I had a lot of fun on 90210, but the work I’m doing now is much more gratifying
It’s been 20 years since Jason Priestley left teen soap Beverly Hills, 90210. GEORGIA HUMPHREYS finds out he’s grateful to be playing a character with more depth
THINK of Jason Priestley and one character instantly comes to mind.
After all, the Canadian actor, 48, played Brandon Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 for nearly a decade back in the Nineties, turning him into a teen heartthrob the world over, and landing him two Golden Globe nominations.
But now, he’s back with a new instalment of Private Eyes, a comedy drama which sees him portray Matt Shade, an ex-hockey-player-turned-unlikely detective.
And, it seems, it’s nice to be talked about for a different hit show.
“Shade is a far more multi-faceted character, he just has a lot more depth to him than Brandon had – and maybe part of that is just age,” Vancouver-born Jason remarks.
“That’s not to say that working on Beverly Hills, 90210 wasn’t a great experience because it was, and I certainly had a lot of fun on that show, working with a lot of great people.
“But I find the work I’m doing nowadays is better and more gratifying.”
Private Eyes has been on a hiatus since last summer, following the decision to split the second season into two parts.
For anyone who needs a reminder, Jason plays a guy “trying to figure out what the second act of his life is going to look like”.
“He decided to leave the hockey world and he starts working with this very tough female investigator Angie Everett,” the star elaborates.
“The two of them don’t get along very well initially because they are so different, but then as the show goes on they figure that... if they just figure out a way to work together, their differences can actually be a strength.”
The new episodes promise to hook us in straight away, as we find out Shade and Angie have decided to ignore their undeniable attraction to each other and are dating other people.
“The two couples go away on a murder mystery weekend and of course someone gets murdered for real and we have to solve the mystery,” teases Jason. “So there are a lot of fun episodes coming up.” Discussing the appeal of the show, which is inspired by the novel The Code by GB Joyce, Jason continues: “It’s sort of the antidote to the very dark, very gritty procedurals you see on cable these days. It’s a little lighter in tone.” As a long-time fan of detective shows, he also envisioned Private Eyes as a throwback to hits of the past. “We wanted a show that was very much in the vein of The Rockford Files or Moonlighting, but an updated version of those shows. That’s what we developed this show to be like and I think we were pretty successful.” Of course, success is something that came at a young age for Jason – he was just 21 when cast in Beverly Hills, 90210.
Having started his career in adverts, and with just a few small roles on US television under his belt, teen idol Brandon was his big break.
Asked what advice he would give to young people working in the industry today, Jason notes: “It is such a different time now, the way that the business works now with social media and access and how you utilise those things... I wouldn’t even know where to begin!”
Jason has two children with British make-up artist Naomi Lowde-Priestley, who he married in 2005. And while he says his eightyear-old son is more interested in gaming, 10-year-old Ava loves watching her dad on screen in Private Eyes.
“My daughter is becoming more and more aware of what I do,” he confides. “I’ve tried to keep them as unaware as I could for as long as I could, but they’re starting to figure it out now.”
The family is based in California, but Private Eyes is shot in Toronto, a city Jason loves working in.
“A lot of TV series shoot in Toronto, but they pretend Toronto is somewhere else,” he muses, “and I think that one of the things that’s special about our show is that we shoot Toronto for Toronto.
“We showcase Toronto for the wonderful international vibrant multicultural city that it is.”
Jason, who is also an executive producer on Private Eyes, has proved he has more than one string to his bow over the years.
He used to compete as a racing car driver – in fact, he was left seriously injured in 2002 when he crashed into a wall during a practice run at the Kentucky Speedway.
But he doesn’t seem too phased when asked whether the accident has had a big impact on the way he perceives life.
“A little bit,” he admits. “But not as much as you’d imagine. You get back in a car as fast as you can.”
The star has also turned his hand to directing a number of times, including for the The CW channel reboot of 90210, which aired from 2008 to 2013, and saw Tori Spelling, Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty reprise their roles from the original American teen soap.
And while Jason recently said there are currently no plans for a comeback show with all the original cast, he reveals he’s still in touch with a couple of his old co-stars.
So, we’re not giving up hope on that Peach Pit reunion just yet...
We wanted a show that was very much in the vein of The Rockford Files or Moonlighting...
Jason Priestley is a long-time fan of detective shows