in all aspects of filmmaking. I have grown up around this business, and God knows I have asked questions on every set I have ever been on! I am an extremely curious person and because of that I am already very familiar with a lot of aspects of filming. I love to know how things are done. I want to become a unique filmmaker. I want to direct, I want to produce and I want to write. I want to do it all!

KP: Wow...you are certainly busy!
DG: Yeah. I am already in the process of writing my own screenplay. Hopefully within the next few years you will be seeing my own movie on the screen. I am finishing up the first act now, and I am going to print it out to show it to my family and see what they think.

KP: You seemed like you had a really good time with your co-stars in Little Secrets.
DG: Evan and Michael...yeah, we had a great time. Michael and I terrorized Salt Lake City together. And Evan...it must have been pretty hard for her being the only girl, but she stuck through it with the boys really well. I couldn't count the number of times we were getting in trouble, wreaking havoc! We really became very good friends.

KP: Well, thank you so much again for taking the time to talk to us! We can't wait to see all of your new projects!
DG: Thank you!
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