‘7th Heaven’ Alum Reveals Why He Walked Away From Acting With No Regrets

7th Heaven star Barry Watson was a regular on the pages of Teen Beat in the ’90s, and the former heartthrob is making a bit of a comeback. With new projects like a remake of Highway to Heaven and an upcoming superhero series Naomi, Watson is wading back into acting after taking time away from Hollywood. In a new interview with People, Watson opened up about walking away from his career and why he made that choice and admitted that he is still reminded of 7th Heaven to this day. 

My [16-year-old] son Oliver grew his hair out and I looked at him the other day and he reminded me of Matt Camden,” said Watson, who played the eldest Camden sibling from 1996 until 2006. “My 13-year-old Felix just binge-watched it. It is amazing that so many people are still being introduced to that show.”

Watson explained that he had no idea that 7th Heaven would be such a hit when he auditioned. “I was so broke at the time that I just did it for the pilot,” he said. “I was like who is going to watch this show about a minister’s family? It was completely unexpected how the show took off.” He also opened up about being diagnosed with Stage 2 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at just 28-years-old, right at the point when he had exited the family drama and was preparing for the next stage in his career. “It was a huge shock,” Watson said. “But I’m a stubborn guy, so I was like I’m going to fight like hell.” He went into remission six months later, but his outlook on life had fundamentally shifted. “I just really slowed my world down,” Watson said. “It made me see life in such a completely different way.”

Ultimately, he has no regrets, saying that “being a dad and a husband is my number one job,” even if that means that his career took a backburner. “I said no to probably too many things in the past and it affected my work. But I have no regrets,” Watson admitted. “I’m proud because I can coach my daughter’s basketball games, go to the games, really be a part of their lives. And, hopefully, my kids will recognize that Dad was always there.”