Life imitating art … ish! The upcoming quasi-revival of Beverly Hills, 90210, will feature original cast members Ian Ziering, Jennie Garth, Jason Priestley, Shannen Doherty, Tori Spelling, Gabrielle Carteris and Brian Austin Green. However, instead of playing their characters from the ’90s drama, they’ll be playing exaggerated versions of themselves.
That’s not to say the actors don’t have a bit in common with their new “characters.”
“We are playing ourselves after meeting at a fan panel. Tori, who, in the TV series, is a mother of six children and is broke, inspires everybody to get the show back on,” Ziering, 55, told Us Weekly at San Diego Comic Con, where he was promoting SyFy’s Zombie Tidal Wave. “[Tori’s character] really needs this. So everyone has their reasons of why they don’t want to do it or why it shouldn’t be done, but Tori’s story is so compelling, it convinces everyone to do it.”
Jason Priestley, Brian Austin Green, Gabrielle Carteris, Ian Ziering, Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling in the BH90210 “Reunion” series.
On set of BH90210, Ziering explained the cast refers to their characters as their initials, so they’re not speaking about themselves in third person. But while they’re no portraying themselves, there are definite parallels for Ziering and IZ.
“I’m a very hard working, driven individual. IZ is an even greater entrepreneur than I am. He’s much more motivating and inspiring, and these are things that I try to be in my own personal life, but he takes it to the next level,” he said. “He doesn’t need to do this series. IZ’s very well off, lives in a beautiful home, he’s got everything he really needs — so we think. Therein lies the twist, the rub, the bump, if you will, that leads to some drama, and some comedy and hijinks ensues.”
For more from Ziering — including if we’ll get to see him play Steve Sanders, watch the video above and pick up Us Weekly on newsstands now.
BH90210 premieres on Fox Wednesday, August 7, at 9 p.m. ET.
