2001 WB

Beneath the stardom, David Gallagher is just a normal high school sophomore. The WB caught up with David and asked him about his real family life, getting his driver's license, and being a heartthrob.

The WB: If you could give Simon advice on life, where would you start?
David: I'd probably tell him to lighten up a little. Sometimes I get annoyed by his lecturing. And I'm not sure he knows how to have fun. Not that being so mature is a bad thing, but there are times to be mature and there are times to be loose.

The WB: Is your real-life family like your TV family?
David: Not really. Yet, out of all the cast members, my family resembles the Camdens the most in terms of siblings. I'm the oldest, so I'm the "Matt" of our family. Then come my sisters Michelle and Kelly, who would be Mary and Lucy. Then there's my little brother Kyle who would be Simon, and Killian who would be Ruthie. So if you made Ruthie a boy, I guess we'd be the same.

The WB: Do you like having so many brothers and sisters?
David: I really don't know any different. It's weird, though, because a lot of times I'll read the scripts and think: Yeah, that's happened in our family. I can't wait for my little sisters to start dating, because it will really be fun to pick on their boyfriends.

The WB: Do your parents cut you any slack at home because you're a star?
David: We don't really work on a chore system at my house. It's more or less like when you see something out of place, pick it up. But if my parents say, "Pick up the living room," I pick up the living room. So yeah, I get the "privilege" of helping out.

The WB: Is it intimidating to be considered a heartthrob?
David: Getting recognized and all that is cool. It mostly occurs when I'm away doing publicity things in other cities. I narrated an orchestra one time in Cincinnati, and there were a lot of girls my age there who were really into the whole deal. But when I'm out in my normal life, I really don't run into it a lot at all. Just my luck.

The WB: Do your friends give you a hard time about seeing you in teen magazines and things like that?
David: Oh yeah. If I'm with my friends and fans approach me, my friends always have funny reactions. It can be good or bad, depending on the situation. Once when I was out with some of my friends at a theme park, a bunch of girls approached, and my friends ran off with me as if they were my bodyguards. They really do make fun of me about it. One guy saved a newspaper article about the fact that I got my driver's license. I'm never gonna hear the end of that. He couldn't believe I was in the paper just because I got my license.

The WB: So was passing the driving test a big deal?
David: It went much smoother than I originally thought it would. I was practicing like crazy when I got my permit, getting in two hours of driving every day at the very least. I made sure that right before I took the test I double-checked all my car knowledge. That was my real concern, because when you get nervous you forget things. I was afraid I would forget where my defroster was or something stupid like that. So I made sure I really was prepared. I lost five points, but I did well.

The WB: Are your parents paranoid about letting you drive on your own?
David: My parents are really cool about it. They trust me because they had both been out driving with me a lot when I had my permit. So they consider me a good driver. It's fun going out and meeting your friends and not having to worry about when mom and dad can pick you up.

The WB: Do you ever miss the normal life and things like football games or school dances?
David: I wish I could go to the school where my close friends go, but I obviously can't. The good thing is, they're really good about inviting me to all the football games and all that stuff. So I end up having an adopted team spirit for a school I don't go to.

The WB: What about college? Do you plan on going while you're still on the show?
David: No way! That is ludicrous. It's just too hard. I'm in my sophomore year in high school right now, and that's hard enough. I'm in honors classes, and they're so time-consuming. When the time for college comes around, I've decided I'm going to take a break from the show so I can go to college. I've been thinking about going to UCLA.

The WB: So what sort of things do you like to do to unwind?
David: I like to play the guitar. I've tried to start a couple of bands, but my friends aren't too into it. The only friend I have who's really into it also plays guitar, so we're really not getting anywhere. But it's great to get my mind off schoolwork and personal-life drama.

The WB: What would you like to see happen for Simon in the future?
David: Simon needs his own garage band. I don't know if that's ever going to materialize, but I can hope. They've already established that his dad plays the guitar, so it would be a great father/son thing. But that's really up to the show.