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Larry King gives Jason Biggs advice on how to handle fame

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Jason Priestley on '90210,' Trudeau, and Justin Bieber

Larry King NowSep 05 '16

Jason Priestley joins Larry for a spirited discussion about his career, why it's harder to be a young star now than in his heyday, and the possibility of a 'Beverly Hills, 90210' reunion.

Actor Jason Priestley, most known for his starring role on the original 'Beverly Hills 90210,' discusses his new film 'Zoom,' his perspectives on fame, and the lessons he's learned behind the camera as a director. 'Zoom,' in theaters now, is a Canadian and Brazilian comedy-drama film that combines live-action and animation, and tells the story of a cartoonist, filmmaker, and novelist each writing in their own medium about one of the others.

In addition to discussing his intriguing new film, Priestley, originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, tells of his friendship with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, why most of his recent work has been in the Canadian market, and what he believes is the most underrated thing about Canada.

Larry King's conversation with Priestley ranges from the race car accident that nearly took Priestley's life in 2002 to the cancer currently threatening Priestley's former costar Shannon Doherty. The two also discuss the differences between acting and directing, Priestley's love of wine, and the modern challenges of being a famous young star. 

QUOTES FROM THIS 'LARRY KING NOW' INTERVIEW WITH JASON PRIESTLEY:

*Posted Online on Ora.TV on Sep 5th 2016:


“I loved doing it too, because it was such a, it was such a strange and crazy and off the rails movie. And it was like no other film I’d ever made. And when I watched it, it was like no other movie I’d ever seen.” – on the experience of making ''Zoom'

"Pedro Morelli, the filmmaker, this was his directorial feature film debut. And taking on a film like this—you know, as a filmmaker myself this was such a monumental challenge because there are so many moving parts. It wasn’t just shooting a straightforward movie. He had to be filming three different movies and they had to be perfectly interwoven with each other." – on his director for 'Zoom,' Pedro Morelli

“I like actors and I like working with actors. That’s true for me as an actor, but also it’s true for me as a director. And I like being able to get into it with actors and offer them suggestions and help, and if something’s not working I like being able to work to fix it.” – on what he enjoys about being a being a director

“I know Justin a little bit personally. Just, before he became Prime Minister I got to know him a little bit and he is an awesome guy. He’s really engaging, very affable, he’s a great raconteur and he’s a lot of fun to be around. He’s just as engaging as you imagine him to be.” – on his friendship with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

"I think for our show there was something for everybody. I think 'Seinfeld' was that way too. I think given all the charaters on our show there was somebody for everyone to relate to. Whether you related to Brandon, or you related to Brenda, or you related to Dylan, or you related to Steve, or...you know what I mean? There was someone for everyone to relate to and I think that’s part of the reason that those shows worked as well as they did." – on what made 'Beverly Hills 90210' successful

"I was asked to appear in it several times. I went and directed on that show and it was very good. They had incredibly taltented actors on that show and I thought the writers on that show were very good. Technically it was very good. It was a good show."on '90210,' the reboot of 'Bevery Hills 90210' that ran from 2008-2013

"I haven’t spoken to her directly but we’ve been communicating via text and social media. And I send her nothing but love. She’s a tough chick and she always has been a tough chick and she’s a fighter. She’s always been a fighter and I know that Shannon is going to fight this with everything she has." – on former 'Bevery Hills 90210' costar Shannon Doherty’s battle with breast cancer

"I feel like Brandon had sort of worn out his welcome on that show and it was time. I couldn’t see a reason for Brandon to stick around on that show. So I talked myself into it that way. But then you know in retrospect I wish I knew then what I know now." - on why he left 'Beverly Hills 90210'

"When you jump off a train that’s moving as fast as that train was moving, then yeah there’s a period of adjustment there. And that can be, I think that’s difficult for everybody. And it was difficult for me as well. I was fortunate that I was able to move into other avenues pretty quickly. Like I went from doing that show and spending all those years on that show and moved very quickly into doing theater in the West End of London." - on adapting to his decreasing fame after leaving 'Beverly Hills 90210'

"It was in the warm up for a race one morning, and I qualified second for the race that morning. I just drove through a patch of Quick Dry, somebody blew a motor and they went out and put Quick Dry down—and I got pinched down into that Quick Dry and the second my tires hit it I was into the wall. 187 miles an hour at impact." - on the moment he crashed his racing car in 2002

"I did expire on the way to the hospital. They flew me to the hospital and I bled out on the way to the hospital but they met me on the roof of the hospital with bags of my type of blood and squeezed them in me pretty quickly and restarted my heart. So I was able to survive." - on how doctors saved his life after the accident

"The TV landscape is very fragmented these days. And it almost feels like unless somebody tells you about a show—you know, so much of this stuff is done word of mouth these days. It’s difficult to find shows unless somebody actually lets you know what’s going on." - on the current TV production landscape as an actor

“I love Richard too. He’s awesome, and he’s a wonderful guy. Making that movie was, you know, it was a small movie that we made. It was a film called 'Cas and Dylan.' And I had Richard Dreyfuss and I had Tatiana Mislany, the star of Orphan Black. And you know what I learned on that movie was patience. From directing television for so long I was so used to just pushing and pushing and pushing and pushing and wanting to hurry hurry hurry all the time. And the thing I learned from working with Richard was to, just to hold back and wait and just let it happen sometimes.” – on working with Richard Dreyfuss 

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