Dustin Milligan isn’t your typical TV jock. As Ethan Ward on the new 90210, Milligan plays the star lacrosse player torn between his long-time, on again, off again relationship with Naomi and the adorable girl next door Annie. For some fans who remember his memorable turn as a bumbling intern with a secret gay crush on his boss in last season’s “Ghostfacers” episodes of Supernatural, the leap to school jock might be a bit jarring. But Dustin Milligan is more than up for the challenge.
When BuddyTV visited the set of 90210, we spoke to Milligan about just that. Milligan talked about his character’s relationship drama, the large Canadian contingent of the cast, his thoughts on playing the jock, and the possible return of the pentapus. Continue reading for more highlights and to watch our exclusive video interview.
While most CW stars might hope to be recognized by flocks of screaming girls, Dustin’s big moment of recognition came from a guy at the gym. The stardom is a bit startling particularly because Milligan is from a small town in Canada. Helping matters is the fact that co-stars Jessica Lowndes and Shenae Grimes are also Canadian, so the three of them bond over the shared surreal nature of coming from small Canadian towns to the big, glamorous world of Los Angeles.
Milligan doesn’t really look like the stereotypical jock, though he has a good sense of humor about it, intimidating the camera with his massive biceps. On a serious note, he actually likes the fact that he may not be exactly what you expect from a jock because. “We’re trying to change the view of what a jock can be these days,” Milligan says about the goal of executive producers Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah.
The pilot of 90210 included a cute reference to a pentapus, a five-armed octopus stuffed animal that Ethan and Annie shared when they first met, and while there is currently no plan to bring it back, Milligan is very fond of the idea. He loved the romantic yet sad moment of Ethan carrying the pentapus and hopes that it will return.
90210 airs Tuesdays at 8pm on the CW, and the show will be airing a new episode this week on the night of the presidential election.
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-John Kubicek, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Additional video footage courtesy of the CW)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
