Photo: Arturo Holmes/WireImage (via People.com)
If you were anywhere near a television in the 1990s, there is a very good chance David Lascher was part of your childhood whether you realized it or not. From “Hey Dude” and “Blossom” to “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “White Squall,” Lascher somehow managed to collect ’90s credits like the rest of us collected pogs, beanie babies, Tamagotchis and deeply questionable denim. But unlike most of us, he was actually working in Hollywood while the rest of us were sitting on the floor six inches from the television waiting for our favorite shows to come back from commercial.
In in exclusive interview with The Yapper Gazette, Lascher opened up about what it was really like growing up as a teenage actor, moving across the country at 16, working on some of the most recognizable shows of the decade, surviving the emotional whiplash of Hollywood and eventually finding his way back to one of the most important people from his childhood: Christine Taylor. The two now host “Hey Dude, The ’90s Called,” a podcast dedicated to the decade that apparently refuses to stay dead.
We millennials are not mad about it at all.
David Lascher Started Acting as a Teenager and Quickly Found Himself Working in New York
Lascher’s acting career started before Hollywood was even on the radar. Around 13 or 14, he performed in his first play and immediately fell in love with theater. During his summers, he performed in musical theater productions including “The Music Man,” “Good News” and “The King and I,” and he loved everything about the experience, from rehearsals to the relationships he built with cast and crew.
By eighth or ninth grade, things had become more serious. Lascher was attending Scarsdale High School while also working professionally, which meant his teenage schedule looked a little different from the average kid’s. He would take the train into New York City after school, go to two, three or four auditions, then head home in time for dinner.
“I kind of had two lives,” Lascher said.
One was school, friends and being a normal teenager. The other was acting, auditions and learning how to function as a professional before most teenagers had even figured out how to keep track of their homework.
His first commercial was for Burger King, where he worked alongside Jerry O’Connell. The two became friends and have stayed in touch ever since. Not exactly a bad first credit for a kid just getting started.
Lascher eventually landed a television pilot during his sophomore year of high school, followed by “Hey Dude” during his junior year. His father, however, was determined that acting would not become an excuse to skip college.
Lascher was accepted to NYU and deferred his enrollment for several years while he continued working. Eventually, he decided that he did not want to go to school to study something he was already doing professionally.
That decision turned out to be a pretty important one.
Moving to Los Angeles at 16 Changed Everything
Lascher moved to Los Angeles at 16 to pursue acting, a decision that would have terrified most parents and apparently resulted in several years of his father making him write letters to NYU explaining why he needed to keep deferring his enrollment.
The entertainment business also taught him an important lesson almost immediately: getting the job does not mean the job is actually going to happen.
One of his early projects was the pilot “Down Delaware Road.” Lascher went through multiple auditions, traveled to Los Angeles, tested in front of NBC and landed a coveted role in a project with major writers. He assumed the show would move forward.
It did not.
The pilot eventually aired as a movie of the week, but the experience gave Lascher an early education in the particular flavor of chaos that comes with working in Hollywood.
“You gotta have thick skin and you gotta be ready for failure at every corner, even when you think they’re gonna be successes,” he said.
That lesson followed him throughout his career. In entertainment, something can look like a guaranteed success and disappear overnight, while another project can unexpectedly become the thing everyone remembers decades later.
Lascher said learning that at 15 ultimately prepared him for the years that followed.
“Hey Dude” Put David Lascher in the Middle of the Desert
When Lascher joined “Hey Dude,” Nickelodeon was still establishing itself as a force in children’s television, and the show was the network’s first scripted series.
The cast filmed in Tucson, Arizona, where they lived together at a hotel and spent long days working on the show. They would arrive around 7 a.m., shoot into the day and sometimes work 12-hour days or longer. There were night shoots, extreme heat and cold, horses, mud, food fights and plenty of physical comedy.
Basically, the ’90s version of summer camp, except everyone had a call sheet.
Despite the demanding schedule, Lascher remembers the experience fondly. He particularly remembers the early mornings in the Arizona desert and the people he worked with.
“We were having the best time ever,” he said.
At the time, the cast had no idea how many children were watching them. They were working on what felt like a small production in Tucson, surrounded by the same cast and crew every day. They were not sitting around thinking they were creating a piece of television history.
Years later, Lascher realized just how much the show had meant to people who watched it.
Looking back, he said it was probably better that they did not know how big the audience was at the time. They were able to simply do their jobs and enjoy the experience without carrying the weight of knowing an entire generation of kids was watching.
David Lascher on His First Love – Christine Taylor
“Hey Dude” also introduced Lascher to Christine Taylor, who would become his first love and, decades later, one of his closest friends.
The two dated while working on the series, but their relationship eventually ended badly enough that they stopped speaking for roughly 15 years. Then came an unexpected reunion.
Nickelodeon brought together stars from several of its shows at the Austin Television Festival sometime around 2014 or 2016. Lascher and Taylor reconnected that weekend, and what could have been an awkward reunion instead became the beginning of a completely new chapter in their relationship.
They picked up where they left off.
Today, Lascher describes Taylor as one of his closest friends and says having her back in his life is a gift. Their history gives them a unique connection, but there is also something particularly sweet about watching two people who knew each other as teenagers find their way back to one another as adults.
They went from teenage co-stars to exes who lost touch to friends again and eventually podcast co-hosts.
The ’90s really said, “BRB,” and then took 15 years to come back.
The “Hey Dude” Reunion Felt Like Time Travel
Lascher eventually organized the first full cast and crew return to the “Hey Dude” ranch, bringing together people who had not all been in the same place since the original production.
He described walking back onto the property as surreal.
It was not simply a reunion. It felt like stepping between two versions of his life at once. More than 30 years had passed, but being surrounded by people from that period made the memories feel immediate again.
“It was like time traveling,” he said.
The reunion also gave the cast a better understanding of just how important “Hey Dude” had been to its audience. A YouTube livestream brought in thousands of questions from fans who remembered specific moments, characters and details from the series.
For the people who made the show, it was a reminder that what felt like another job in the Arizona desert had become part of other people’s childhoods.
Lascher admits he was never particularly sentimental about keeping things from his projects, something he now regrets a little. Other cast members were more successful in the memorabilia department. Jeffrey Cooney found old “That’s a Rap” T-shirts, while Graham Yost still has his Stetson hat with the “Hey Dude” logo.
Lascher, meanwhile, apparently left his own ’90s artifacts behind. A rookie move.
“Sabrina the Teenage Witch” Let David Lascher Wear a Giant Coffee Cup
Lascher’s run through ’90s television eventually brought him to “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” where he worked alongside Melissa Joan Hart, Caroline Rhea and a rotating lineup of memorable guest stars.
One of his favorite stories involved Rhea’s character becoming his boss at the coffee shop and deciding that Lascher’s character needed to dress as a giant cappuccino.
That meant a giant coffee costume, a white foam wig and a song-and-dance routine outside the coffee shop.
Lascher did it because, as he explained, comedy requires you to leave your ego at the door.
If something is funny, you do it.
There is no room for being precious about looking ridiculous when the entire point is to make people laugh. And if that means wearing a giant cappuccino costume in front of everyone, then congratulations. You are now a human latte.
The “Sabrina” Cast Became a Family Off Camera
Lascher also remembers the atmosphere around “Sabrina” as being just as important as what happened on camera.
Hart’s mother and producer, Paula Hart, would host Friday night gatherings at her house for the cast and crew. There was a pool, a guest house, pingpong and plenty of space for everyone to hang out after work.
That off-camera closeness helped create the feeling that the cast was part of something bigger than a television production.
It was also a very ’90s way of socializing. Nobody needed to create a group chat, coordinate 14 separate calendars or send a “just circling back” text. You went to somebody’s house and played pingpong. Civilization survived, gen z could never.
“White Squall” Took David Lascher Around the World
Lascher’s career also moved beyond sitcoms when he appeared in Ridley Scott’s “White Squall,” a production that took the cast around the world.
Filming lasted roughly five to six months and included locations in the Caribbean, South Africa and Malta. The production used enormous film tanks built against the ocean, while the ship set was mounted on hydraulics that could turn it 180 degrees for the sinking sequences.
The scale of the production was a significant departure from the television work Lascher had been doing.
He said the experience created a bond among the cast that reminded him of going to war together. Spending months in remote locations, working under demanding conditions and relying on one another created a relationship that stayed with him long after filming ended.
Years later, when he ran into Balthazar Getty, the two immediately connected again.
That is one of the stranger gifts of acting: You can spend several months pretending to survive something together, disappear into separate lives for years and then see the other person decades later and somehow still feel like you were just on set yesterday.
David Lascher Eventually Became a Director
Lascher eventually stepped behind the camera, co-writing, producing and directing his own film projects.
The work was deeply personal. One of the stories drew from his own family experiences, including loss, mental health and his adopted younger sister, and it became the kind of project Lascher felt he had to make himself. That, he said, is one of the biggest questions a first-time filmmaker should be able to answer: Why me? If someone else could tell the story just as well, why are you the person who needs to make it?
For Lascher, the answer was personal.
The project took roughly two years to write, another year to finance and then moved into production and postproduction before premiering at Tribeca. Directing also changed the way he viewed acting. Instead of only seeing the production from an actor’s perspective, he suddenly had to understand everything happening before the actor even arrived on set.
Writing. Financing. Production design. Props. Cinematography. Shot lists. Sound. Logistics. Basically, all the things actors are blissfully unaware of while sitting in their trailers wondering why nobody has called them yet.
Growing Up Famous Did Not Mean David Lascher Had Everything Figured Out
For all the nostalgia surrounding Lascher’s career, he is refreshingly honest about the fact that becoming known at a young age does not mean you magically become an adult.
Professionally, he understood that he needed to show up on time, be prepared and take his work seriously. Personally, he was still a teenager.
He recalled moving into a beautiful two-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles and immediately turning the second bedroom into a storage room because he told the movers to put all his boxes there. He never unpacked them.
At one point, a friend started going through the boxes and discovered two uncashed “Blossom” episode checks. David was starring on television while apparently treating his paychecks like buried treasure.
He also credits his family and close friends with helping him stay grounded. He knew who he was to the people who knew him before the cameras, which gave him an important sense of perspective. Still, there were periods when the combination of work, publicity and relationships made life confusing.
His biggest takeaway was that being known for something does not mean that something is all you are.
Lascher said he has pivoted multiple times in his personal life and career, and he believes it is important to stay open-minded, try new things and leave your comfort zone.
David Lascher Says Hollywood Taught Him Not to Put All His Eggs in One Basket
One of the biggest lessons Lascher took from Hollywood is just how unpredictable the business can be.
You can have a 10-year run and believe it will last forever, only to discover that nothing in entertainment is guaranteed. That is why he believes people should continue exploring other interests instead of putting everything into one career path.
The advice is particularly relevant now as the entertainment industry continues to change. Lascher described the traditional path as a difficult and uncertain one, while also pointing out that people who are creating their own work have opportunities that did not exist when he was starting out.
That is one of the biggest differences between Lascher’s Hollywood and the one young actors enter today.
When he was auditioning, getting into a room and performing in front of someone was part of the process. Now, much of the audition process can happen virtually, changing the experience for actors and production professionals alike.
The industry may be different, but Lascher’s basic advice remains the same: Stay open. Keep trying things. Do not assume the path you are on is the only path available to you.
David Lascher’s Daughter Took the Entertainment Industry in a Completely Different Direction
Lascher has also gotten a front-row seat to another major shift in entertainment through his daughter Chelsea, who built a significant audience through social media. I didn’t even realize I had watched years of her content until recently. She went viral during the pandemic for a singalong song with her babysitter. She’s now a social media pro.
She spent time creating YouTube videos, including one where she and a friend hid inside Target for 24 hours and documented the experience. The videos attracted millions of views, while traditional talent agencies were simultaneously trying to get her into television.
She tried acting, including a leading role on Brat TV, but ultimately decided it was not what she wanted. Most creators nowadays will make more money off their own social media than they will with networks, plus they have full creative control.
Lascher said watching his daughter build her own audience taught him a lot about the new entertainment economy. Instead of waiting for a network to decide whether she could reach an audience, she could create her own content, control what she made and communicate directly with viewers.
For someone who spent his own teenage years going through auditions, network testing and traditional casting systems, watching his daughter bypass much of that process is a pretty fascinating full-circle moment.
Hollywood, meet Wi-Fi.
The ’90s Were Not Just About the Clothes. They Were About Being Present
When asked what he misses most about the decade, Lascher did not choose a television show, a movie or a fashion trend.
He chose being present.
Before smartphones and social media became constant companions, people were simply more likely to be where they were. Lascher admitted he is guilty of looking at his phone, too, but said he notices how often people are distracted by their screens during movies, dinners and everyday moments.
It is one of the strange things about ’90s nostalgia. We remember the clothes, the television shows, the music and the commercials, but what many people actually miss is the feeling of living through those things without simultaneously documenting them.
There was no TikTok recap of your Friday night. No one was filming your bad haircut for Instagram Stories. If you embarrassed yourself at the mall, the evidence generally died at the mall.
For millennials, that might be the real luxury item we cannot buy back. At least we can remember what it was like.
David Lascher Has a Few ’90s Regrets, Including Those Acid-Wash Jeans
During the rapid-fire portion of our conversation, Lascher had no trouble identifying the fashion trend he would happily leave in the past: the acid-wash jeans he wore on “Hey Dude.”
Understandable.
His most ’90s possession is a “White Squall” poster hanging in his office, while the show he wishes he had been part of was “The Larry Sanders Show.”
The role that got away was the Paul Rudd part in “Clueless.” Lascher got close to landing the role, and after the movie became a hit, director Amy Heckerling offered him the same character in the television adaptation.
He also named George Clooney as an actor he wishes he had worked with and Melissa Joan Hart as his best on-screen girlfriend.
And when asked whether he would go back to 1995 for a week, he did not hesitate.
Absolutely. Same, dude same.
“Hey Dude, The ’90s Called” Is Giving Millennials the Nostalgia They Actually Want
Lascher and Taylor’s podcast, “Hey Dude, The ’90s Called,” came together after Lascher had appeared on other iHeart podcasts and connected with a producer. He wanted to create something that looked at the entire decade rather than focusing exclusively on one television show.
The producer told him he needed a female co-host.
Lascher put together a list of names, and when he included Taylor, the producers immediately loved the idea because DUH.
Taylor was in.
The result is a podcast that gives the pair an excuse to talk about the people, shows, memories and cultural moments that defined the decade. It also gives them the opportunity to reconnect with people from their own past while bringing in guests who were part of the larger ’90s universe.
Recent guests have included Danny Cooksey and Natanya Ross, and Lascher said the show should continue bringing in more Nickelodeon alumni.
The podcast has also become another way for Lascher and Taylor to revisit the decade from the perspective of two people who actually lived it.
They are not simply remembering what it was like to be a ’90s kid.
They were the ’90s kids.
The “Sabrina” Cast Is Taking the Nostalgia to the Stage
If you thought podcasts were the final boss of ’90s nostalgia, apparently we have entered the live-show era.
Lascher said the “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” cast held a sold-out live theater show at Chicago’s Vic Theatre in June. The nearly two-hour production combined live sketches written around where the characters would be today with jokes about the original series and a question-and-answer session.
The cast even recreated elements of the old sets on screens behind them, creating the bizarre experience of watching actors who had been on television 25 years earlier essentially walk back into their old world.
Lascher said the audience loved it, and the cast loved doing it. According to Lascher, the “Sabrina” cast is planning a larger fall tour with performances in different cities and theaters.
So, millennials, locate your wallets. Our childhood has entered its touring era.
David Lascher’s Daughter May Need to Teach Him TikTok
Lascher is active on social media but admitted he has only made a couple of TikToks so far.
Given that his daughter has a massive TikTok audience, he may want to consider hiring the family social media department.
When I asked whether he had asked her what he should be posting, he laughed and agreed that he probably should.
It is a pretty perfect example of how dramatically the entertainment business has changed since Lascher was a teenager. He grew up learning how to audition, test for networks and work on sets. His daughter grew up with a phone and the ability to build an audience directly.
Different tools. Same family. Very different version of show business.
David Lascher’s Comfort Food Is Exactly What You’d Expect
Naturally, no Yapper Gazette interview can end without asking the important questions.
Lascher’s ultimate comfort food is a cheeseburger and thin, salted French fries. When he is traveling, he likes trying local food, particularly seafood and crawfish when he is in New Orleans.
But if he has to choose one meal that will always work, it is a good cheeseburger and fries.
After surviving decades of Hollywood, Tucson heat, giant coffee costumes, teenage fame and the emotional trauma of acid-wash jeans, the man has earned the burger.
His biggest “ick,” meanwhile, is rudeness toward servers. He also dislikes how distracted people have become by their phones, even admitting that he is guilty of it himself. For someone whose career began before smartphones and social media, it makes sense that presence would be something he values.
David Lascher’s Advice to His 16-Year-Old Self Is Probably Something We All Need
After spending nearly an hour talking about childhood fame, Hollywood, failure, success, nostalgia, family, friendship and an entire career that unfolded in front of millions of people, I asked Lascher one final question.
If he could go back to 1995 and give his 16-year-old self one piece of advice, what would it be?
His answer was incredibly simple.
“Don’t worry.”
Lascher said he worried a lot when he was younger.
It is almost comically simple after everything we had talked about. This was a teenager who moved across the country, worked on major television shows, filmed movies around the world, became recognizable to an entire generation, experienced career highs and lows, lost touch with people he loved and eventually found his way back to them.
And after all of that, his advice to his younger self was simply to stop worrying so much.
Maybe that is the most ’90s lesson of all.
Before the algorithms, before the constant notifications, before everyone had a camera in their pocket and before every questionable teenage decision could become permanent digital evidence, there was just the moment you were standing in.
David Lascher spent his teenage years living inside a world most of us only saw through a television screen. Thirty years later, he is still telling those stories, still making new ones and still finding reasons to laugh about the weird little decade that gave us “Hey Dude,” “Sabrina,” acid-wash jeans and enough nostalgia to keep an entire generation emotionally employed.
We are not ready to let the ’90s go either.
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