Jason Priestley and Shannen Doherty ‘Totally Knew’ Their ‘90210’ Characters Had Sexual Chemistry

Jason Priestley and Shannen Doherty played twins Brandon and Brenda Walsh on Beverly Hills, 90210, but sometimes the chemistry between them didn’t feel sibling-like — and the two of them knew it.

Priestley, 54, recalled to Us Weekly exclusively his time playing Brandon during the show’s original run in the 1990s. He says that he and Doherty, 53, were both aware of their sexual chemistry.

“And we used to make jokes about it all the time,” he said. “Shan and I had a lot of fun making that show together. One of the other reasons we had so much chemistry is because we genuinely liked each other. And so we were all young and having fun, and we all had a lot of fun making that show together. And the fact that we all liked each other as much as we did, I think really came across on the show.”

Priestley spoke to Us to promote the Studio Pilates International location in Nashville that he and his wife, Naomi, are set to open in the fall.

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Priestley and Doherty starred on 90210 together from 1990 to 1994 until Doherty was unceremoniously fired after repeatedly being late to set. Priestley remained until the show’s original run ended in 2000. The two reunited in the short-lived reboot, BH90210, in 2019, which lasted just six episodes.

While nothing ever actually happened between Priestley and Doherty’s characters on 90210, it was plenty suggestive enough to have fans speculating. Asked whether the two were ever asked to “tone down” their sexual tension, Priestley laughed.

“No, no, not at all,” he said.

The two have spoken about their strange dynamic before. When Priestley joined Doherty on her “Let’s Be Clear” podcast in January, they were able to crack some jokes about it.

“There were a lot of bizarre things that happened with us,” Priestley admitted.

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“Brenda and Brandon were always so interesting because we had an interesting relationship,” Doherty added. “There was this sexual undertone of Brenda and Brandon that, to this day, is hysterical.”

She pointed to a 1992 Rolling Stone cover of the two that underscored how obvious those undertones were.

“I’m like, straddling you. So bizarre. There were a lot of bizarre things that happened with us,” she said.

34 years after 90210 premiered, Priestley and Doherty remain close to each other and the rest of the cast.

“We're all on a text chain together, and Shannen and I text each other and we're all still relatively close. It's nice,” Priestley told Us.

With reporting by Amanda Williams