Geoff Dale
July (?) 2000, Woodstock Sentinel-Review
(Posted on The Kevin Zegers Gallery Nov 9, 2000)
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When the school year rolls around in September, you'll probably find Kevin Zegers chatting with the likes of Victoria Principal (Dallas), Perry King (Jericho Fever) and Yasmine Bleeth (Nash Bridges) on a Los Angeles sound stage.
For the likable 15-year-old Woodstock native, the latest step to stardom is a regular role on Aaron Spelling's latest night-time TV entry Titans, set to air on NBC in September. CTV has acquired the show but, other than airing on VTV in Vancouver, it will sit on the shelf until a space opens in the network's 2000-2001 schedule.
''I think this is a really good move for me,'' said Zegers, who will head off to L.A. in August. ''I saw the pilot episode and it looks pretty good. Some people are saying it could be around for quite awhile if it catches on. ''I haven't met any of the stars yet, like Victoria Principal, but I did work with Yasmine Bleeth on a movie called It Came From The Sky and she was great to work with.''
Titans, produced by Spelling (Charlie's Angels, Melrose Place, Beverly Hills 90210), is being touted as a return to the nighttime soap in the same vein as Dallas and Dynasty, which dominated the evening airwaves in the 1980s.
Following the loves, secrets, triangles and trysts of a wealthy Beverly Hills family, it focuses on patriarch and industrialist Richard Williams (King), a divorced multimillionaire. His ex-wife Gwen (Principal) lives just across the street with their fraternal twin daughters who are wildly different, one a party girl, the other shy and more responsible.
Add to the mix intriguing characters like an adopted son and a sharp-tongued Harvard educated business whiz and you have Titans.
Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers) plays the prodigal son Chandler, a fighter pilot who returns home after years of being away. Zegers plays Ethan, Gwen's nephew.
''I think it's a lot like Beverly Hills 90210 with both good and bad characters,'' Zegers said. ''From what I saw there is quite a bit of back-stabbing. I play one of the good characters, but I understand my father was abusive and my mother left me with my aunt.
(NOTE by cpps90: Ethan was abandoned by his father. His mom was already dead.)
''This is a very different kind of project for me but I'm really looking forward to it because there are so many good actors in it. I make my appearance in the third episode.''
Acting since he was six, initially in commercials and modelling, Zegers got his big break with a guest shot on The X-Files. Similar TV and film projects have kept him busy for much of the 1990s right into 2000. Best known for his part in Air Bud (1997) and Air Bud: Golden Retriever (1998), he has landed several key roles including one as young Jim Hawkins alongside veteran actor Jack Palance (Long John Silver) in the 1997 adaptation of Treasure Island, and a co-starring outing in the independent film Four Days with Lolita Davidovitch.
Although he was featured in another pilot, it wasn't picked for the fall lineup. Producers were impressed enough with the young Canadian, though, to nab him for the Spelling series. During the TV season he'll live in Los Angeles for seven months, filming three episodes over a 10-day period, getting a break for 10 days with the routine repeated throughout the show's run. As for his schooling, he'll be tutored on the set while in California and return to Woodstock on his time off for Grade 11 sessions at the high school.
(NOTE by cpps90: The other TV pilot featuring Kevin was "Finally Home", about 3 children who are adopted by a family that just lost one of their own children in an accident. "Finally Home" and "Titans" were both produced by Aaron Spelling.)
(NOTE by cpps90: Kevin was filming in California through most of August. He returned home for one weekend around October before returning to California. As of Nov 9, he is back in Canada and will remain home through the holidays.)
''I'll make sure I get my education,'' he said. ''But as for leaving Woodstock permanently I can't see it. I like it here so much because it's low key and my friends and family are all here.''
Copyright 2000 Daily Herald-Tribune