7th Heaven, David Gallagher, Barry Watson, 'Dropping Trou', (Season 9, epis. #901), 1996-2007. Paul McCallum/Spelling Prod./Courtesy Everett Collection Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Barry Watson, who played big brother Matt Camden on The CW's 7th Heaven, has joined Bad Survivor as an executive producer, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The Gossip Girl actor is late to the party, but comes with a purpose: Watson's here to help Alex Dvorak's short film secure distribution, and hopefully, to adapt Bad Survivor for television. Bad Survivor, a film about a teen overcoming cancer, is currently on the festival circuit. Inspired by Dvorak's experiences on her first day of remission at 19 years old, Bad Survivor premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in Los Angeles and went on to screen at the Washington D.C. International Film Festival and the Big Apple Film Festival, among others. It next heads to the Anchorage Film Fest; Bad Survivor is qualified for the Oscars following a win at Slamdance. Related Stories Movies Ethan Hawke to Receive Career Achievement Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival (Exclusive) TV 'Landman' Star Andy Garcia Can't Say Much About His Elusive Cartel Boss in Season 2 Watson is a Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor, and both he and Dvorak are ambassadors for Teen Cancer America, which creates and advocates for more authentic media representation of adolescent and young adult patients. "It's no surprise this film's been a hit on the festival circuit," Watson told THR. "Bad Survivor takes the cancer story we think we know and burns it to the ground in the best, darkest, funniest way. It nails the strange, isolating ride of survivorship as a young person with biting humor and brutal honesty. It's a story for every bad survivor out there, and I'm thrilled to join this project as an EP." "Barry Watson joining Bad Survivor is a dream," Dvorak said. "As a survivor, he's putting a huge stamp of approval on our mission. His vast experience and creative instincts have launched us into an exciting new chapter for Bad Survivor, and we're just getting started." Dvorak stars in, wrote, executive produced and co-directed Bad Survivor (with Katie North), which is billed as a "bold, honest, and defiantly non-conformist look at the life of a teenager who can't get herself to play the part of the inspirational cancer survivor." Alex Dvorak in her short film Bad Survivor. Maddalena De Beni The film follows Alex (the character), who, after being "broken up with" by her oncologists, is "ripped out of the hospital life she finds cozy and sent home to her multicultural family," the synopsis continues. "But Alex doesn't ring a bell to celebrate or organize a multimillion-dollar fundraiser. Instead, she begs for her morphine drip, clings to her radiation mask as a safety blanket and plays heart monitor beeps in her headphones to fall asleep. She's a bad survivor, and everybody knows it." THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Oscars Why Oscar Think Pieces Need to Go music Lil Dicky Heads to Big Screen: Dave Burd's Animated Movie in the Works at DreamWorks (Exclusive) Palm Springs International Film Festival Ethan Hawke to Receive Career Achievement Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival (Exclusive) Netflix The 'A House of Dynamite' Team Doesn't Care What You Think About the Ending Rupert Grint Rupert Grint Wrote a Letter "Passing the Baton" to New Ron Weasley in HBO's 'Harry Potter': "Quite Strange to Have the Cycle Happening Again" George Clooney George Clooney to Receive Film at Lincoln Center's 2026 Chaplin Award Oscars Why Oscar Think Pieces Need to Go music Lil Dicky Heads to Big Screen: Dave Burd's Animated Movie in the Works at DreamWorks (Exclusive) Palm Springs International Film Festival Ethan Hawke to Receive Career Achievement Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival (Exclusive) Netflix The 'A House of Dynamite' Team Doesn't Care What You Think About the Ending Rupert Grint Rupert Grint Wrote a Letter "Passing the Baton" to New Ron Weasley in HBO's 'Harry Potter': "Quite Strange to Have the Cycle Happening Again" George Clooney George Clooney to Receive Film at Lincoln Center's 2026 Chaplin Award