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This was Jill Whelan's real opinion on her on-screen father, Gavin MacLeod

The entertainment industry can be a cutthroat business, which is probably why so many parents argue against allowing their children to become actors.

Luckily, the title The Love Boat was probably an appropriate name for the series, considering that it seems like there was plenty of love and friendship behind the scenes. The sitcom originally ran for about nine years. After the show's inaugural season, the character of Vicki Stubing, played by Jill Whelan, was introduced to the cast. Whelan, playing the daughter of Captain Stubing, started the series as a guest actor, though her character was upgraded to a main character in later seasons.

During an interview with The Leader-Post, Whelan had nothing but kind things to say about her on-screen father, played by Gavin MacLeod.

"I can say that Gavin is exactly like his TV character, except that he's warmer in person than he comes across on camera," said Whelan. "If you say too much about it, it sounds real gushy. But he's warm, he's affectionate, he's funny...he's just a great, great person."

Whelan was still incredibly young during the show's original airing, beginning her time on the series when she was just eleven years old. Many might have assumed that joining a team of seasoned actors as a child would be an overwhelming experience, but Whelan confessed that she was adopted by the cast as one of their own, with many of the co-stars becoming like family.

"It's a great show to work on," said Whelan. "We never fight, and there are never any hard feelings about anything."

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