Dustin Milligan and ‘90210’ Cast Reveal What Happened to Ethan on Shenae Grimes’ Zoom Reunion: 5 Things We Learned

Credit: YouTube

Dustin Milligan and ‘90210’ Cast Reveal What Happened to Ethan on Shenae Grimes’ Zoom Reunion: 5 Things We Learned

Annie Wilson got the gang back together! Shenae Grimes reunited several of her 90210 costars for a Zoom video for her YouTube channel. “I haven’t answered a lot of 90210 questions in a very, very, very long time and it’s just because life moves on,” the 30-year-old actress began in the Wednesday, April 22, video. “But I know that everyone is trying to stream the show right now and struggling to find it on any of the platforms, so I thought this could be a little something to make you smile during your quarantine at home.” Grimes initially called on Tristan Mack Wilds (Dixon), AnnaLynne McCord (Naomi), Jessica Stroup (Silver), Michael Steger (Navid), Jessica Lowndes (Adrianna), Matt Lanter (Liam) and Josh Zuckerman (Max) to chat. “I feel like the popularity of the show didn’t begin until years after we ended,” Lanter said. “Maybe it’s just because social media began so much more prevalent, but like, my social media blew up after they put us on Netflix.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPp0yyqMZJU 90210, which was a reboot of the ’90s drama Beverly Hills, 90210, ran for five seasons on The CW. While the show was abruptly cancelled in 2013, Grimes previously revealed that a sixth season was supposed to jump five years into the future. “I was about to leave my house to go to set [to film the season 5 finale] … The producers called and said, ‘Just so you know, the show’s not coming back.’ … I sat on my floor and I cried,” Grimes said in a previous YouTube video. “The way that it went down was shocking to everyone, and [we] had to scramble. I don’t think it gave fans the closure they wanted.” After hanging up with the main cast in Wednesday’s video, Grimes called Dustin Milligan, who played Ethan Ward on season 1. Fans may recall that Ethan, who was love interest for both Grimes’ Annie and Stroup’s Silver, left with little explanation in between seasons 1 and 2. Scroll through for everything we learned from the 90210 reunion — including the reason for Milligan’s premature exit:

Credit: YouTube

Dustin Milligan and ‘90210’ Cast Reveal What Happened to Ethan on Shenae Grimes’ Zoom Reunion: 5 Things We Learned

Annie Wilson got the gang back together! Shenae Grimes reunited several of her 90210 costars for a Zoom video for her YouTube channel. “I haven’t answered a lot of 90210 questions in a very, very, very long time and it’s just because life moves on,” the 30-year-old actress began in the Wednesday, April 22, video. “But I know that everyone is trying to stream the show right now and struggling to find it on any of the platforms, so I thought this could be a little something to make you smile during your quarantine at home.” Grimes initially called on Tristan Mack Wilds (Dixon), AnnaLynne McCord (Naomi), Jessica Stroup (Silver), Michael Steger (Navid), Jessica Lowndes (Adrianna), Matt Lanter (Liam) and Josh Zuckerman (Max) to chat. “I feel like the popularity of the show didn’t begin until years after we ended,” Lanter said. “Maybe it’s just because social media began so much more prevalent, but like, my social media blew up after they put us on Netflix.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPp0yyqMZJU 90210, which was a reboot of the ’90s drama Beverly Hills, 90210, ran for five seasons on The CW. While the show was abruptly cancelled in 2013, Grimes previously revealed that a sixth season was supposed to jump five years into the future. “I was about to leave my house to go to set [to film the season 5 finale] … The producers called and said, ‘Just so you know, the show’s not coming back.’ … I sat on my floor and I cried,” Grimes said in a previous YouTube video. “The way that it went down was shocking to everyone, and [we] had to scramble. I don’t think it gave fans the closure they wanted.” After hanging up with the main cast in Wednesday’s video, Grimes called Dustin Milligan, who played Ethan Ward on season 1. Fans may recall that Ethan, who was love interest for both Grimes’ Annie and Stroup’s Silver, left with little explanation in between seasons 1 and 2. Scroll through for everything we learned from the 90210 reunion — including the reason for Milligan’s premature exit:

Credit: Justin Stephens/The CW

What Happened to Ethan

Grimes revealed that the most-asked question from fans was what happened to Milligan’s Ethan after season 1.

“We had our two show creators leave and when we had the new team come in, I think they wanted to switch things up,” Stroup began. “Dustin always had a bit of — he’s a comedy guy, right? He’s got a bit of a different vibe to him and he was having to force it a lot of times to be the hunky, boyfriend, whatever.” 

Later in the zoom, Milligan joined Grimes and corroborated Stroup’s theory.

“The original role was comedic,” the Schitt’s Creek actor said. “There was a bit of a stereotypical dumb jock thing that I kind of loved. So for me, it was like getting to do that was so great but then the role changed by the time we actually shot and it was tough.”

When asked where Ethan would be now, Milligan suggested that the character would be an organic farmer and stripper. “As a side hustle, drives Uber or Lyft to his other side hustle, stripping,” he quipped.

Credit: Art Streiber/The CW

How They Got Along on Set

Grimes and McCord have been open about not getting along on the set of the series, but they have since become great friends. When the Degrassi alum brought up the subject, McCord quipped, “Next question!” 

She then added, “We have to give ourselves a little bit of credit. What we were up against and what we were dealing with and the strain that was put on just the human experience, working those hours and doing what we were doing under those conditions. Clearly, you know, it takes a toll and we figured it out.”

Credit: Shutterstock

The Long Hours

A theme of the reunion chat was the long hours the cast had to work to make the show. According to Stroup, there was one occasion when they saw the sun rise, set and rise again.

“I hit my car so many times when we were filming,” Grimes added. “I’ve never had a fender bender since — knock on wood — and yet I had at least six while we were filming because I was just so tired all the time. I always hit, like, still objects.”

Credit: YouTube

Who Is Down for (Another) Reboot

“That’s a tough question,” Lanter replied when Grimes asked about a reboot of the reboot. 

When Stroup and Lowdes, however, suggested a mini series or a movie, most of the group nodded their heads.

“I’d love it,”  Wilds said. 

Credit: The CW/Michael Desmond

Matt Lanter Got Off to a Rough Start

“I was talking to her and she feel asleep,” Lanter revealed about filming one of his first scenes with McCord. “I talked to my agent and I was like, ‘I don’t know. I’m not sure what I got into. Girl can’t even stay awake to do a scene with me.’ It was, like, literally one of my first scenes.”