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Tori Spelling is 34 years old, which is somewhat astounding
considering that the role everyone still associates
her with most strongly is that of a teenager. But then,
if the "Beverly Hills, 90210" star has her
way, that won't be true for long.
The former (and future?) Donna
Martin is enjoying a career renaissance of late, with
a TV show, "Tori & Dean: Inn Love,"
and the movie "Kiss the Bride," a gay romance
in the vein of "My Best Friend's Wedding."
Joined by the film's director,
C. Jay Cox, Spelling recently sat down with MTV News
to discuss her love for the gay community, her pregnancy,
her life as a ditz and what you can do to get her
back on "90210."
MTV: Tori, I happened to catch your "E! True Hollywood
Story" the other day. It credits the gay community
with your career resurgence. Why do you think they
have such love for you?
Tori Spelling: Their love
for me? I don't know. But I know I love them just
as much. We're two peas in a pod. I just have such
an affinity for gay men. I love them. It's so wonderful
that this is my second film that has a gay affiliation
to it. It's great.
MTV: Your character, Alex,
starts out as the ditziest character in the film and
winds up the smartest by the end.
C. Jay Cox: Exactly, and I
think sometimes that's the assumption about Tori.
People don't give her credit. She is so much smarter
and more grounded and sensible than people might think.
The idea that she's this kind of rich, spoiled heiress
— that's not who she is at all, and I think
that plays into the assumptions that people have about
Alex as we go into it. The idea that she doesn't really
have a clear idea what's going on. Maybe we feel bad
for her or something, [but] as we continue through
the movie we realize she's the one [with] a better
sense of truth than anyone else.
MTV: Do you agree with that,
Tori, what C. Jay said is the biggest misconception
about you?
Spelling: Completely. Yeah.
MTV: That said, what was your
biggest challenge then?
Spelling: For me as an actor,
it was probably my pregnancy. Alex really ran the
emotional gamut in this movie. She had so many sides
to her, she had so many emotions going on that I really
wanted to just kind of dive into her and be a part
of that, but then I had this other thing in my belly
telling me, "Oh, you have to take notice of me
right now." And I had to try to hide that. So
it was kind of a tough struggle to forget about that,
forget about being Tori, and just be Alex when I had
the belly there.
MTV: Ultimately, did your
pregnancy help or hurt you in this film?
Spelling: It definitely allowed
me to tap into my emotions. I think the pregnancy
helped because you're so hormonal and emotional that
you're just so vulnerable and open to everything.
I think that worked really well for Alex.
MTV: One of the things that's
interesting about this movie is that nobody in it
is just gay or straight. They all have fluidity.
Spelling: I'm glad that's
how it came across because that's how I felt with
these characters. There was no gay, straight, male,
female; it was just this awesome love triangle, and
it was just about finding your soul mate. It's really
about love. That's how I saw it when I was doing it,
and that's what Alex saw, I think.
Cox: There has been this pressure
to label ourselves one way or the other. OK, pick
a team, and you have to decide who you are. [But]
sometimes I think that sexuality and love are more
fluid than that. And that was one of the things we
wanted to talk about in the movie.
MTV: Why haven't there been
more mainstream gay films? I thought there was going
to be this explosion, and there hasn't been.
Cox: After "Brokeback
Mountain" became a big success, every studio
in town had their gay project that they wanted to
do. And subsequently I think the only thing we've
seen is "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,"
which was the best that they could do. So for a while
it was fashionable, but then it really didn't pan
out.
MTV: Changing topics, I wanted
to ask you about the "90210" remake.
Spelling: I knew you were
going to say that!
MTV: I bet. I'm the right
age. It was a big part of my childhood.
Spelling: Mine, too.
MTV: So are you going to be
part of the remake in any way?
Spelling: I don't know. I
mean, I would hope that someone from the original
cast would just pop up. I always put myself in the
fans' shoes, and I'm sure they would love to see that.
But I'm excited for the fans to see a remake or a
new generation of "90210."
Cox: I think people should
write in and demand that she be put into it because
I think that would be great.
MTV: We'll tell MTV.com readers
to write in. [Readers, please comment below!]
Spelling: Aw, thank you.
MTV: What do you think Donna
Martin is up to these days?
Spelling: Well, when we last
saw her, she got married to David. She was in fashion,
so I would hope she's gone further in fashion. That
would be very cool since I'm very into fashion and
I have my own jewelry line. Maybe she's a big designer
now.
Cox: There could be the Donna
Martin Collection.
Spelling: The Donna Martin
Collection. There you go. So if that was part of the
remake we could actually launch that in real life.
Always branding, see? I wonder if she has kids, though.
I wonder if she and David are still together. I wonder
these things.
MTV: So if not "90210,"
what else? Do you have another movie coming up?
Spelling: [Pointing to her
belly] I have a big project coming up. It's kind of
taken me out of the game momentarily.
Cox: That's kind of a major
production right there.
Spelling: Yeah. Everything's
on hold until June.
