It's July 2013, and Jason Priestley is on the set of "Spun Out" -- he's shooting a guest appearance on the Canadian comedy. The episode, "Break Up Like Beckett," finds Dave Lyons (David Foley) learning that his close friend and former wingman, Jacob Milton (Priestley), is gay. As expected, hilarity ensues.
But, back then, on that summer afternoon last year, it was impossible not to look at Priestley and replay the "Beverly Hills, 90210" theme song over and over in your head. For nine seasons, the Canadian actor starred as squeaky-clean Brandon Walsh on the hit teen drama. The role catapulted Priestley's career and firmly established his heartthrob status.
It's been a lifetime since Priestley lived in that zip code. These days, in addition to guest-starring on "Spun Out," Priestley keeps busy by headlining his own sitcom, "Call Me Fitz," and directing episodes on various TV series. And, on top of all that, he recently penned his autobiography, Jason Priestley: A Memoir.
Priestley spoke to HuffPost Canada TV about his "90210" experience, teaming up with Dave Foley, PR stunts gone wrong, and life behind the camera.
HuffPost Canada TV: Viewers vividly recall the first "Beverly Hills 90210" episode they ever watched. Do you understand why that show was so important to them, or do you scratch your head and wonder why it was so endearing?
Jason Priestley: I understand the cultural impact of the show a lot more now than I did when we were making it. Working on a show like that is a very different experience than sitting back and enjoying it every week. With the luxury of hindsight, I understand it a lot more. That show has a special place in a lot of people's memories because of the time it was on, and the age they were watching it. Those were very important years in everybody's life. For that reason alone, it stayed very relevant.
It's almost like when musicians do concerts and have that extensive catalogue of songs. They get sick of singing those old tunes. You guys must be tired of "90210" to a certain extent.
Yeah, but the audience wants to hear those songs. I certainly understand that. When I was younger and earlier in my career, I made more of a point of trying to distance myself from that show, simply for the fact that I didn't want my career to end when that show ended. But now being older and being wiser and understanding things a lot better, I can enjoy it a lot more now than I did then.
What was your "90210" growing up?
There wasn't one. There wasn't any TV that was aimed at young people back then. My television when I was young like that was probably "Magnum, P.I." and "Dukes Of Hazzard." But once again, not TV aimed at young viewers. It was a bunch of adults doing cool stuff. Our show was the first show, certainly of our time, that was made for young people about young people. That reason alone is probably the reason it's stood the test of time the way it has. [Ed. Note: It seems Mr. Priestley forgot about Canadian teen drama "Degrassi," which has long been cited as the inspirational formula for the original "90210."]
It's no secret you were slightly tired of playing a goody two-shoes. Was it a relief when you finally went over to "Tru Calling" to portray the evil Jack Harper?
Yeah, it was. I really enjoyed the work we did on "Tru Calling." I thought it was a really good show. The character of Jack Harper was such a great departure for me in a lot of ways. He was a really fun, dynamic character to play. I was really sad to see that show go.
Shifting back to the present, how did you become a guest-star on "Spun Out"?
Dave Foley and I have been friends for a very long time. We both actually have the same lawyer in Toronto. I heard that Dave was doing this show through our lawyer. Of course, I was very happy for Dave because the show he was doing in the States just got cancelled. I reached out to him and said, "Hey, if you're coming up here to do the show..." Because I was up here working on another project, I said, "I'd love to do a bit on your show for you because I think we could have a lot of fun." So, while I was doing "Race" on the Canadian stage, I came over here to the studio and had a meeting with Dave and the writers on the show. We kicked around a bunch of ideas and bits that we could do and this is the one we landed on. Then I had to go direct a bunch of other stuff and this is the hole I had in my schedule, so here I am.
What have you enjoyed about stretching your comedic chops?
You have to go for it, otherwise there's no point in going with it. Sitcoms are fun. The whole multi-cam genre is always a lot of fun. You throw a live audience in the mix and it's even better. For Dave and I to have so much stuff to do together makes it a lot of fun, because we've been friends for so long.
Would you want the public relations firm on "Spun Out" to represent you in real life?
Not a chance. They have the most inept PR firm I've ever heard of, but they are all dressed really well.
Zany antics have taken place throughout "Spun Out"'s season. What has been the craziest public relations stunt that you've ever been involved in, in real life?
Wow, I have no idea.
Didn't the "90210" mall tours get out of hand?
I was never involved in those. That was everybody else. I was always at work. I heard about that on the news like everybody else. "What mall were you at this weekend where everyone got trampled?" I missed all that stuff. As for the craziest PR stunt, in the early days of Fox, they sent me down to Corpus Christi, Texas. What I had to do was judge a bikini contest. And of course the girls got up there in their bikinis and quickly took them off. It became like Girls Gone Wild on the beach of Corpus Christi. That was a crazy one.
You've won a Canadian Comedy Award. How would you describe your sense of humour?
I try to be smart with my comedy. Generally it devolves into bathroom humour. I describe my comedy as "I have the best intentions, but usually it fails."
How was it having "Family Ties"' Michael Gross guest-star on your series "Call Me Fitz" last season?
Michael Gross was remarkable. He was fantastic because he brought such a different energy to our cast. He was magic. I loved working with him every day. He's such a great guy and such a professional. He's so good and always came prepared.
You've been directing quite a few episodes for various TV series lately. What's so rewarding about stepping behind the camera?
As an actor, your focus is very finite. All you're worried about is your character and what you have to do, what your goals are in this scene and in this piece of material. Whereas, as the director, everything is your responsibility. I enjoy carrying the load like that and being the responsible party. I also enjoy taking a piece of material that's printed in a script like this and seeing it all the way through to the final product, where everything is completed and it's done, and having the ability to put my vision out into the world for everybody to see. Artistically, it's a really gratifying experience.
The "Spun Out" episode featuring Jason Priestley airs on Friday, May 9 at 8 p.m. ET on CTV.
CTV 2013-14 TV
