TV Tattler: Celebrity Interviews
Luke Perry Hits the Jackpot With 'Windfall'
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June 7 -- In the last few years, Luke Perry has made an effort to move as far away from 'Beverly Hills' as possible.
Now, the '90210' alum is starring in the new NBC drama 'Windfall,' about 20 friends who become overnight millionaires after winning the lottery.
Perry plays Peter Schaefer, a devoted husband and father of two, whose marriage is tested by the newfound wealth.
In a wide-ranging interview with AOL Television, Perry talked about the new show, his teen heartthrob days and whether more money really means more problems.
With 20 actors sharing screen time, does it ever get chaotic on set?
You know, what it actually has done is fragment the show into quarters. So I don't even see [co-star] Jon Foster. I never see D.J. [Cotrona]. I only see the people I'm working with immediately and intimately, and then the other guys -- we don't intersect too much.
Considering the long hours required to produce an hour-long show, was having an ensemble cast part of the show's appeal? Less time spent on set, I'd assume.
It was one of my main considerations. I did a series for Showtime where it was basically me and Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and we were on set all day everyday. And that wasn't exactly what I was looking for in terms of the work experience. Being part of an ensemble cast, especially one of this size and caliber, it's always fun. I think actors are, by and large, are really cool people. So the more the merrier.
Were you at all disappointed that the show is a midseason replacement airing in the summer?
All bets are off in TV. The audience decides. You know, George Bush thinks he's the decider, but the audience is. (Laughs.) I feel fully confident that the network has every intention of making the show work, and they are putting a lot of time and effort into it. But the real bottom line is I just make them. I try to make the scenes as watchable as they can be, and some other guy decides when they play.
The theme of the show is money and the complications it can create. What advice do you have for others about how to handle it?
Well, I'd say first -- stop bitching. There are worse problems you could have than having a lot of money. Secondly, I would say save it for a rainy day. And thirdly, I would say you need much less than you think you do. Everybody can do with a little bit less.
You really broke away from your '90210' reputation with your guest-starring role on the HBO prison drama, 'Oz.' Are you continually looking for those challenging roles?
Yeah, that's the idea. You want to find the character that's different every time, the one that allows you to stretch. And with Peter, the guy that I play on 'Windfall,' certainly the stretch is that he's a normal, middle-of-the-road guy. He's got a plain haircut and drives a plain car. The character on 'Oz' was pretty extreme. So to me, it's all good character work, and I enjoy finding stuff like that.
Sure. But still, most people still remember you as Dylan McKay. How were you able to handle all the hype surrounding '90210'? Was it tough balancing the fame and fortune at such a young age?
One of the first things you learn is that rich and famous don't always coincide chronologically. Sometimes you are real famous before you ever get rich. And that's what happened to all of us on that show. The fame quotient outnumbered the rich quotient pretty early on. And so people think rich and famous go hand in hand, but I would caution that's not always the case.
Would you characterize your time on that show as a good experience?
It was a terrific time. I cannot complain about it. I've got no regrets. You play the cards you're dealt. I had a great time doing it, and I still love a lot of the people I met there.
How useful was your Midwest upbringing once you got to Los Angeles? Did it help to keep your head on straight?
Growing up in the Midwest, people don't drive Porsches and Ferraris. They drive Fords and Chevys. And so even if you have the opportunity to buy a more expensive car, it doesn't occur to you because it's not what you relate to. At a restaurant, you don't look to order the thing you can't pronounce because that's not what makes sense to you. A lot of times, people forget what makes sense to them and what, in effect, got them where they are, and I think they go a little astray.
A few years ago, you made your West End debut, starring in a stage adaptation of 'When Harry Met Sally.' Is it hard to make the switch back and forth from TV to the stage?
Not difficult at all, especially since I started on stage. I played London's Theatre Royal Haymarket, and what a lovely theater that is. We have nothing like that in this country. In terms of the acting, it doesn't matter what the medium is. My job is to be as true to the integrity of the writing and the character as I can be. If they point a camera at me while I'm doing it, so be it. But I do it the same.
So what would you do with $20 million?
I'd disappear. You wouldn't see me again. The world everyday is becoming more and more of a place I'd like to disappear from. So I think if I had 20 million bucks, I'd take the opportunity and do that.
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