Derek Theler is a man of many paths, and talents. Much like the editor-in-chief of our illustrious Young Adult Magazine, who started off in Pastry School only to create this zine, Derek began in pre-med with hopes of becoming a doctor before finding his way to the spotlight in TV projects like 90210, and as Danny Wheeler on ABC Family’s much loved Baby Daddy.

“Danny’s kind of the glue that holds the crew together when it comes to making good decisions,” Theler says, referring to the guys’ tendencies to end up in rather sticky situations. “He’s the moral compass of the group.” True to ABC Family form, the group on Baby Daddy is definitely A New Kind of Family. “Our show is exactly that. We’re dudes living in an apartment [with a baby],” Derek includes. “It’s a unique group, there’s always someone you can relate to, but at the same time we’re all a little crazy!”

And what about the jock vibe Derek brings to Danny’s character? “Honestly I’ve never played hockey before!” he admits. “I like it a lot but I never had ice skated, so it brought a whole new challenge. It’s kind of exciting!” This, friends, is why they call it acting.

Another great part of being on set, of course, is all the fun shenanigans the cast gets into off camera. “Between the babies that we work with…or the props that we mess around with, there’s always fun stuff going on,” Derek observes, mentioning how a gag with a robot arm actually found its way into the script of an episode after he and the others were goofing around.

But robot arms aside, one thing that everyone really can’t get enough of when it comes to Derek/Danny is that smokin’ bod. “Yeah that’s one of Danny’s selling points,” he allows. “I think it’s part of my job – it’s important to look as good as I can, so I hit the gym as much as I can.”

And whom would Derek choose to have played, if he had the pick of any TV role throughout all time? “That’s a hard one!” He takes a moment to think, then: “Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead – the guy with the crossbow.” Badass choice Derek!