Exclusive: Catherine Hicks Opens Up About 7th Heaven on Its 15th Anniversary

It became the longest-running family drama in history and Aaron Spelling’s longest-running show, but when Catherine Hicks was offered the role of matriarch Annie Camden on 7th Heaven, she did not jump at the chance.
“I was dragged kicking into the first season, because I really wanted to be free for film,” laughs Hicks. “I was doing a film with Ray Liotta and I thought, ‘I’m back in cinema!’ Of course Turbulence came out and it was a horrid film. Meanwhile, I had fallen in love with the cast [of 7th Heaven] and realized the fun of acting. Our scenes were mammoth: It was like doing a play every day. On a lot of shows you go, 'Freeze! Book 'em!' but these were long, emotional scenes. So I thought, ‘Wow, this is really acting.’”
For 11 seasons, creator Brenda Hampton brought viewers the trials and tribulations of Reverend Eric Camden (Stephen Collins) and his family as they tackled real-life issues like bullying, teenage pregnancy, and addiction. The message was as clear as the show’s theme song: No matter what you do in life, you can always return home.
For those who grew up with the show, separating the TV family from the actors who played them has become virtually impossible, as witnessed by fan reactions across the globe. “I’ve been in tiny waterways off Lake Como in Italy and the Italian boys with their legs dangling over a high bridge looked down and screamed ‘Annie Camden,’” says Hicks. “It’s amazing!” But frankly, it’s not a far-fetched concept, as even the actors who played the Camdens formed a special bond.
“It did feel like family,” says Hicks. “I don’t know if that’s good casting or if Brenda wrote for us, but I think they picked sensitive, nice people, and we all wanted and needed to love each other.”
To this day, Hicks is amazed at the massive following the show had and continues to have worldwide. “The audience was loyal and huge. The industry was ignorant of its popularity, so they never noticed it, but the world did,” she says. “We fed the people what they craved, which was real drama and love and real issues that we dealt with that were troubling real kids, and parents would tune in to learn how to parent. We were strict, and people were learning that it’s okay to say no to your kids. I really feel that because of what Brenda served up, we really served people full meals for 11 years, and that makes me happy.”

Hicks remembers meeting Stephen Collins for the first time at a table read. "I thought, 'Looks a little slick, but a very nice person,'" she says, laughing. "But he's just intelligent and fun. We were both educated in a certain time in America, and I felt it was fun to banter about English literature and, really, anything. We really enjoyed each other. In another life we would have dated, but we were each happily married."

Stephen Collins was last seen as a series regular on ABC's No Ordinary Family and still makes the occasional visit to Private Practice as Addison's (Kate Walsh) dad "The Captain." Next up for Collins: the Farrelly brothers' remake of The Three Stooges.

While Annie Camden was the perfect TV mother, Hicks says she always struggled with the guilt of parenting the wrong kids. "I had my own 4-year-old, so when I was with the kids, I was always guilty that I was leaving my own child to parent these TV children," says the actress. "It was always a mixed blessing." But it did feel like family, she says. "I remember playing a Christmas scene, and there was no acting—we were giving each other Christmas presents under the tree. I thought, 'This is real.' I'm handing gifts to David and Stephen. We were all nice and vulnerable people, so therefore the show filled our hearts."

Hicks is still busy making movies, including football/family flick Game Time: Tackling the Past (starring Ryan McPartlin), which airs September 3 on NBC.

Matt Camden, the eldest child of the family, was the heartthrob of the show, a fact that didn't escape his costars. "Any female of any age got an immediate crush on him. I was playing his mother, and I was just staring at him in scenes," laughs Hicks. "And he's just so nice. All the young girls were in love with him—Jessie and Bev. And we'd have gatherings at my house and he'd dance with my little girl. She taught him all the Britney Spears moves."

Watson went on to star in TV shows like What About Brian and Samantha Who? Most recently he starred in ABC Family’s My Future Boyfriend, with Sara Rue. His next onscreen romance will be in next year's Hallmark Channel flick The Kiss at Pine Lake.

“Jessica was a fun tomboy, and very nice—a saint with the young girls who followed her and worshipped her. She was patient and kind,” recalls Hicks. In 2000, Biel—who played wholesome aspiring athlete Mary Camden—attempted to get out of her multiyear contract by posing seminude for Gear magazine, something Hicks remembers well. "I remember being maternal at the time, going, 'Jessie, that's a no-no.' But I think she really wanted to break free. If you want to be a movie star, you do certain things along the way to make it, and I think she gave a shocker to get herself on the map. And it worked!"

After Biel got out of her TV contract, her career skyrocketed, with parts in action movies like Stealth, critical darlings like The Illusionist, and all-star comedies like Valentine’s Day. And her career shows no sign of slowing down, as she is already promoting the Total Recall remake and the Valentine's follow-up New Year's Eve, set to be released this December.

Mitchell was actually a year older than her costar Biel, who played her older sister on TV, and she had younger-sibling traits in real life as well, recalls Hicks. "She was like a little girl. Cute, little, friendly thing," she says. "Not as happy as Jessie, but darling. She was the kid sister."

Three years after saying goodbye to Lucy Camden, Mitchell joined 7th Heaven creator Brenda Hampton on another family drama, the ABC Family show The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She now plays guidance counselor Kaitlin O'Malley.

"David was the best actor in the whole group," says Hicks of Gallagher, who played younger son Simon Camden. "He's an artist. Like Leonardo DiCaprio, he's one of those guys who is so sensitive that moments play across his person like a violin. I have always prayed for him to make it in the movies, because he's a real talent. He doesn't act—he is."

Gallagher just enjoyed a busy summer promoting the Steven Spielberg/J.J. Abrams action flick Super 8 and is about to make his debut on The Vampire Diaries this fall, as werewolf Ray Sutton, who has a run-in with newly evil Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley).

Mackenzie Rosman started playing Ruthie Camden when she was only 6 years old, and literally grew up on-set. "I always worry about kids on a set when they're growing up, because they're trapped and they sacrifice a normal life to be on a show. I worried for David and Mackenzie," says Hicks. She's happy to report that her TV kids came out okay. "[Beverley and Mackenzie] had the rockier home lives. But Beverley is now extremely happily married and Mackenzie is fine. And it's nice that they're working. It turned out okay."

Rosman now costars with Mitchell on The Secret Life of the American Teenager as Zoe and could be seen this summer in fantasy thriller Fading of the Cries with Brad Dourif.