Bravo: Where were
you born and where did you grow up?
Chad: I was born
20 years ago on June 5th near Long Beach in Southern California.
I grew up and went to school there. At five, I had my first experience
in front of the camera along with my twin sister Charity who looks
exactly like me. Many people at that time had been telling my
parents that we looked sweet. So they thought it would be alright
if we did a few commercials and earned some money for college
that way. So that’s how everything began. My first role
was on the series St. Elsewhere. I was 8 at the time and I stayed
on the show 4 years. Then other series came, Our House, My Two
Dads, and (several) many guest appearances on other popular series.
Bravo: What became of
your twin sister Charity?
Chad: She didn’t
like acting that much and eventually left the business. She goes
to college now in LA.
Bravo: Do you have any
other siblings?
Chad: Yes I have an older
brother, he is 22. Besides that I have a 28 year old half sister
and two half brothers who are 29 and 32
Bravo:
Are you a close family?
Chad:
Oh yes. I just turned 17 and I see my parents (father- Ed and
mother Faith) only once a month. However that is actually quite
a lot in comparison to some of my colleagues.) Although I moved
out of the house at seventeen and see my parents (father Ed and
mother Faith) only once a month,that is actually quite often compared
to some of my colleagues. I see them as often as I can. They give
me support.
Bravo: And where do you
live currently?
Chad: I lived first in
San Fernando Valley, then in Hollywood. But I hate Hollywood.
Now I have a small house on the beach.
Bravo: What don’t
you like about Hollywood?
Chad:
Hollywood is a crazy place especially if you work in the entertainment
industry.
You simply can’t tune it out. You go into a restaurant and
the waiters are actors. No matter where you go the talk is of
film, television or music. You have to constantly explain what
you plan to do next. I grew up on the beach, there I’m the
most comfortable and can relax the best.
Bravo: Do you like to
surf?
Chad: I got my diving
license at 14. Next to skiing and acting, diving is my greatest
passion.
Bravo: What fascinates
you about diving?
Chad: As a kid
I was a big fan of Jacques Cousteau and his films. The variety
of animals, the peace under water- that seemed like magic to
me.
Bravo: When did you
start on Dr. Quinn?
Chad:
We did the first episode in 1992. I was almost out of high school
then. Now we’re in our third season.
Bravo: Do you still
enjoy the series and your role as Matthew as much as you did in
the beginning?
Chad:
I love the show. It was an important decision for me because actually
I had planned to go to college in New York. If it had been a soap
opera I wouldn’t have taken the role. But the scripts were
so well written I couldn’t turn it down. Now I know I made
the right decision. I work on a ranch, can ride horses and live
like a cowboy.
Bravo: Were you
able to ride before joining the show?
Chad:
I knew how to lead a horse and I had sat on a horse a few times,
but I really learned to ride here.
Bravo: What do you like
best about the character of Matthew?
Chad:
He has a strong personality (even though) because his childhood
wasn’t easy. His father abandoned the family, his mother
died when he was little, and then he had to take care of his younger
siblings. That made him strong and responsible. I like that.
Bravo:
Has the series changed your life?
Chad:
My life has changed a lot, but I don’t know if that is because
of the series. I moved out of the house (my parents’ house)
when the series started, that was a big change.
Bravo: What is your
week like when you’re working?
Chad:
We have a very exact, totally full schedule. Five days a week
between 12 and 16 hours a day. We do most of our filming outside
for the series so a lot depends on the weather. It can happen
that I have to get up at 5 am and wait 8 hours for my scene.
Bravo: What do you do
while you are waiting all this time?
Chad:
I sit in my trailer here on the set, listen to music, read, write
letters, poems and short stories.
Bravo: Is there still
time left for a girl friend?
Chad:
A good question. Naturally I’d like to live a normal life.
I sleep even less than my colleagues but even despite that there
just isn’t enough time to form a relationship. Simple things
like calling someone up can get very complicated.
Bravo: Do you do your
own stunts?
Chad:
We have stunt doubles but they are being used less and less. As
I’ve learned to ride better I’m allowed to do one
or another fight scene myself. For example recently I had a big
scene with Joe Lando that we both did ourselves. That was cool.
By the end we were sore all over because we had to do the fight
4 times but it was still fun.
Bravo: You supposedly
teach apart from being an actor yourself. What’s that about?
Chad:
I’ve been in front of the camera for 15 years and I’m
still taking acting lessons. That will probably stay that way.
I formed a group with some friends - managers and agents - and
together we are giving seminars for young kids all over America
who want to become actors and are already enrolled in appropriate
schools. In a weekend-long intensive seminar we show those kids
what’s happening in Hollywood. Free of charge, of course.
Bravo:
Would you have liked to have lived in the time of Dr. Quinn- more
than 120 years ago in the wild west?
Chad:
Instinctively I would say yes since it was a time of heroes and
adventure, so different from today. But I know I’m romanticizing
The good old days and the wild west weren’t that good. They
only look that way in movies. In reality people labored hard and
got sick. Many died young, lost children, families were struck
by epidemics. But all things considered it would have been fun
to be a (cool) gunslinger like Clint Eastwood is in the movies.
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