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Interview!

ICYMI: Galen Gering Interview

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Galen Gering "Days of our Lives" Set Gallery Shoot 2017 NBC Studios Burbank 09/206/17 © John Paschal/jpistudios.com 310-657-9661 Credit: JPI

18 years after hitting the daytime scene, DAYS’s Galen Gering is still happy to call it home.

When Galen Gering was cast as PASSIONS’s Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald in 1999, he never expected he would still be working in daytime 18 years later. “I thought I’d have a six-month run, max,” muses Gering. “I knew a lot of people who had been let go from PASSIONS early on, so I understood there was always the possibility that I could be next.”

Gering had a backup plan in case of emergency. “I had just graduated from film school,” he explains. “I grew up in Los Angeles and wanted to go back, when I got this incredible opportunity to go work for an NBC show. I thought, ‘If I’m fired from PASSIONS, so be it. I’m right where I want to be.’ That was really my attitude.”

However, after three years of honing his skills playing PASSIONS’s heroic leading man, Gering considered walking away from daytime altogether. “It was really hard on PASSIONS,” he sighs. “We worked 50 weeks a year, and I didn’t get any down time. After the third year, when I was really in a position to get to do other stuff because I studied outside of the show and got to the point where my acting was decent, the opportunity didn’t present itself and I needed to make a choice whether I wanted to stay on the show. The situation definitely personified the golden handcuffs scenario. I had this great job, but it was all I could really do.”

Two months after PASSIONS left the airwaves in 2008, DAYS nabbed Gering to play FBI agent Rafe Hernandez. “The storyline I had coming in was really fun,” he smiles. “Rafe was in this safe house with Sami, trying to keep her from getting killed, or escaping. Alison [Sweeney, Sami] and I developed a really fast friendship and worked really hard and well together. She was also doing THE BIGGEST LOSER, so oftentimes, we’d be first up in the mornings, flying by the skin of our teeth to get three episodes done.”

Over the years, Gering has come to appreciate the many facets of his alter ego, admiring his tenacity most of all. “He just never gives up,” marvels Gering. “Everything around him could be in utter collapse, and somehow, this guy just finds a way to fight through his obstacles. I had these back-to-back experiences where a couple of fans wrote me and said, ‘I’ve had a really rough go of my life, and this character is always like a shining light; a beacon of hope for me, because after everything he’s gone through, he never gives up.’ That clicked for me, like, ‘Wow, okay, that’s a huge part of this character’s validity in the landscape,’ and so I’ve grown to like him more. I definitely try and bring humor to the character, and obviously, sometimes it’s hard, because things can be super-dramatic. But when we have those fun, light scenes, I try to be spontaneous and in the moment, doing something that, to a certain degree, will surprise my co-stars, but not to the point where they’re uncomfortable. I really enjoy those moments.”

In contrast to Gering’s heavy workload on PASSIONS, DAYS’s schedule typically includes one week a month off, which works well for the actor to pursue other interests. “Since I’ve come to DAYS, there has certainly been more opportunity [to try for other roles],” he points out. “But with that said, I’m also in a group where the guys my age have a lot of experience and have been auditioning for a long time. It’s so super-competitive. I’ve been working with some friends outside of work on creating some stuff, and hopefully, there will be more of that.”

The dark weeks at the studio have given him time to evolve in his role as a husband and a parent to his two sons, Dillon, 11, and Jensen, 9. “From a parenting perspective, I’m more involved in their lives with regards to having discussions with them and taking them on adventures,” he volunteers. “That has become a big part of my life, which I enjoy tremendously. I’m also always trying to learn from my mistakes, so I have certainly gotten better and wiser in that department. My wife, Jenna, is so incredible. I have learned so much from her, with regards to human behavior. We laugh because our sons are 11 and 9. It’s like we’re halfway done, and in 10 years, they’ll be out of the house! I mean, you’re never done being a parent, but eventually they’re going to move out. It just seems so crazy. We were down in Mexico, and this one guy asked my wife and I, ‘Are you guys thinking about retiring here?’ Jenna was like, ‘Whoa, I’ve never thought about retiring!’ Clearly, that’s something neither of us would have been asked 20 years ago.”

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As he looks back on the time he has spent in daytime, Gering reflects, “It has certainly changed my life for the better. I am so blessed to have the career that I have, and certainly I’ve worked hard at it, but in no way, shape or form would I have thought it would go nearly this long. Not even close! Nor did I imagine that it would afford me such a great life. It’s been really neat.”

JUST THE FACTS
Birthday: February 13
Hails From: Los Angeles, CA
Family Man: Gering married wife Jenna, on January 3, 2000; they have two sons, Dillon, 11, and Jensen, 9.
Familiar Place: “We binge-watched BLOODLINE. My friends own the resort where they filmed, in Islamorada, in the Florida Keys. I’ve been down there a lot, so the landscape was very familiar. It was interesting to have that connection. There was some great acting on that show.”
Simply Irresistible: Gering has a guilty pleasure. “Häagen-Dazs caramel cone ice cream. It’s chocolate-covered pieces of sugar cone, with caramel that is frigging everywhere! I try to have a couple of bites, and the next thing I know, I’m eating the whole pint.”
Good Sports: “Depending on what time of year it is, on my time off from work, I like to play beach volleyball, golf or snowboard. Those are the top three.”
Muscle Relaxer: “I love getting a good Thai massage. I could go for one right now. You get the massage, but at the same time, they also stretch you out, which is great.”
Getaway Adventure: “We just got back from Todos Santos in Cabo [San Lucas, Mexico]. The area had sandy roads and beaches. We drove through the farmland, which included mango fields, chili fields and lavender fields. The boys had a blast. It was like going back in time, and made me think of how parts of California would have looked that way 100 years ago. I loved that.”

Leading Ladies
Gering enjoys the fact that the show has paired him with Kristian Alfonso (Hope). “I was excited, because I had scenes with Kristian before, and I knew that we had good chemistry,” he notes. “Obviously, she’s an icon, both in this genre and on DAYS OF OUR LIVES. We work well together, so it’s been exciting. What I really like is that their relationship was born out of friendship. They were always together. I loved the scenes when Bo came back [in 2015], just after finding out he was sick, and he asked Rafe to look out for her.” Alison Sweeney’s recent return as Sami has been a kick for Gering, as well. “It’s awesome!” he says. “Some of the scenes we did were just so fun. She definitely brought her A-game. We had a great time working together while she was there, and, man, I hope she comes back again, to be honest with you, whether it’s just for a brief stint or whatever.”

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