"I was doing 'Grease' on Broadway," Peter Gallagher once recalled. "I lived on 59th Street between 8th and 9th and I was walking up 8th Avenue and I remember I was dressed in clothes I had in high school because I guess they were clean, and I looked like I was right off the boat... I had no money... I was walking up -- I was by myself, it was mignight or one -- up 8th Avenue around 49th or 50th Street, and out of the shadows came, like, six guys and surrounded me. And, it was very scary. They really meant business and the littlest guy, naturally, came up and said, 'Eh, you got any money on you?' and he started jabbing me with his finger, and all these guys surrounded me.

"I thought, 'Oh my god, this is it.' So I looked them all in the eye and I said to the little guy, 'Ibergos imbergos imbergos imbe... borschke vesna bevarya borschke varge borschke... dominya New York? mishnorgya mishne...'

"So at that point five of the guys [said], 'Oh man, he doesn't even have any American money.' They leave, but the guy comes up and says, 'What language is that you're speaking? What language is that?' So naturally I forget that I don't understand English and I said, 'Portuguese!' He says, 'I speak Spanish!' and he starts speaking Spanish to me. 'I said, Yes! Thank you -- good night!' and Iturned the corner and took off like a shot..."

[In May 2004, Peter Gallagher was profiled in Bestlife magazine. The article's title? "It's Finally Okay to Admit Peter Gallagher is Cool."]