But Gallagher says that both shows are a lot more alike than you may think.
“There’s a lot of similarities betweenThe O.C.
andZoey’sin my mind,” the actor tells EW.
was right on the heels of 9/11.
There was a drumbeat of xenophobia, a suspicion of outsiders, ready to condemn the other.
And they struck me as such cowardly and unAmerican responses to what was perceived to be a threat."
“This is an extraordinary family dramedy,” he says.
He hasn’t abandoned himself or who he is.
And he’s not afraid to open his arms and welcome others.
And I thought, ‘That’s American.
That’s the story I want to be part of telling.’
And you know how many musicals that never went anywhere?
So a new musical is like finding a unicorn.
“It was just an experience I didn’t want to miss.
I’m just thrilled and delighted to see people responding to it.
I’m seeing how many people have family members who have had PSP.
So I don’t really think about it to the end.”
“It’s bittersweet,” he adds.
“So it’s like you’re really thrilled to be part of a good story told well.
And you want to stay with it.
But you might’t.”
“The chance to be a dad was too good to pass up,” Gallagher says.
And he was receptive to my input."
“I always found him compelling and I still do,” he says.
It already means something to Gallagher, who lost a loved one to a degenerative illness.
“My mother had Alzheimer’s for 20 years,” he says.
“Even in those last moments I really felt very connected to her,” he says.
“I saw and felt the mom I knew, even though I hadnt spoken to her in ages.
So this is a great role.”
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlistairs Sundays at 9 p.m. on NBC.
