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Brian Austin Green Talks 'Sarah Connor,' '90210'
Part of the fun of a set visit in Hollywood is the sense of dislocation, being able to sit next to the gazebo from Gilmore Girls talking to one of the stars of FOX's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles about The CW's 90210.
The Terminator star in question is Brian Austin Green, we're half a block down from John Connor's former residence on a rural street on the Warner Brothers lot and the topic of 90210 is completely organic.
Green joined the cast of the FOX drama last season, playing Derek Reese, future robot fighter and uncle to Thomas Dekker's John, humanity's eventual savior. Derek's introduction produced a major deviation in Terminator mythology and instantly concerned Green, a fan of the franchise.
"I was terrified," Green admits. "I was really scared. Originally it was only supposed to be six episodes for the character and I knew going into it that fans of the show and the franchise were going to have hard time knowing that I was going to be playing the character that I was playing. I had the chance of either succeeding and doing well or failing miserably and letting down a bunch of people who love the franchise as much as I do. It was a lot of pressure, a lot of stress."
But fans of the series welcomed Derek into the Terminator universe and helped turn a six-episode guest spot into a regular role for Green.
"It's because of the fans that I'm still on the show and as far as I'm concerned it's great and I appreciate everything that they say," Green acknowledges. "I'll go onto sites sometimes and see what they're saying, what their concerns are and things that they like and don't like and I keep them in mind because ultimately that's who we're making the show for."
Of course, that doesn't mean Green is immune to occasional wariness at the attention-to-detail of some obsessive fans.
"They get a little nitpicky," he laughs. "They start going 'You know, I really didn't like his hair in the last episode. It was kind of down to the side and it reminded me of my dad's hair,' and it's like 'Really? It's the Terminator show and you didn't like my hair in the scene? It was too much like your dad's? That's what you're worried about? How'd you like the show?' But there's nothing you can do about that."
This leads quite naturally to the question of how this sci-fi fanbase is different from the throngs who watched Beverly Hills 90210.
"It's a completely different audience," Green says. "There's no comparison at all. Being on the show was much like being one of the Jonas Brothers. You make the show for the young girls who are looking for good-looking guys on television and whether you are or not, you just kind of jump in and fit the mold and wear what they tell you to wear and that's really what the focus becomes. With this, I love the fact that I have two pairs of pants and two different shirts that I circulate through and one jacket."
Green didn't watch the two-hour premiere of The CW's new 90210, but says he hopes to watch future episodes, laughing at the notion that the show could possibly make any choices for an off-screen David Silver that he'd disapprove of.
"I don't know if you could possibly screw it up more than it was screwed with over 10 years," he says of Silver's backstory, which included drug addition, Babyface and years of sexual frustration with Donna.
While more than a few actors have shied away from youthful entries on their resumes, however possible, Green doesn't hesitate.
"I don't have any sort of ill feelings toward the show," he says. "It was a great 10 years of my life. There were great sides to it and then obviously there were really tough sides to it also, as far as moving on from it. But it's what it is and I wouldn't change it."
Of the new show, he adds, "[I]t's a new start. It's a new show. The audience that's watching the new one, a lot of them were too young to watch ours, so it's a new cast and a new take on it."
So what would it take to get Green to do a cameo on 90210?
"I don't know. Time, I think, ultimately. If I had the time, I think I'd do it."
Green, after all, is enjoying is current gig.
"I love it," he says. "I grew up loving action films. I grew up loving Terminator. I play video games. The 'Dungeons and Dragons' episode from last season was the closest thing I could have experienced to playing Gears of War on the 360. It was unbelievable, a great experience."
love him! Would love to see him on 24 -- they need some pretty boys that ain't afraid to get dirty over there. Keifer is old as dirt.
midwesty | Sep 10, 2008 3:41:02 PM | #love this terminator/sarah connnor chronicles show! i was skeptical at first about Green joining the show, but i think he's been a great addition and just perfect for the part. it's been fun to see his gritty side.
Brian Austin Green absolutely improved T:TSCC once his character recovered from the gun shot wound.
The show needed a strong male character around to balance out Sarah and Cameron as well as be a role model/big brother/mentor of sorts to young John Connor. He was a high ranking officer in the future and can help John prepare for what is ahead.
Michael | Sep 10, 2008 4:45:33 PM | #Umm...I'm STILL looking for good looking guys to watch. Seriously....why does he have to keep his shirt on so much?
Tivo Queen | Sep 10, 2008 7:45:32 PM | #90210 will be cancelled soon, so he wont have to worry about a cameo
Ron | Sep 11, 2008 5:23:07 AM | #The man is seriously hot! I watched 90210 and he's definitely improved with age. None of the babyface stars with unlined faces show the character that living life does. Look back at the young George Clooney or even Cary Grant and they look better when they grow up.
alia | Sep 11, 2008 7:56:10 AM | #How long will he be on T:TSCC they have already said that someone was dying this year. Could well be him.
| Sep 11, 2008 9:04:41 AM | #I wish they had gone even further back with him and asked about his days on "Knots Landing." For those in dark about this acting job, he was a recurring character who played Abby Ewing's son Brian for about 3 years. He was a cutie then, too!
Ginni | Sep 11, 2008 9:24:55 AM | #I wasn't sure about the whole tv concept of T. I loved the original T. T2 was really good, T3 - so-so. But adding Green to the mix really works for me. Of course I did watch him back on 90210, but way prefer him in this role!
Robin | Sep 11, 2008 10:56:16 AM | #is it just me or does he get better looking daily!
Sam | Sep 11, 2008 2:17:35 PM | #BAG is doing a great job on T:SCC...his first few eps last year were a few of my favorites so far. I just love the nasty tension between Derek and Cameron... the flash-fowards on the show involving him are fascinating. Also love how much the show emphasizes Derek's war scars (mental, not physical).
ProgGrrl | Sep 12, 2008 6:07:21 AM | #I was curious as to how Brian Austin Green was going to work on the show. I mean...he was coming in with the 90210 legacy. Then I remembered that no one wanted to hire Kurt Russell, the Disney Kid, for Escape from New York, or Keanu Reeves of Bill and Ted for Speed. They worked out well and so does Brian Austin Green. His character has been the PERFECT fit for this show and the episode where his character takes John to see his father as a child was just classic. Congrats to Brain Austin Green for proving the skeptics wrong and showing that he is an actor and not just a former character from a teen show.
clay | Sep 12, 2008 12:53:17 PM | #I really wasn't sure about him being cast on this show, but he really has improved it. He's really done a good job with the role and it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.
steve | Sep 16, 2008 12:18:38 PM | #Actually, I really enjoyed BAG on the ShowTime show Resurrection Blvd. He played a cop going to law school who gets engaged to a pretty law student....Great show and Brian was terrific in it. I wish it still was on.
NYJOEY | Sep 17, 2008 6:00:15 PM | #Love him. My family watches this together kids and all. We really enjoy how the plot seems to grow each show. Brian is perfect for this role and with his costars they make a great show.
Kat | Oct 21, 2008 1:20:32 PM | #brian austin green sucks and I will never watch any show he is on and will tell everone that any show he is terrible, Terminator SCC sucks. 90210 might suck too. Body Politics sucks.
kym | Apr 10, 2009 10:20:32 PM | #i love him on the show:)well both of them really(90210 and t:tscc.but i agree with some people...he looks better as he gets older:)
faith | Apr 18, 2009 11:32:27 AM | #
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