“90210” actor Grant Show says age gap between his and Jennie Garth's characters 'would now be illegal'
His "Melrose Place" character, Jake Hanson, romanced Garth's Kelly Taylor.
Ever rewatched a piece of pop culture and thought, how did that fly back then? That's exactly what happened to Melrose Place actor Grant Show when he revisited his soapy ’90s series.
And he came to a conclusion: It was inappropriate for his character, 20-something Jake Hanson, to romance Jennie Garth's Kelly Taylor on high school–set Beverly Hills, 90210. Their relationship didn't last long — he appeared in two episodes of 90210, and she did three episodes of his spinoff series — but still.
Their coupling "would now be illegal and like, 'Me Too,'" he said this week on the Still the Place rewatch podcast, hosted by his former costars Daphne Zuniga, Laura Leighton, and Courtney Thorne-Smith.
Related: Tori Spelling reflects on 'lost years' with Shannen Doherty and later reconnecting
Courtesy Everett Collection
'Beverly Hills, 90210' star Jennie Garth appears in a scene with guest star Grant ShowJake and Kelly's storyline began on 90210, with Jake being a friend of the late Luke Perry's Dylan McKay. The two became involved when Jake did construction work at Kelly's house.
"I think we only kissed, but still, you know, not good," Show said. "Not good."
While Taylor was portraying a high school student, most stars of 90210 were not in that age group. She has just turned 20 when the crossover episodes aired. Show was 30.
Seeing it again, ahead of his appearance on the podcast, made him cringe.
"I didn't really think much of it at the time we were shooting," Show said. But then... "I was like, 'Oh, yeah. Look at that.'"
Related: Jennie Garth recalls last words her 90210 costar Shannen Doherty told her before actress' death
Garth herself weighed in on the age gap this month on 90210MG, the podcast that she cohosts with former 90210 costar Tori Spelling, when they interviewed Zuniga, Leighton, and Thorne-Smith.
Garth said that while she hadn't thought anything of it at the time, she said it was "creepy now that we look back at it."
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Melrose Place and Beverly Hills, 90210 are available to stream on Paramount+.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.
