PASADENA, CA–Where does the time go? Can it really be that former Beverly Hills, 90210 heartthrobs Jason Priestley and Luke Perry are already Hallmark Channel headliners? One minute you’re the cool kids with sideburns, the next you’re joining the John Boy network?
The truth is that Perry and Priestley are both middle aged; one’s 44, the other 41.
The two have teamed up for the Hallmark western Goodnight for Justice, which premieres Jan. 29 on the U.S. cable channel. (No word yet on a Canadian network pickup.)
Only Perry, also an executive producer, appears on screen. Priestley directs. It’s their first project together in 10 years.
“We shot the film in British Columbia, which is where I’m from,” Priestley told critics. He was happy to go back and wrangle plenty of Canadian actors for roles on the TV-movie. Knowing Perry and other pals gave him a shorthand as a director to help get the film made quickly.
Perry stood up and tried to demonstrate the shorthand, which seemed to boil down to a lot of hand gestures.
Perry confirmed that there was a lot of Canuck bonding on the set. “Every other actor through the door knew Jason as a kid,” he said.
Perry said he always knew Priestley would be a director. “I remember showing up to do the first episode [of 90210] and he was already wanting to direct,” says Perry.
A U.S. critic, unaware of the TMN/MC comedy Call Me Fitz, asked Priestley if directing was what he wanted to focus on now. “Well, no, I sort of split my time 50-50 these days,” he replied. Priestley said he enjoys that balance and that it “pays dividends for me on both sides.”
Well said, dude,” said Perry.
Shannon Doherty, call your agent.
