Jason Priestley

The Weight of a Postal Code

Jason Priestley never set out to be the poster on half the world's bedroom walls. In 1990, the Canadian actor auditioned for a teen series that nobody expected to last more than one season. Aaron Spelling saw something in him that was different from California's plastic good looks. He had a serious gaze and a sense of responsibility that fit the character of Brandon Walsh.

That role brought him suffocating fame.

For nearly a decade, Priestley was the moral center of Beverly Hills, 90210. But his real interest was behind the camera. While his co-stars worked on magazine covers, he spent hours with lighting technicians and editors. In 1993, he directed his first episode of the series and ended up directing a total of 15 episodes before leaving the show in 1998.

And his bet on directing was no whim of a capricious star.

Priestley soon realized the industry quickly forgets teen idols. So he began producing and looking for stories that moved away from high school. In 1997, he starred in Love and Death on Long Island, playing a young actor harassed by a mature writer. It was a deliberate attempt to break away from the perfect-boy image that commercial television had imposed on him.

The Impact at Three Hundred Miles an Hour

Speed was always his escape. Priestley took his career as a race car driver very seriously and competed on professional circuits for years. But the asphalt nearly took his life.

In 2002, he suffered a brutal crash at Kentucky Speedway. His car hit a wall at nearly 290 kilometers per hour during a practice session. His medical report included a spinal fracture, a brain injury and a face that was practically destroyed. Months of intensive rehab and reconstructive surgeries followed before he could walk normally again.

That blow changed his list of priorities.

After his recovery, he returned to sets with a different outlook. He wasn't looking for big Hollywood blockbusters. In 2010, he took the lead role in Call Me Fitz, playing an alcoholic, amoral used car salesman. It was his way of finally burying the flawless Brandon Walsh through dark comedy and decadence.

An Industry of Directing and Deadlines

Maturity suited his track record. Priestley became an extremely efficient and in-demand television director in the Canadian and American markets. He directed episodes of Van Helsing, Rookie Blue and Dark Matter, always meeting the most demanding shooting schedules.

Television was no longer a teen's game.

In 2016, he found a steady spot on the network schedule again with Private Eyes. He played a former hockey player turned private investigator over five seasons. The show worked because Priestley brought a natural ease that only decades of experience can build. But the actor didn't abandon his role as executive producer, keeping control of the international distribution rights.

In 2023, he got involved in the biopic It's All Gone Pete Tong and kept up his work directing documentaries. His film on Harold Greenberg showed a more analytical side of the film business in Canada. Priestley knows that longevity in this industry depends more on management skills than on good looks.

In 2024, the series Wild Cards confirmed its shoot in Vancouver on a tight budget made possible by local tax breaks.