It's nine O G ONEG with Jenny Garth and Tory Spelling.
Today on another episode of nine oh two one on one. Yeah you like that title? Oh I love it. We have bo Jesse Christopher, who played Andy in four episodes of nine O two one. Oh.
Let's talk to them.
Oh hi, O MG.
Hi here you are.
Oh my gosh, Wow, what a treat.
This is a blast from your past.
This is my honor.
Oh you're so sweet. Look at you.
You look great.
Thank you for saying that, Jenny, I really appreciate you. Guys are so beautiful life force energies. I'm so thrilled and honored to be here with you both.
We're so happy to have you. I mean, this is crazy because we are in season four and we're just watching you. Your character is like a drug pusher guy.
He's not a great guy.
Is he very the opposite of you?
Yeah, you know what, You're exactly right. And the craziest thing, just very quickly is like, you know, Brian Austin Green was one of my best friends prior to the show, So being able to work with Brian in these scenes as mister Andy opposite David Silver was like such a treat.
How did you know Brian before?
So I moved to LA in nineteen eighty eight, straight out of high school, you know, to do the acting thing. I wanted to be on twenty one Jump Street. That was like Fox's Big Show. So it all ties in, right, Like I wanted to be Depp, everyone.
Wanted everyone wanted to be dep me too, right like.
He did Everyboddy's thing. So for me, right out of high school, moved to LA and then one of my my first friends was David.
Faustino from Brian was children.
Brian and Brian and David were very close, and so I got sort of jumped into that crew very quickly when I got to LA, and Brian and I just hit it off and we were like, you know, best buds, hanging out every day. And there's so many related stories to this that lead to nine oh two one oh, so many things I want to talk about, I know no at the beginning.
So wait, Jen and I were talking about this last week. Were we remembering there was a club called Ballistics, right?
Yeah?
Yeah, okay, and all three of you were involved, right yeah?
So there was Rainbow remember Rainbow? Yes?
Oh my god?
So there was there was big Bow and then little Bow. Okay, okay, so big Bow was bow, Jesse, little Bow was Rainbow. So it was really like Rainbow David Faustino, Brian Austin Green, and then like Nick Adler and a few other people kind of related to that. Yeah, but that but I'm sure you were there a few times. I'm sure. I'm sure that Brian got you there.
Tried to you know, so for sure I went there. Den, do you remember going there?
No, I don't think Jenny would have gone. That would have been like Brian would have tried to talk you into going, Tori.
But like it was like one of those things. It wasn't like every night.
It was like a takeover each week at somewhere else, right, Yeah, it was.
Like at the Roxy. I think it started the Roxy night. Yeah, but at that point, so at that point, just just so I can pivot, because this will lead up to the mister. Okay, so at that point, so really quickly. So Brian Austin Green, our boy, Brian David Silver, for those who are listening, we love still one of my closest, hearest friends. I love him so much. I'm so proud
of him, and he's his life as beautiful. I love him as I looked too, of you, his sisters and you know, forever just in my heart, top of my mind. So thank you for that. Brian had an audition for this thing called Point Break, which was my big sort of entry point into the business, right.
Brian an audition for that part too.
Well, it was his audition. He said, hey, bo, you drive me to this audition because you're a surfer. You know this whole lexicon, you know this surfing. I got this audition at the end of the day, when you drive me kind of warm me up for the thing. He was the last audition, went in, came out, and you know Brian, when Brian gets a little nervous, he bites his nails. But you know Brian, he does that whole Remember young Brian biting his.
Nail, so he still he has no nails to the same.
You know, Brian came out. I could tell he kind of maybe bombed the audition. I stuff in my head and I remember the casting director came out and said are you next? And I said no, and he goes, are you an actor? I said yeah, and he goes, you're next. So I had Brian's keys in my pocket. I just walked by Brian and probably was so pissed, you know, he was sting. I walked right by him, went into the room. Rick Bagana, who was a casting director, hand me some sides and said, let's give it a shot.
I said, I think I got it underneath the size, and he goes, oh, you got it. Okay, let's see what you got. So I stood on a chair, did my thing. He goes, hold on a second, went down the hall, came back Catherin Bigelow, the director, and said do that again. So I did it, and she in the room said you got the job. I walked out of the audition. Brian's like, come on, dude, what's going on? You got my hijack my audition? So I booked Point Break.
There's more to that story, but it's not about Point Break. It's about nine o two and oh. So I come out and Brian's super angry and mad, and I said, hey, man, you just did this pilot. You're fine, because he had just shot the pilot for nine oh two one oh and I think you guys sat for a little bit before they picked the show up right and got back into the season. I want to say, was a little bit of time before the pilot and maybe jumping into the season or the season one getting picked up.
You remember more than I were.
Like why, I'll tell you why, because I wanted so bad to be on the show. So anyway, I did Point Break and Brian was a little you know, kind of like, dude, that was that was you know, that wasn't cool what you did. So Brian was holding a little bit of a grudge, and I said, Brian, you're fine. He got this pilot, it's probably gonna get picked up. You're going to be good. I went away did Point Break.
They started realistics that club. Right after that the season season one got picked up and you guys went into production on episode two. I was waiting for Point Break to come out. I had originally auditioned for the role Steve the Iron zero, and I remember right before I hijacked Brian's audition for Point Break, and I went and did Point Break for almost a year. This movie that
kind of launched my acting career. I had auditioned for for nine to two and l got close, didn't get it, and then I was hurting for money, and so I did background work on the pilot and I remember day one and I think it was it was Iron driving that red Corvette or they had that red car with a flashy car on the pilot. He drove up to the school and got out, and like Steve, it was like the establishing Steve character, I think, and I think
I remember seeing Jenny and Iron day one. I just was like, I really want to be in the show, you know. And then I went and did Point Break, came back and it took four seasons of me auditioning for nine oh two one zero for getting really close to find mister Andy in season four Full Circle. But I got to work with my buddy Brian, you know, a lovely tree.
Was he still pissed at you at that point? He holds grudges? Are you sure?
No, Brian's super, Let's call.
Him right now.
You think he still holds a grudge. No, wait, I want to hear about Point Break though.
Yeah. Hello, for those of you who don't know you were in Point Brank, tell us about your character. It's a very important character.
I appreciate you saying that.
Love that movie.
So I was Gromet slash LBJ, I was the ex president. I was Lyndon Johnson was my ex president. I was Patrick Swayzey's younger brother. I was part of this crew that robbed banks to finance our Endless Summer. This film was executive produced by James Cameron. It was directed by Catherine Bigelow. It starred Patrick Swayzey and Keanu Reeves and a handful of wonderful people like Gary Busey, Petty Row, John philbn Bo, Jesse, Christopher tom Seize, a lot of people.
Big movie because it was like one of those movies, Yeah, that was written at the end of the eighties ushering in the nineties. So it's kind of one of those things that you point to when you look at like the end of a really interesting cinematic generation and how it sort of turned the corner and ushered in something really interestingly new in terms of how movies were made
going forward into the nineties. So it's a really interesting opportunity for me because I was on that movie, booked for twelve weeks and then worked nine months on that film. Oh yeah, they held me for a while. It felt like I was on a show. It was like a series, but it's.
A crazy long shoot.
Yeah, Yeah, and it was great because by the time I got off it, you know, then I just kind of hit the audition circuit and I was trying to figure out what was next. And ultimately, you guys, like ultimately I really wanted to be a series regular on a TV show, and like nine oh two and zero was the show that I really wanted to be on, and so it was so great to finally kind of land on it, even though it was like a guest star thing and extended a couple episodes, Like, felt so
good to finally be on the show. I'm great.
Oh I love that story.
Yeah too.
I wish you had been like a bigger character though, Yeah, I just I mean from my memories, you were just always we were friends, and you were always with us.
Yeah, so that was around, Yes, you were.
So it's wild to rewatch it and think, like your character, this was your character was small.
I remembered it differently.
I guess, Well, I really appreciate you saying that. You know, there was a couple of times when your father tried to make some things work for me, which I really appreciated, because, you know, boy, did I admire him, you know in my heart, you know, Aaron, So I don't know if you two were in the room, but he brought me in for the billy character for melrose Place, and I tested and I came into the room to like a network thing, and I feel like you guys might have
been in that room, because it was like it felt like thirty forty people in the room at your house, in that massive room that maybe like some of those auditions were.
Held has often.
The bell airhouse. I think the giant it's.
Not a living room though.
Oh you're right, you're right where you had to read through.
Yeah, yeah, and I just yeah, I remember he really wanted to try to make that work for me, and you know, I had a deal on the table for the for the role, and you know, I just bombed. I had it was I was so over prepared. And so I had a new kid. I had a two year old son, and I was, you know, a single father, and I was young and like twenty years old and just trying to like get it all together. And all I really wanted to do was be a series regular
on a show. It was like to be on an Aaron Spelling thing, and you know, it's all my friends were on the show, and this new thing was coming out, and I remember I walked into that room just very quickly because the listeners will appreciate this and you might understand where I'm coming from and empathize a little bit. But Courtney Thorne Smith was in the room and she was going to read opposite me, and were you know, we were going to It was like a chemistry read
in front of the network and everyone. And I had never experienced that before. I'd never had a series regular deal on the table. That was something that was brand new. I always wanted it. I was chipping the way as a journeyman actors and young actor guest starring, and point break was out and Aaron had he had seen this interview in Esquire magazine. It's called the New James Deans and it was me, Dana Ashbrook, Jamie Walters, Jason Priestley, Luke Perry. Oh my gosh, remember your father said, I
know all these guys except this guy, bo Jesse. Who is that? Get him in here now for the billy thing. And I was like, wow, this is cool. He's an advocate. Basically, it felt like it was mine to lose, and ultimately, I think I got in my head about it and I walked in that room, and I remember Courtney looking at me, Courtney thorn Smith, and she looked out and she goes because she could see I was in trouble.
Yeah, and she's all been there, yeah.
And then I just kind of looked at her, just face to face, actor to actor, and I was just like I had it also memorized and personalized and inflow, and and then I just looked at her and I just I just dropped out. I was I couldn't do it. And I literally couldn't even do the audition, so I had left. It's a basic thing. Yeah, I mean I tucked and rolled. That had never happened to me before,
has never happened to me after that. But it's an important lesson that I share with a lot of a lot of people who were emerging and up and coming. And it didn't feel good. In fact, the Fox executives called my reps and said, what's going on with this guy?
You know?
And there wasn't anything going on. I was just, you know, I needed that so badly. It felt like that I let that get in the way of just painting moment with some beautiful truth.
Wait, you said you were a single dad, you had a two year old. How old were you when you had your first child?
Yeah? So I had Jesse, my oldest son, who's twenty nine. Now I love children, so you know, relate, it's beautiful. Congratulations. Yeah, so he was born in nineteen ninety three, so like I think, it was like I had a one year old when I was doing Mister Andy, and I remember I brought him to set a couple of times. Actually, funny thing is there's one scene I think where after they arrest me, the FBI comes in and they cap
by the campus or whatever. I had my co parent at the time come in and hold Jesse, who's one, as they handcuffed be and walked me out. That was just have to watch, you know.
It was like great memories for him, I'm sure.
Yeah, crazy anyway, I could go on and on and on.
Yeah, is that your only son? You only have? Do you have more children?
I've got some other kids. So I've got Atticus, who's my fifteen year old teenage son, who's great, awesome kid. He's everything that I would want a child to be, and so much more. As you know, our kids, they surprise us each and every day. It's beautiful. And then I've got a daughter who's thirteen tallula it's incredible, loves to ride horses, and I'm so blessed, been grateful.
Yeah, good for you. You got a girl you're in trouble.
Yeah, well mother nature. Yeah, surrendered to the truth, whatever it is, whatever.
Yeah. Wow. So so point break was first. Then nine O two one zero.
Basically I had done some stuff before Point break, but I was just chipping away, some guest star stuff and just you know, a couple of lines here, maybe a small thing here. And then point Break was my big break.
And then I came back and got on the audition circuit and I sort of like, you know, I felt like I got really set up for success because people were talking about this film that was coming out with Patrick Swayze with the time was the biggest movie star in the world because Ghost was in the theaters and if you remember, Ghost was a really meaningful film.
Yeah, one of my favorite same so so wonderful, and so you know, working with with Swayze in that moment, and then Keanu was basically just being thrown into the studio system for the first time, all these cool indie films and then you know, this was kind of his.
First like like dual billing two hand or kind of thing with Swasey and watching that dynamic and being right in the middle on a daily basis for nine months with those two guys and becoming friends was just magic. But I got kind of thrown into the audition circuit and had so many wonderful opportunities to audition for all the things that like in retrospect we could tell stories about right, we're not good and bad, but then I know two and I was one of those things. It
was like, that's a feather in my cap. I need to be on that show. That is something that I have to accomplish. And I think it was Diane Young, who is one of the directors. They could join the ray cast the pilot, and I think Diane Young was took over and she was such an advocate, you know, she was like, Okay, I think this is the one. Bo I think this is the one, and we would get close, but it wouldn't work out for various different reasons.
And then this just really dark kind of character, which I love to because if you think about the nine and you think about ninety four, which I think season four is four. You know, it was kind of cutting edge television. There was a lot of really interesting narrative being written into the show, so to have like mister Andy, who was the campus drug dealer, getting Brian Silver hooked on crystal mess still meth. Yeah, it was kind of heavy.
You know, Oh, it really was. We were watching it, We're like, what is happening? I guess this is when the show really started to tackle some stuff.
I don't even remember him getting into drugs, like until we start watching it rewatching anything, right.
I thought it was much quicker than that.
Yeah, because sometimes nine on two and zero we have seen so far rewatching it as a tendency to wrap things up with the bow in like one or two episodes, so we appreciate that it's going and yeah, ebbs and blows, but it.
Got real, real dark in that dorm room. You took off your shoes, you were getting the business.
Yeah, yeah, No, It's interesting because for the audition I always had like a flip thing, like I always hated my feet, so like I was like, oh, I got a mission, and like take my shoes off, and so I did it, and I was just used it. I'll just use it. You know that whole like actor thing where you know, it's just it's a feeling I can use. It feels off, and so it was just strange because I wasn't aware that you could you could you could do this, administer this stuff between the toes, and that
was effective. But I think more importantly what it did, I think for the audience was just kind of bring the narrative in that may or may not have been something that people were dealing with in their lives. And so I liked the idea that you can kind of push back against what feels safe in terms of written narrative, uh, primetime television. And you know, it was really great to be part of that in that sort of nefarious way, like someone's got to be the bad guy, someone's got
you know, why not me? And so I loved approaching character work on TV where you know, you don't often get to play these embellished characters on television because you know, generally primetime television is relatively safe. It's like four quadrant,
you know, it appeals to all four quadrant demographics. So it's really one of those things that you know, as you mentioned, needs to be wrapped up and feel good at the end of a show, and so it was kind of interesting to have this this through line that ran before my character was introduced, but then a couple episodes of what was going on, and then there was a residual effect on David Silver's narrative. And I think Luke's character came in, dil came in. I think was there to support that.
I believe he was there to help him through it.
And that's important, that's meaningful. And I love as a utilitarian actor, as a journeyman actor, being able to come in for a couple episodes and support a meaningful narrative.
Right, It's more fun to be the bad guy anyway.
Yeah, I always think it's it's a lot more fun to be the guest star. I mean, look, we all want we all want the regular work for sure, don't get me wrong.
Regular paycheck is nice.
Absolutely, But to be a guest star, recurrent guest star or whatever, you get to come in. You get to shake it up, you get to have some fun, you get to take some chances, you get to be experimental, you get to be a little bit more avant garde in a space that's generally safe for the actor to sort of be yourself and walk into a design, but not really play with the design now and so as a guest star, I can rattle the cage a little bit creat conflict, you know.
Yeah, We've talked to a lot of guest stars and it's an interesting in. You know, people always have their stories and their perception of the cast, like.
What was your first impression?
But tell us a fun story of the people that you didn't know, right.
So how I approached the character or just how I felt being there.
As I felt being there like with the other cast members.
Sure, well, okay, first off, I have to say that you know Jason Priestley one of my dear friends. Luke Perry, one of my dear friends. Miss him every day, breaks my heart. But also he's with us. We know that. You know, Brian one of my closest friends forever, my brother forever. So you know, I and I talked to you once in a while. You gals in my heart, top of my mind, watching you from a close you know, far like I love it. So for me being there, it felt it felt great. It felt like I was home,
and you know, I wanted to do more. Although I always had this wonderful approach for me that like when I'm on television and when I'm the guest star, that I really loved the idea that I wanted to be as much of that guy, even in between shots as possible, because it really helped me create the conflict. And especially when I was working with Brian, because Brian's my friend,
I wanted him to have to deal with me. So I created a little bit of distance between he and I, and I kind of, you know, antagonized a little bit energetically, just energetically, not in an unhealthy way to create this tension. So when we showed up on camera, it felt like we were actually feeding off something fun and interesting for he and I because we were friends. So I generally stated myself and get inside what I call the circle of my creative consciousness.
Okay, so wait, you're talking about like your how your process runs as an actor, and is this something that you also teach your students now because you are an acting teacher.
Now, yeah, I appreciate that segue. Yeah, No, for sure, I love I'm just interested. I appreciate it one hundred percent. Yeah. No, for me, So I always came into the business and got really lucky meeting some really wonderful craftsmen. I met Stella Adler herself like she was a family funding and she was the first person that I met in the creative arts space in the form of acting and studied with her. And then I met Shelley Winters, who then
kind of mentored you. Yes, she there's great stories. I know we don't have a lot of times all summrise, but basically I've defected Stella went to Shelley. Shelley was my personal mentor at the Actor's studio until she passed away.
Oh yeah. And so I've always been really in love with the art form and I love the idea of the cathartic, creative therapeutic sort of release, of being able to sit at the edge of an opportunity, lean into the way that feels, catch that beautiful life wind and fly while the cameras record beautiful truth.
That's nice.
So I'm nott hang in the air for a half second, because that's important. You know, we are yet why we want to be an actor and sort of you know, I always returned to the heart wants what the heart wants, and that's a great place to sit and to begin
to express yourself in the deepest meaningful way. So I've always been I've always tried to approach all the work, even when I was a young person in this business, from the heart's core, and maybe to my advantage and often probably to my disadvantage, because maybe it wasn't what you know people needed, They needed maybe more of just to just jump in and just follow the pattern of the writing and let the camera record whatever it records.
I pushed back and always wanted to find something deeper and more interesting, and so the mister Andy character was that opportunity for me. Coming back to that, but certainly it's the way I look at coaching actors to their true potential today, right.
Because you have the bo Jesse Christopher acting studio that's still that's been up since twenty eighteen. I'm reading, and that's so awesome that you're you love what you do and you're teaching other people to How old are the people that you normally work.
With, so generally twenty somethings, thirty somethings, but I coach
all ages. So like in my weekly groups, I probably have people in their twenties to their sixties, but primarily twenties to thirties and that kind of target demo, and then I started this thing called Truth Be Told Acting Collective in twenty twelve because I got sort of reinvigorated with the craft and had this Prior to that, I had this sort of like I maxed out and I just sort of lost a sense of self and didn't have an art form and kind of removed myself from
the business and you know, raised my first kid and did other things to make money. And then I had this return to craft in this this reawakening, this juvenation, and so this collective helped me kind of pulled all together to find myself at work. And then in twenty eighteen I kind of honed that in and created the studio and been really really grateful and humbled by the turnout that shows up once a week. I had this
sort of critical mass thing happening once a week. And then I do a lot of on set coaching in private one on ones, and I'll fly places to coach different people, and I'll do zooms and I'll do Google meets, and I'll do in my studio and it's great because I don't have that desperation that I think I would have had if I wasn't in the practice every day as an actor, and so when I'm auditioning for stuff, because I'm currently on the circuit, chipping away at it, doing the thing. You know, the.
Tapes we were just talking about that we just miss. I mean, while it's nice the pressure is off of you, we miss being in the room and getting that like response totally.
I don't miss it, Jenny, No, Yeah, I get it.
I get it. There's there's two. There's two. There's two thoughts there, you know. So I love the convenience of being able to kind of, you know, create my own version of what this looks and feels like for a team of creators who want a energy match.
Design, collaborate.
Yeah. But also I love and I love the convenience of being able to do it and then not worrying about it. If I want to adjust, I can. But I do love Torri going into the room and managing the anxiety, managing the performance adrenaline, seeing other people that may or may not be right for it, getting out of my head, yeah, my body, hitting a mark, connecting with a human being, getting some feedback. Yeah, laying that thing down one or two takes and then getting od there.
So there's you know, I do I do miss it. I actually do miss it.
There are any of your kids in the business, they're not.
They're not. I mean, if they, if they decide they want to be, I certainly encourage it. I think I tried with my oldest guy, and he's in music, so he's in music. Yeah, but my younger kids couldn't care less, they couldn't be bothered whatever, you know.
Maybe maybe later.
Yeah.
You have the most amazing and vivid memory and way of telling stories, like I could listen to you all day.
My gosh, I really appreciate that.
You Your memory is unbelievable.
Thank you, Thanks, Thanks.
It's like great.
I want to ask you so many questions about our lives that you'll probably have answers to that we don't remember.
Yeah. Yeah, I can tell you stories about you know, Jason and Luke. I could give you some great stories.
I tell story.
Okay, So the last time I saw Luke, my boy Jesse was too and we were and Luke was a good friend. Luke would come over to the house and he would visit. He'd drop in because Jason lived up the street in Beechwood Canyon, so he would come by and see Jason before he would go to see Jace, drop by and see me. And I lived with Alexis Arccat, who's no longer with us also, and Alexis and I were best friends, and we rented this like really cool
Italian villain Beachwood Canyon. It was very artsy, fartsy and bohemian. And I was a single dad and had a two year old kid, Jesse, and I remember I was trying to get Jesse down to go to sleep and Luke pop by, and I remember it was dark in the room and he opened.
Up the door and he goes, hey, boh, it's Luke Luke Berry. He goes, hey, man, I don't want to interrupt. I just want to tell you I love you, and then he kind of closed the door.
Last time I saw him, right, yeah.
I love you. It is what he said to me, really really beautiful. Thank you Luke Jason one time. It's funny thing. I think the last time I saw I saw Jason was down the street at the market and I was, you know, a young young dad around the same time, and I didn't have much money. I was chipping away as in between acting jobs. And I was just trying to scrape together enough to feed Jesse and
I for the day. And I was at I think it was Gelson's on the corner Canyon Drive where we all lived, and I ran into Jason that is, you know, one of his awesome convertible stingrays or what I use race cars, right, I forget what he has, like cherry red something I don't know, and he goes anyway, Bo, Jesse, what's up man? How are you? What's going on? Bought me a bag of groceries, Get in my car. I'll
take you back to the house. Brought me in Jesse back to the house, loaded up my fridge, hung out with us, and then drove up the hill to his house. That's just the kind of guy Jason was, right, Brothers. Yeah, so that was the last time I saw Jay and love and it was so long ago.
So long ago. I remember that house up in Beechwood.
Yeah, Shares, you know, these are these are good people. This is family. This this show, you know, family. It's a really beautiful thing to be part of it. And I'm really honored.
Yeah, I want to be sure to let people know how to get a hold of you. If they need you because we might be contacting you. I love for acting advice.
Well, well, thank you both first for having you on the show. So yeah, anybody can find me at Jesse Christopher dot com. You know, I'm on I'm on the Gram, I'm on ig so Instagram.
What's your gram?
Oh, Jesse Christopher.
Oh, Jesse Christopher. Nice.
Yeah, so please follow, like shared, do the whole thing. But I'm here for you, stay honest, discipline and inspire. Heart hugs to you and everyone listening.
Oh you're amazing.
Oh my gosh, it's such It's so interesting when you're young, you have such a different perspective of someone and then you get to reconnect with them later in life, and it's just I don't know when you were young, I was younger and you were just like always Brian's friend and you were like the young hot guy and I was intimidated probably, And now just listening to you speak, I'm like, oh my gosh, everything it's just so beautiful.
So so thank you.
Thank you for the fall of and also just thank you for what was said. Can we please stay in touch?
Yes?
Please?
Okay, I'm gonna d M you right now too. I'm gonna slide. Wait, what is it?
Slip slide?
No, yes, Christopher, slip and slag. Yeah, it's all good.
Thank you for being with us. It's so good to see you.
Thank you, I love you.
Bye bye you guys,