Canadian actor Jason Priestley has opened up about the death of his friend and “Beverly Hills, 90210” coworker Luke Perry.
Speaking with CTV News Toronto during one of Priestley’s first rounds of solo interviews since Perry’s death, the 49-year-old said that “it’s been difficult to move on.”
“He's very missed by me and my family and by all of us, so we're just sort of doing the best we can," said Priestley.
Perry, 52, died from complications due to a stroke in March.
The news came just days before it was announced the original “Beverly Hills, 90210” show, in a new format, would return to network television with the original cast.
Although they portrayed teenagers on the show, the men were adults in their 20s when they were cast. Thrown into the international glare of the spotlight, the “teen heartthrobs” became “very, very close friends”.
The reboot of “Beverly Hills, 90210” will debut in August and the show will recognize Perry’s absence.
“We want to make sure that we honor him and recognize the loss of him, but do it in a tasteful way and make sure it's not exploitative and I hope that we've been successful on that, because it's difficult to navigate those waters,” Priestley said.
Looking back on the show, which debuted in 1990 and ran for 10 seasons, Priestley says it was “groundbreaking” and gave families an opportunity to discuss difficult topics.
Before speaking with CTV News Toronto, the North Vancouver native walked into the flagship Moores Men’s clothing store to promote a charity that collects “gently used” men’s and women’s business clothing for disadvantaged adults seeking work.
As an actor, Priestley can appreciate what clothing can do for a person.
“I think that wearing nice clothes and putting on nice things ... it gives you a great sense of confidence and empowers you.”
