Jason Priestley as Clive, attempting to befriend Shawn and Juliet for criminal purposes on tomorrow's "Psych"
Anyone who was alive during the 90s will likely remember Jason Priestley by a different name, Brandon Walsh from “Beverly Hills 90210.” Despite the continued adoration of the fans he gained almost two decades ago, Jason is adamant about moving on. When asked about any possible “90210” references during a call-in interview he insisted, “That project is so quickly disappearing in the rear-view mirror of my life, I tend not to — I tend to reference that as infrequently as possible.”
So what is the old teen heartthrob up to now? Well, tomorrow night on USA Network, Priestly will portray a conman named Clive whom Shawn and Juliet will have to apprehend when Clive and his lady partner-in crime (played by Jennifer Finnigan) raid the couple’s hotel room while they’re on their vacation.
Priestley spoke a lot about what a blast it was to shoot “Neil Simon’s Lovers Retreat.”
“It’s funny when you get to be an actor of my age and having been around this business for so long, you know, when I walk on sets like when I walked on the set of Psych, I knew pretty much everybody on the set. It was strange,” he said.
This sense of fun and rapport shows through the episode as the chemistry shines between Priestley and Psych star, James Roday.
I told Priestley that he certainly held his own in the humor department, especially in during the “cake sharing scene,” he and Roday shared. I characterized the scene as a “quite the bromance.” His response? “Oh, you know, yes, we did. We had a little thing going on. You know, don’t judge us. Don’t judge us, man.”
Most Americans might think that this guest spot is Jason’s first TV appearance in a while, but since the end of a certain teen drama which will remain nameless, Priestley has been acting or directing constantly. In fact, on HBO Canada (his homeland) he plays the lead in the award-winning drama, “Call Me Fitz,” about a morally bankrupt car-salesman who has is forced to confront his conscience. “I’m hyper critical of everything I’ve ever worked on, but I’m very, very proud of the work we do on ‘Call Me Fitz.’ I think that’s a fantastic show.” Jason also wanted me to assure any one who is interested that you can find “Call Me Fitz” on iTunes and Netflix.
So what’s he working on now? “Well, you know, we just finished shooting our third season of Fitz and I just got back here to LA literally a week ago, so I just got back here. And it’s, you know, it’s the holidays now. And I’m going skiing on the weekend, so I’m, you know, I’ll figure it out when the holidays are over.” And Jason is the father of a 4 year-old and a 2 year-old, so you can’t blame a dad for wanting to take a break from his career to enjoy the tikes. And audiences can certainly enjoy the fruits of his labor tomorrow night when Jason portrays, Clive, half of a charming couple hellbent on conning innocent folks for all their worldly possessions. And even Shawn and Juliet aren’t immune!
So check out a charismatic and witty Jason Priestley on “Psych” at 10 p.m. on USA!
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