ā90210ā preview: Meet the ZIP Codeās mysterious new bad boy Liam
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The bad news is that new ā90210ā bad boy Liam is no Dylan. The good news is heās shaping up to be more of a hellraiser than old sideburns ever was.
When we last left Liam, heād been inadvertently busted by Naomi for working as the bartender at her hotel while heās supposed to be in study hall. Tonight heāll give West Beverlyās teen queen the ride of her life, literally, before wreaking havoc on the rest of the school.
That already makes him more of a badass than Dylan, but series show runner Rebecca Rand Kirshner Sinclair isnāt sweating the comparisons. Last month, she explained that she created Liam to be an outsider, a la Christian Slater in āPump Up the Volume,ā as opposed to the next moneybags McKay. āHeās an iconoclast, and initially, a cipher,ā Sinclair said. āDarker than Dylan.ā
Actor Matt Lanter, who plays Liam and provides the voice for another pop culture icon, Anakin Skywalker, in the Cartoon Network series āStar Wars: Clone Wars,ā takes five to weigh in on the Dylan debate and talks about a possible new love interest that may surprise ā90210ā fans.
Liam and Dylan. Two of a pair?
Yeah, I think there are similarities. Dylan was smart, an independent guy. Iām watching the original āBeverly Hills, 90210ā now, and weāre actually introduced to Dylan in a computer lab, graphing a design or something. They both play by their own rules, do things on their own timelines, and, I donāt know, they both kind of have old souls.
You mean the cars, donāt you?
[Laughs] Partly, yeah. Liam drives this old 69 GTO, and Dylan had an old Porsche.
How are they different? Rebecca said heās a darker character.
Liamās an adrenaline junkie. We see him drag racing, and he definitely likes to push peopleās buttons, seeing what makes people tick and how he can influence that. Dylan wasnāt really like that.
What do you think Liam sees in Naomi?
I donāt know! [Laughs] Wait, I donāt mean that negatively. I think that he enjoys turning her upside down. Sheās the kind of girl who doesnāt let much faze her, the kind that rules high school. Heās initially very hesitant to be around her.
But then he flips?
He gives in a little bit, yeah. Maybe itās a conscience decision to play around with her, lead her on. Youāll actually how their relationship develops in the next few episodes and also how his relationships develop with some of the other girls.
Romantic relationships? With the other girls? Other girls meaning Annie?
Possibly. Itās ā90210ā! Everyoneās getting together at some point, right?
What else can you tease?
Youāll see how Liam influences and meshes with the other kids at West Beverly. Heās going to get Ethan into some trouble.
Good. Ethan needs to get into in some trouble!
Liam is definitely going to bring it. On many levels. As for Annie, there is some hinting at something developing between them. I havenāt read anything about next season, so I donāt know how it plays out, but Iāll say this: Liam wants a rise out of people. He could be just teasing Annie and thatās it. I guess weāll both have to wait until Season 2.
-- Denise Martin
Photo credit: Getty Images