The star of the new 90210, Shenae Grimes, is no stranger to success on a teen soap. The Canadian actress first broke through on Degrassi, the popular Canadian teen series, but now American audiences are seeing a whole lot more of her as Annie, the sweet Kansas girl whose life in Beverly Hills is complicated with lots of boy trouble.
BuddyTV spoke to Shenae Grimes during our visit to the set of 90210 about her newfound stardom, Annie’s relationships and the advice original Beverly Hills 90210 stars Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty have given her. Continue reading for more highlights and to watch our exclusive video interview.
One of the keys to 90210 is its relatability, and though it does take place in the rich area of Beverly Hills, Grimes feels 90210 gives young people a chance to see a slightly more realistic version of modern-day life and the troubles kids face as opposed to more glamorous shows like Gossip Girl.
While there are tabloids in Canada, Grimes is used to seeing the faces of people like Lindsay Lohan on the cover, and she’s shocked that it’s now her face on some of those magazines. “It’s the scariest thing in the world,” Grimes says about being the target of tabloid stories, “But you can only ride this ride once.” Grimes is very aware of how celebrity culture operates, so she’s taking it all in stride.
Grimes is very thankful to have stars like Garth and Doherty around because they’re some of the only people who actually understand the price of instant success and the perils that come along with it. “What I admire about Shannen Doherty is, no matter what’s happened – the good, the bad, the highs, the lows – she’s always maintained her unbelievably strong sense of self.”
90210 returns with new episodes this Tuesday at 8pm on the CW.
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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.
