VIDEO: Full Interview with Nicholas Pryor of Beverly Hills, 90210
Early last month, Larry Mollin (executive producer, Beverly Hills, 90210) asked me for a favor: Would I be willing to go to Nicholas Pryor’s home and film an interview with him?
Would I ever?!
Pryor, of course, is best known to teen drama fans as Chancellor Arnold, whom he played on “Beverly Hills, 90210” for nearly 30 episodes across seasons 4-7. In addition to Chancellor Arnold overseeing California University, he was the father of Clare (Kathleen Robertson), dated Steve’s (Ian Ziering) mother Samantha (played by his real-life wife, Christine! ), and of course guided Brandon (Jason Priestley) on the CU Task Force.
For about 20 years now, Pryor has lived just outside Wilmington, North Carolina, where “Dawson’s Creek” and “One Tree Hill” were filmed. I moved to Wilmington in 2014 (something I’ll be writing about next month), but only learned relatively recently that Pryor resided nearby.
Mollin’s inquiry was timed to the 30th anniversary of “Beverly Hills, 90210” and the “Beverly Hills 90210 Show” podcast’s plans to not only celebrate that milestone, but also have Robertson on a future episode. That Mollin, whom I interviewed at length for TeenDramaWhore.com back in 2010, asked me to go on this secret mission was a tremendous honor. And Pryor welcoming me into his home was as well.
I arrived at his residence on the Intracoastal Waterway a few minutes early, with Pryor already in his foyer, ready to greet me. Though we were both wearing masks, my smile was as wide as could be. After offering me a cup of tea, we settled on his deck (while staying 6 feet apart and keeping my mask on!) and I set up my equipment. What followed was a 30-minute conversation filled with charming anecdotes, hearty laughs, and interesting reflections.
Among the things we discussed:
What he thought of “Beverly Hills, 90210” before he personally joined the cast but wife Christine had already appeared
What it was like working on the show with Robertson, Ziering, and Priestley
His memories of Luke Perry (Dylan)
Chancellor Arnold being paired romantically with Christine’s Samantha
His memories of working with Shannen Doherty (Brenda) on “Little House”
His message for the “Beverly Hills, 90210” fans and cast
His work with legendary actors like Tony Curtis and Christopher Plummer
How he and Christine met
How they ended up in Wilmington
Pryor’s work with Robertson was briefly discussed on last night’s “Beverly Hills 90210 Show” podcast (see below), but only TDW’s premium subscribers can exclusively watch my entire interview with Pryor right here, today, before it’s made publicly available on YouTube next month!
Some more observations from our chat: Pryor did not know Doherty has been battling cancer since 2015; when I brought it up (not realizing he didn’t know), his candid reaction was heartbreaking. He mentioned filming The List, which also starred Hilarie Burton (Peyton, One Tree Hill). And you’ll notice he often laughs aloud when he’s about to say something funny — it’s adorable.
Also adorable: The way Pryor corrects me at the very beginning for saying “Christine” instead of “Christina” — she actually goes by both! And the way he tells me to turn the camera around at the end to film his beautiful view (which I did poorly, ha). Happy watching!
Below, fast-forward to 18:40 for Robertson’s own reflections about working with Pryor and to 47:18 to see Charles Rosin (executive producer, Beverly Hills, 90210) give me a sweet shoutout — but of course, the whole thing is worth watching!
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