Breaking free of Brandon Walsh wasn’t the easiest transition for Jason Priestley. But his perseverance in abandoning his Beverly Hills 90210 character, by exploring the full gamut of roles in diverse genres – in TV and film – has been fruitful.
Aside from also proving his mettle as a director, he has demonstrated that he can be a Jack of all trades.
There is no better confirmation than seeing him play Richard “Fitz” Fitzpatrick, a skirt-chasing used car salesman who, aside from having the gift of the gab, is as depraved they come, in Sony Entertainment Television’s Call Me Fitz.
“He’s such a beautifully flawed character. The way I play him is as an arrested adolescent. He’s a perennial 14-year-old,” explains Priestley.
Talk about taking the role too far – the veteran actor got in touch with a company that makes underwear for little boys and asked them to design a bunch for his character.
He adds: “They sent me a catalogue of underwear with things like race cars on, and I thought, ‘That’s perfect!’ It really sums him up.”
Is Fitz a villain beyond redemption?
“Absolutely not,” he says. “I don’t see him as a bad guy at all. I love him because he’s clear of purpose. He is completely confident in what he does.”
To those who religiously tuned in to the first season for Priestley’s jaw-dropping portrayal were not disappointed.
Those James Dean-meets-Cassanova traits brought out in his storyline proved too salaciously intriguing to miss.
Priestley jokes that such is the charm of his character that even he would agree to buy a car from him.
“Once you’re under his spell, there’s no escape. Your mind is saying ‘no’ but your heart is saying ‘yes’.”
On the flip side, he tones things down with a more wholesome image in the second season of Haven. By the by, he also directed an episode.
His wardrobe – chino-type pants, check shirts, loafers and sweaters normally found on the racks at retail stores around Father’s Day – complements his scruffy, bearded character, Chris Brody, a marine biologist and the son of Mayor Brody.
Unlike Fitz, Chris is a social pariah and more than willing to play a fool for love for FBI agent Aubrey Parker.
As Haven is a supernatural drama based on Stephen King’s The Colorado Kid, there is another twist to Chris’s character. He has the special ability to get people to fawn over him. The only person immune to his “gift” is Aubrey, which makes it impossible for a love struck Chris to take his eye off her.
So, from playing a have-your-fun-and-dump-them Fitz to an utterly romantic Chris, Priestley peels back the layers of both characters to keep fans intrigued and entertained.
And, that substantiates why he is seen as a seasoned actor.
l Call Me Fitz 2 starts on Sony Entertainment Television (DStv channel 126) tomorrow at 9pm and Haven 2 is on Universal Channel (DStv channel 108) on Sunday at 8.50pm.