Watson built a solid acting status after starring as "Matt Camden" on WB's accliamed drama series "7th heaven" for six years. He now returns to the show, after a short break. Watson made his feature film debut in Kevin Williamson's black comedy Teaching Mrs. Tingle, starring opposite Katie Holmes (Dawson's Creek) and Helen Mirren. He also starred in Sorority Boys with Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville) and Harland Williams, and in When Strangers Appear with Radha Mitchell. Watson also had a memorable cameo role in Oceans Eleven. Prior to landing his role on 7th Heaven, the Traverse City, Michigan native was featured in the HBO original movie Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman, starring Daryl Hannah. Unfortunately, Barry was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, and began treatment for it in May 2002, and Watson has kicked Hodgkin's disease -- he got cancer-free about a month ago, in October 8, 2002. He loves fixing up his home and spending time with his dogs, Harsky and Stutch named after the title characters in his favorite television series, Starsky and Hutch.
He finally landed the role of Seth in 'Malibu Shores', an Aaron Spelling series. Then came Co-Ed call girl, a made for TV movie, but finally he got his big break when he landed Matt Camden on the series 7th Heaven.

Barry ( Michael Barret) Watson was born on April 24, 1974 in Traverse, Michigan. Barry and his family moved to Dallas suburb, Richardson, when he was eight years old. He started modeling when he was eight, but decided he just wanted to be a kid. His manager suggested he might like acting better. The family moved to Los Angeles when he was 15, after his parents divorced.
Barry took his first big acting role on the daytime soap opera Days Of Our Lives in 1990. The job lasted for six-months, then he returned home to Dallas when no other work turned up. He worked for Ross Perot's campaign in 1992. He parked cars at the House of Blues in Los Angeles when he moved back in 1993. He tells a funny story about parking Tori Spelling's car and six-months later he did a TV movie with her. She didn't believe his story, but Barry reminded her that she didn't tip him either. Barry met Laura Watson, his wife from 1997, while doing a guest appearance on Malibu Shores and Tori Spelling introduced them.

Watson likes to collect unusual belt buckles and enjoys tennis, skiing, rollerblading, scuba diving, swimming and surfing. He also likes working on his new house. His favorite foods are Italian and Tex-Mex. His favorite actress is Patricia Arquette and his favorite movies are Valley Girl and Blue Velvet.

Barry Watson's famous Quotes:
"I don't watch TV much and I don't go to movies much. It's hard to be so involved with 7th Heaven and then watch other shows. You start to critique everything because you're so involved."

On his life: "My dad on 7th Heaven deals with my character the same way my mom did with me when I was growing up. She taught me a lot of lessons that I didn't understand until I was older."
Collects memorabilia from the 1970's hit police show Starsky and Hutch, which was also produced by Aaron Spelling.

"The challenge in playing Bess [in Breaking the Waves] is that, in physical, psychological, intellectual, moral, ethical and political terms, she's a disaster--part saint, part clown. But she has an infinite capacity to love and believe. I tried to make the logic of that transcend those judgements."
Explaining the appeal of science fiction or comedy: "I just think it would be a real gas to stand there in a spandex tunic and go "warp speed."

Barry Watson awards for his work: in 2002 Teen Choice Awards: TV - Choice Actor, Comedy, 7th Heaven and Teen Choice Awards: TV - Choice Actor, Drama, 7th Heaven.

Watson's Current Residence: "I just bought a house in Topanga Canyon, which is the old hippie community in L.A.," says Watson. "Every place my relator took me, he was like, 'Brad Pitt lives right over here!' I'm like, 'I don't give a s*** where Brad Pitt lives, just find me a house.' I ended up living near Paul Rubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman)."

Barry Watson Lives Life of 'Brian' for ABC

ABC has found the lead for its pilot "What About Brian?" on The WB.

Barry Watson of "7th Heaven" will star in the J.J. Abrams-produced drama, the Hollywood trade papers report. Rosanna Arquette ("Pulp Fiction") has also joined the cast.

ABC has also signed Katheryn Winnick to play Ivana Trump in the network's upcoming biopic about billionaire Donald Trump.
Watson will play the title character in "What About Brian?," a 30ish single guy whose friends are all settling down. He returned to "7th Heaven" as a regular this season after taking time off to receive treatment for Hodgkin's disease, which is now in remission. He also worked as a writer on the show during that time.

Arquette ("Searching for Debra Winger," "Desperately Seeking Susan") will play Brian's older sister in the pilot, which was written by Dana Stevens ("City of Angels"). It would be her first regular series role since early in her career, although she has recently guest-starred on "The L Word" and "Will & Grace."

Barry Watson's Boogey Nights

"Seventh Heaven" star Barry Watson goes through hell in the new thriller "Boogeyman" as Tim, a man haunted by the traumatic events of his childhood. Seeking to prove to Tim that it's all in his head, his therapist recommends that he spend a night in the house he grew up in so he can see for himself that there's no such thing as the Boogeyman. MTV News' Kelly Marino recently hid under Watson's bed and kept him up all night with questions about what makes him scared, and what makes "Boogeyman" such a mindbender.
MTV: This is the kind of film that really keeps an audience guessing about what parts are real and what parts are the character's imagination — or is the whole thing in his imagination? In your own mind, what was real and what wasn't?

Barry Watson: Well, as an actor ... I wanted the audience to be kind of guessing back and forth, "Is it real? Is it not? Is he crazy? Is he just going through a crazy breakdown?" Which, I also wanted him — Tim — to be going through as well. I think there's parts of the movie where you're like, "This guy is just losing it. He is losing it. What's wrong with this guy? Just get it together." I think in the end you still don't know. ... I think that people are probably going to walk out of it and this one person is going to be saying, "Oh, it was real," and this other person will say, "No, no, no, it was all in his head." I think that's good to get at least people talking after they've seen the film.

MTV: Throughout this movie you had to act afraid, whereas in a lot of movies that are scary, some actors don't really bother to sell that to the audience. Was that a challenge?

Watson: Well, it was interesting because I couldn't sit there and go, "OK, I'm scared," you know? I had to put myself in a dark place through a lot of it, but there were days where I would be homesick or I'd be a little more emotional where there would be a little more emotion coming out than anything, and I just kind of played on whatever I was feeling that day. I mean, there was a scene in the movie where I fall out of the closet and I start laughing, and it's a great scene because it's like you can either think, "OK, he's crazy, or he's just laughing at himself because he just had this stupid experience inside a closet." And probably nothing happened except for his own imagination kind of taking over. That was a day that everything to me was funny. I mean, I was laughing at everything.

MTV: It seemed like a genuine laugh.

Watson: Yeah, well, it was real. It was real. I mean ... it's one of the hardest things as an actor, to be able to laugh [and have it seem] real. I mean, you see it in the movies all the time and you're like, "That's so forced." But yeah, it was definitely real.
MTV: In the movie your character at first tries to avoid his fear and move away from it, and then he's forced to face it to make it go away. What's your take on that in real life? Is it always best to confront your fears?

Watson: I think it's better to confront them. But what's interesting is this guy never confronts until his inner voice really kind of guides him in that direction. He's had help his whole life, and that's how everybody is in their own lives — they have, like, this therapist and that therapist or whatever. They've got all these people who are supposedly trying to help them, but it's really just within yourself, you know, and if you can hopefully get in touch with that part of yourself to take care of that, whatever fear that might be, that's better. Hopefully this movie can help people with that in some sense. I mean, I didn't make that movie to try to go, "God, I really think I'm going to help a lot of people out with their fears as a child," but it's definitely something everyone relates to. Everybody has their own boogeyman — not physically, but their own inner boogeyman, whether they're willing to deal with it at some point in their life or not. This guy happened to wait 20-something years to do it. It wasn't just about every childhood fear he had ... it was probably abandonment from his father, it was probably guilt for leaving his mother. It's a combination of a lot of things, you know?

MTV: Is there a childhood memory or something that is your own boogeyman?

Watson: I never had anything like [what my character goes through]. I mean, still to this day, there's times where, like, I hear a noise or something like that in the middle of the night — not a normal noise that my house makes, like the creaking floors or anything — and I won't go in that room. I might kind of turn on the light going to that room, but I won't go all the way in. And there's nothing there. It was just a noise. I mean, it's those little things — that's when your inner child, I think, comes back out in people and you let your imagination go, which is a good thing, for adults to let their imagination go like you did when you were a kid, where it could go anywhere and forever. So, yeah, I mean, I still freak myself out, but it's just me.

MTV: "Boogeyman" does seem at least a little bit influenced by the current wave of Japanese horror films making its way to our shores. Why do you think movies like "The Ring" and "The Grudge" are able to translate so well when they're remade my Hollywood?

Watson: Well, because they're making really smart films, you know? I mean, I'm so glad that these horror films are kind of taking what the Japanese are doing. And sure, we're kind of ripping them off and remaking them, but Stephan Kay, who directed this, and myself are both big fans of Japanese horror films. And, in fact, I watched a lot of them before I started working on this film. But I think the reason why they're doing so well is because they're not playing the audience like they're stupid and not just giving them a slasher film with a bunch of blood and guts and people screaming and chainsaws or whatever the hell it is. It's making people think. And the little tiny little things that are very inexpensive to do, like just little camera tricks and stuff like that, that makes scares more effective than anything. You know, they're not just throwing it right in your face. They'll do a camera angle where you wouldn't be able to see everything around somewhere and you're wondering and you almost want to turn your head even though you're watching a TV. And you can't see in the TV. They're definitely more psychological, and I think that's kind of where horror films are going now — they're more psychological than anything.

MTV: Do you have any other movies in the works?

Watson: Right now I'm concentrating on this movie, and I'm going to be a dad in May. So that's my biggest job, being a Papa Watson, and that's what I'm most excited about.

MTV: Congratulations. And how are things on "7th Heaven"?

Watson: I just got done directing an episode, so hopefully that should air sometime in February and that should be a good one. It's just all the families back and all these outside characters that nobody knows who the hell they are. It kind of deals more with the family. It should be fun.

Not much scares Barry Watson

The 30-year-old actor is still playing roles meant for those in their early 20s after playing the hunk, Matt, on the TV show "7th Heaven." He's been diagnosed and beat Hodgkin's disease, a form of cancer that's in remission since April 2003. He's dressed up as a girl (waxing his legs daily) for "Sorority Boys," and fought alien teachers in "Teaching Mrs. Tingle," co-starring renown British actress Helen Mirren.

Now, in "Boogeyman," he fights off a demon living in dark closets. He's in almost every scene of the movie, and he especially loves the scenes he does with 12-year-old Skye McCole Bartusiak.

"She's probably the best actor I've worked with, forget Helen Mirren," Watson laughs in an interview with Zap2it.com. "I mean, she really is unbelievable, I still get tears in my eyes every time I look at her. All my favorite stuff in the movie is with Franny."

In this clic scare film, Watson's character Tim teams up with this mysterious girl, Franny, to battle the demon that lives in the closets and takes away children. As a child, Tim saw his father get sucked into a closet by a demon, but was later convinced by psychiatrists that he imagined it after his father abandoned him.

In real life, Watson's parents split up when he was 14, and a year later he got a short stint on the soap opera "Days of Our Lives." After spending half a year parking cars at the House of Blues and befriending Tori Spelling, he landed a part on her dad's short-lived series "Malibu Shores" and he got noticed by Hollywood.

Now, he's in a Ghost House Pictures production working with "Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi, who visited the set regularly. The movie was directed by Stephen Kay and filmed in New Zealand.

Kay says he recalls how his lead actor had nightmares during the shoot, especially after filming scenes where he was locked in closets. "You used to come to the set talking about all the bad dreams you were having," Kay tells Watson in an interview on the Columbia backlot.

"That's right, I totally forgot about that!" Watson recalls. "I started having these horrible dreams the first month of shooting. I would just wake up just gasping for breath and I've never had anything like that."

Raimi says one of the scariest moments for him in the film is when all of the missing children come clawing at Watson as ghosts.

"Yeah, that was an interesting scene to do, because it was actually funny," Watson says. "You've got all these kids around, and not all of them are actors, and so there was a little giggling going on at first, until like take 10. Then, I was like, 'All right guys, let's stop messing around, let's do this.' "

"Xena Warrior Princess" star Lucy Lawless plays Watson's mother, and off camera, he'd do the high-pitched Xena call every morning for her. "She's a blast to work with, she likes to goof off a bit, and then get to business and say 'Let's shoot' like me," Watson says. His best scenes with Lawless, however, ended up on the cutting room floor, but will be on the DVD.

Although he wasn't scared of any ghost stories or weird legends as a child, Watson is convinced he saw Bigfoot when he lived in northern Michigan on the border of Canada as a child. "I did see Bigfoot when I was a kid, and I still believe it to this day, I saw a big thorny man outside my window," Watson says.

"Not much scares me now, but Stephen gave me 'The Eye' when we were shooting, which is like my favorite horror film now. I know 'The Exorcist' is probably on everybody's list, but 'The Omen' was definitely one of my favorites, and also John Carpenter's 'The Fog' I always liked."

And when he recently saw the final cut of his own film, he got a bit scared, too. "I screened it a couple days ago, and you know, the hairs just at the back of my neck kind of stood up, and I was actually surprised that that happened."

"Boogeyman" opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, Feb. 4.

 

Barry Watson speaks about "Sorority Boys"

Q: What was it like working on “Sorority Boys?”

B.W. It was interesting. It was so much fun working with Michael [Rosenbaum] and Harland [Williams] on the movie. It was tough trying to figure out how to put on all the women's clothes. Usually, for a guy, it's just a T-shirt and jeans and you're done. It's like this whole long process to be a woman and I have a newfound respect for what it takes for women to make themselves feel good about themselves.

Q: How tough were the waxing sessions?
B.W. It only happened once because we weren't going to let it happen again (laughing).

Q: How was the chemistry between you three guys?
B.W.I don't think it could have been better. The producers will probably never say this but I think they really got lucky with having us cast as the three girls because we just really jelled. With the script as funny as it was, I think the three of us had a blast and we added something more to it, as well.

Q: Does Harland do a lot of ad-libbing on the set?
B.W. It was nice because Wally [director Wally Wolodarsky] let us all kind of do a lot of ad-libbing. We'd do the first take how it was written and then he'd let us just go off. Of course, working with Harland just kind of takes it to a whole new level.

Q: Did you keep any piece of your wardrobe?
B.W. No.

Q: Did you want to?
B.W. (Laughing) NO, none!

Q: What's the status of your part on "7th Heaven?"
B.W. I think this might be my last year on the show. I don't know, it's been a long run on the show and I'm very grateful for how long I've been on it and who knows - I might still be back. But right now it looks like this might be my last year. They are definitely coming back for a seventh season but I'm just not sure yet if I'm going to be there or not.

Barry Watson stars in the new horror movie ''The Boogeyman''

You thought it was just a story... but it's real.

The Boogeyman is coming and ComingSoon.net has your exclusive first look at the creepy new international trailer for the Ghost House Pictures horror movie!

Set in Pennsylvania, the story tells the haunting tale of Tim Jensen (Barry Watson), a young man traumatized by memories of terrible events he experienced in his childhood bedroom and who, years later, reluctantly returns home to face his fears of a monstrous entity that could be real or merely a figment of his imagination.

The film, directed by Stephen Kay, also stars Emily Deschanel, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Lucy Lawless, Robyn Malcolm, Charles Mesure, and Tory Mussett.

The Real 7th Heaven Babe, Barry Watson

Barry Watson understands the Felicity haircut thing.

For teen and young adults alike, the attraction to the WB's 7th Heaven is without a doubt the young Camden cast and its hazel-eyed, long-haired centerpiece, Barry Watson (Matt Camden).

In fact, Barry's long locks caused quite the sir among the folks behind the hit series. "When I started...the producers talked about cutting it off...," says Barry. "I said, 'Why can't a minister's son have long hair?'...Now, every time I want to cut it, they're like, 'Your gonna keep it long, right?"

Born in Traverse City, Michigan, Barry, whose real name is Michael Barrett Watson (named after a character in a romance novel his godmother had been reading), began modeling in Dallas, Texas and landed his first acting job in a commercial for a spinning jump rope called, Jump Dancer. He also appeared in Days of Our Lives, and had guest appearances on Baywatch, The Nanny, and Sister, Sister before playing bad boy, Seth, on the short lived Aaron Spelling series, Malibu Shores. Spelling promised the then 22-year-old that he'd find him another role, and kept that promise when he offered Barry the role of Matt Camden in 7th Heaven. Barry says of his character, "He's like another father to all the other kids...He cares a lot about the family..."--a trait Barry shares with Matt. "I also have a good, really close relationship with my siblings (two brothers and one sister)."

Ironically, it was Barry's portrayal of Matt that caught the eye of Kevin Williamson (Wasteland, The Faculty, I Know What You Did Last Summer), who was casting for a movie called, Teaching Mrs. Tingle. Barry got the role of Luke Churner, a slacker high school student who, along with his buds, holds his history teacher captive. Barry was excited about the part because "I'm used to playing someone who's the nicest guy on television and it was so great to switch gears..."

When Barry isn't on the set, he enjoys hiking with his dog, Harsky, who's part golden retriever and part pitt bull, playing basketball and watching reruns of the '70s police drama, Starsky and Hutch. As for relationships, Barry's looking for "somebody I can trust...who's not in the business." As far as haircuts go...Well, let's just say Barry's probably keeping the producers on their toes.

Story behind Barry Watson's hair

"I'm all about my hair," says Watson, who ignored producers' pleas to lop it off.

"When I started on 7th Heaven, the producers talked about cutting it off, and I said, 'Why can't a ministers son have long hair?' I made a big stink about it, and now every time I want to cut it, they're like, 'Your going to keep it long right?' "

Looking For Mrs. Robinson: "I mainly go out with older women. I'm not talking 20 years [older] - I'm saying 30-ish."

His Best Friend: "My dog, Harsky. He's a golden retriever--pitbull. I had another dog, Stutch, but she drove Harsky nuts."

His First Crush: "My family had a cottage on Lake Michigan, and there was this cute little blond girl next door. I was 4 or 5. Now that I think about it, I wonder what she is doing."

Today he is a famous Mr. Watson

Here's the story of the last Hollywood party Barry Watson will ever get turned away from: Writer-director Kevin Williamson (Dawson's Creek, Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer) invited Barry to an A-list Oscar bash, Barry showed up-only to get completely dissed. "I can't let you in," the bouncer said, not recognizing him. Then the bouncer yelled to the parking attendants: "This guy's turning around! He's a no!"

Barry won't be a no for long, though. This summer, Barry stars with Katie Holmes in Teaching Mrs. Tingle, Williamson's next sure-to-be-a-hit flick. Soon, bouncers will be calling him "Mr. Watson" and ushering him through the door. Not that Barry cares much. "You have to be able to handle rejection in this business," he says, laughing.

As if you didn't already know, Barry plays low-key sweetheart Matt Camden, oldest of seven kids, on 7th Heaven. The drama about a minister's family has a cult following: It's the most popular show on the WB network, beating out even Dawson's Creek and Buffy. Barry gets fan mail from children, college students, and even prisoners! Why the m appeal? "The show's about what people wish their families were like," explains Barry. "As hokey as it can be sometimes, it's a fantasy."

Michael Barrett Watson grew up in Michigan and Texas. (His southern roots could explain the enormous gold "B" buckle on the belt he's wearing. "It's so cheesy!" he says. "That's why I wear it!") He was never very into school. "There were things I was more interested in, like acting and sports," he says. Plus, his family life was not particularly 7th Heavenly So when Barry was 15, he picked up and moved to California all by himself.

Right away, Barry landed a gig on Days Of Our Lives (but kept studying-teenage actors have to stay in school or hire a tutor in order to work). After that ended, he waited tables, worked as a cashier for a crafts shop that sold "artsy fake flowers," even parked cars. "I did a little bit of everything to survive," he says. "It took me a few years to figure out the way the business worked." Once he found his footing, he scored appearances on The Nanny, Malibu Shores (with Keri Russell) and Baywatch--where he had the bizarre distinction of being one of the first characters to actually drown (it was Yasmine Bleeth's fault).

Luckily, that Baywatch scene wasn't a sign of things to come. Two years later, Barry surfaced in a big way on 7th Heaven. "It's weird because so many people who see your work think you're just like your character," he says. "But I'm very different from Matt." For instance, Barry sports two tattoos-evidence that he's a little more daring than his straight-edged TV alter ego. His right bicep boasts a cowgirl ("I have this fascination with World War II pinup girls and cowgirls," he explains), and he has an ancor on his left forearm-but he won't say why. "It's kind of a private thing with someone else," he says, in that brooding way that makes hearts melt. Someone like, maybe, a girlfriend? "That's a bad question right now," Barry says. "If it were a little while ago it would be great. Maybe if it were a month from now, it would be great, too. But right now….it's bad."

His love life is the only thing in Barry's world that's bad just now. He's living it up as he awaits the August release of Tingle, his first feature film. "My character's the reason the whole movie happens, because he's such a dumb-a**," he says. During the filming, Barry went on a strict chicken-and-broccoli diet so he could "get ripped" for a love scene. Now, he's ready to bare all-and we're ready to see! Barry-er, Mr. Watson-you can show up at our party anytime.