PSYCH: Jason Priestley Previews “Charming” Con Man Role, Cast Antics & More

Jason Priestley may be forever known to the 90’s generation as 90210’s Brandon Walsh, but talking to the actor at least 20 years after his infamous role, you’d be surprised how much he’s accomplished. Add to his resume a pretty prestigious guest starring role in USA’s hit series Psych and it’s pretty clear why the actor still makes us swoon so many years later. Priestley, who admits he’s been a fan of the show since its first season, was ecstatic to talk to reporters on a conference call last week in anticipation of the show’s winter finale.

“I knew about the show from its inception and I started watching it, because I saw a very early version of the pilot and I really enjoyed the show….so I’ve always liked the show and I’ve always been a fan of it,” he shared. “So when they called me up and asked me if I wanted to do this episode and they explained the episode to me and what it was going to be…and then they told me that Jennifer Finnigan was going to be playing my partner in this episode, I was even more excited by that because Jennifer and I have been very good friends for a very long time. I’ve been a big fan of her work. So it was a wonderful confluence of things that made this a lot of fun for me and something that I was very happy and very eager to be a part of.”

Priestley may be a teen icon to most – but when asked if there would be any 90210 references on the show, well…he hinted that we shouldn’t hold our breath. “I tend, you know, at this point…that project is so quickly disappearing in the rearview mirror of my life, I tend to reference that as infrequently as possible,” he laughed good naturedly. While he spoke extensively during the call about his experience on Psych, he especially noted that since most of his screen time was spent with James Roday and Maggie Lawson, he missed out on working with others in the cast.

“It would have been fun to have some stuff with Dulé or with Corbin Bernsen,” he said, noting that he’s been friends with Corbin for a few years. “I could have had some stuff with Timothy [Omundson]…I put Timothy in a Movie of the Week that I directed about ten years ago, so it would have been fun to get to work with him again. I mean…I have a lot of connections to a lot of the actors on the cast of that show. It would have been fun to work with all of them because I know them all, but James and Maggie…Maggie and I worked together on Tru Calling too, so, you know, it was nice to reconnect with Maggie as well.”

So how did he enjoy playing an eccentric character such as Clive? Priestley was quick to point out how much fun he had. “He’s rogue and a conman and, you know, the real thing with Clive was – it was that old saying ‘I never met a conman I didn’t like.’ So I just sort of really took that to heart and made sure that Clive was as charming as charming could be. Me and Jennifer made sure that the two of us were, you know, the very gregarious, loquacious couple that were very entertaining and kept everybody laughing while we were reaching into their back pockets and stealing their wallets. And that was really the thing that we really worked and wanted to keep together.” Asked what was the most fun scene to film, he took a little more time to respond. “I think the scene that we had the most fun with was the cake scene in the restaurant with me and James and Maggie and Jennifer. When Tony [Hale] comes into the restaurant and we talk about his watch and all that stuff…we that was a lot of fun. We had a good time shooting that day.”

While Psych fans have been waiting with baited breath for this episode (which promises to be one of the series’ best) Priestley shares the excitement with just as much eagerness. “The whole episode is very funny,” he says enthusiastically. “And, you know, I just remember how good Jennifer Finnigan was in the episode. I thought she was outstanding. And I think that’s what should the fans be looking out for. I mean, the fans…it’s a classic episode of Psych. It’s a lot of laughs and there’s a little romance, there’s a little adventure, it’s everything you want. It’s got it all. And it’s got me, Jason Priestley.”

Don’t miss “Neil Simon’s Lover’s Retreat,” the winter finale of Psych which airs Wednesday, December 14^th at 10pm. And be sure to tune in for more fun with Shawn, Lassie and the gang when the show returns with all new episodes in mid-January.