Gale Harold's First Post-Accident Interview
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
by: William Keck
Source: tvguidemagazine.com
Edited by: Marcy
Do After a near-fatal motorcycle accident sidelined Gale Harold last October, the actor finally returns to Desperate Housewives as Susan’s long-absent painter boy lover, Jackson, on May 3. “It’s taken him such a long time to get back to being almost normal,” says co-star Neal McDonough, who worked with Gale on his first day back on set. “And there are still many problems that he goes through.” Gale—whom Neal says “looks like a million”—has only one real complaint: he hasn’t been able to get back on the same Ducati motorcycle he had completely restored since the devastating crash. The actor talks to William Keck about his road to recovery and Wisteria Lane:
What happened the night of your accident?
It’s just something that happens when you take the risk of getting on a machine like that. As fantastic and exciting as it can be, after you’ve been safe for a number of years, you tend to become a little overly confidant. You can’t predict all the surprises out there.
Any scars?
Yeah, there was some repair work that was done to the front end of my bike that really makes me cry inside.
I was talking about scars on your body.
Obviously I was hurt. But you get better.
Who did you hear from after the accident?
I was supposed to be at work the next day, so Teri was checking in with my managers and my agents every other day. We had a really good thing going with these characters. It’s not every day you start a new job and immediately hit it off with the person you’re working with.
Did you watch the show after your accident?
I didn’t because I was a little worried about seeing something about my death delivered by letter—Jackson drowned in his cereal yesterday morning.
But didn’t they tell you that Jackson would eventually be coming back?
Yeah, I just didn’t want to get surprised by something they might not have been comfortable telling me. I was fortunate that they wanted me back. I wanted the executive producer to meet my doctors so he’d know I’d be a real person again. And when I came back, I wanted it to be in the same frame of mind as Jackson—not exactly sure how open the door is to Susan.
We heard your voice a few months ago in a phone call to Susan. What was your physical condition then?
I was probably almost there. It’s hard to say. With these kinds of injuries you recover at various rates. I had a very rapid recovery. I really feel back.
Why is Jackson returning to Wisteria Lane?
He’s back to try to rekindle their connection—whatever is left of it. He has a very important question for Susan.
What has Jackson been doing all this time?
He was pursuing his dream of working in a school as an art teacher. He’s been away, but realizes he needs Susan and needs to talk to her about things.
Word is when Jackson returns he will have to contend with Dave, who has his own intentions for Susan. Should we be worried about Jackson’s future?
Anytime you’ve got somebody like Dave Williams walking up and down the street, you’ve got to be worried about everybody. There are a number of bad scenarios that could take place. I have a scene with Dave and Orson where I’m thanking Dave for saving my butt from burning to death in the fire. But then Jackson realizes, “Wait a minute. You didn’t really save my ass, did you?” So it’s sets up the question of whether Jackson will realize that Dave actually locked him in the bathroom. It still remains to be seen whether Jackson will be around for the season finale.
Neal McDonough used to ride a motorcycle, but sold his Harley the day his wife learned she was pregnant, and hasn’t been back on since. Will you ride again?
I’m going to be back on board. I’m dying to ride again and am feeling very impatient. I’m giving myself a certain amount of time to know I feel good and safe.
What happened the night of your accident?
It’s just something that happens when you take the risk of getting on a machine like that. As fantastic and exciting as it can be, after you’ve been safe for a number of years, you tend to become a little overly confidant. You can’t predict all the surprises out there.
Any scars?
Yeah, there was some repair work that was done to the front end of my bike that really makes me cry inside.
I was talking about scars on your body.
Obviously I was hurt. But you get better.
Who did you hear from after the accident?
I was supposed to be at work the next day, so Teri was checking in with my managers and my agents every other day. We had a really good thing going with these characters. It’s not every day you start a new job and immediately hit it off with the person you’re working with.
Did you watch the show after your accident?
I didn’t because I was a little worried about seeing something about my death delivered by letter—Jackson drowned in his cereal yesterday morning.
But didn’t they tell you that Jackson would eventually be coming back?
Yeah, I just didn’t want to get surprised by something they might not have been comfortable telling me. I was fortunate that they wanted me back. I wanted the executive producer to meet my doctors so he’d know I’d be a real person again. And when I came back, I wanted it to be in the same frame of mind as Jackson—not exactly sure how open the door is to Susan.
We heard your voice a few months ago in a phone call to Susan. What was your physical condition then?
I was probably almost there. It’s hard to say. With these kinds of injuries you recover at various rates. I had a very rapid recovery. I really feel back.
Why is Jackson returning to Wisteria Lane?
He’s back to try to rekindle their connection—whatever is left of it. He has a very important question for Susan.
What has Jackson been doing all this time?
He was pursuing his dream of working in a school as an art teacher. He’s been away, but realizes he needs Susan and needs to talk to her about things.
Word is when Jackson returns he will have to contend with Dave, who has his own intentions for Susan. Should we be worried about Jackson’s future?
Anytime you’ve got somebody like Dave Williams walking up and down the street, you’ve got to be worried about everybody. There are a number of bad scenarios that could take place. I have a scene with Dave and Orson where I’m thanking Dave for saving my butt from burning to death in the fire. But then Jackson realizes, “Wait a minute. You didn’t really save my ass, did you?” So it’s sets up the question of whether Jackson will realize that Dave actually locked him in the bathroom. It still remains to be seen whether Jackson will be around for the season finale.
Neal McDonough used to ride a motorcycle, but sold his Harley the day his wife learned she was pregnant, and hasn’t been back on since. Will you ride again?
I’m going to be back on board. I’m dying to ride again and am feeling very impatient. I’m giving myself a certain amount of time to know I feel good and safe.
Copyright © 2009 tvguidemagazine.com | All rights
reserved
Written by William Keck - Edited by Marcy
Written by William Keck - Edited by Marcy