It looks like the CW’s upcoming Melrose Place remake has another tenant, and he’s coming straight from a familiar zip code. 90210’s Ryan Eggold, who plays West Beverly High teacher Ryan Matthews, says he will likely be joining the cast of the spin off next fall. Does that mean he’s leaving his wealthy students to fend for themselves? Not at all.

“It’s looking like I’m gonna be on both,” Eggold told TV Guide at our annual Sexiest Stars party. “That would be kind of cool, because I’m gonna be the teacher on 90210, and [we’ll see] more of his personal life on Melrose Place as a 20-something guy.”

What the cross-over means for Ryan’s already complicated relationship with Kelly (Jennie Garth, who was the tie-in character between the original shows) is too early to tell, but the real mystery is what will happen when Ryan meets Riley, an inner-city elementary school teacher played by Jessica Lucas, who also played Kimberly, an undercover narc and Ryan’s love interest on 90210. We can’t wait to see how the creators of the MP reboot explain this one. Is it ever too soon to play the evil twin card?

// 90210 Season Wrap Party x187HQs
// Candids after 90210 Wrap Party x33HQs

// March 11th

// Grammy After-Party

Ryan Eggold is kind of a d**k.

Hey, he said it first, and who am I to argue with one of the unsung stars of The CW’s 90210? But before you write him off, let’s just say that being a d**k may not be a bad thing.

On Monday night at an exclusive 90210 party, journalists and the show’s stars pack themselves into Los Angeles’ cosy Kokomo Cafe, which has been converted into The Peach Pit. Fried buffalo mozzarella, Ahi tuna on crackers and special Wilson burgers (named in honor of the main characters) circulate as reporters vie to get that all-important spoiler or fascinating makeup tip from the buffed and beautified stars.

All except for Eggold. Oh, he’s in demand, but he’s not spiffing himself up. In jeans, t-shirt, plaid flannel and scruffy beard, his appearance screams regular (albeit attractive) dude. Nevertheless, he’s very forthcoming about everything.

His self-proclaimed d**kery:

– “I kind of am a d**k. I don’t care a lot about how you’re supposed to act. Not the most [proper] fellow. Here in Los Angeles, there’s a lot of pretension in the industry, as you well know. Who wants to be around all that stuff?”

– “I punch small children in the face whenever I feel like it. I’m a douche. What’s up? That’s awful. I break into old women’s homes and flash them all the time. That’s just a little charity. That’s wrong.”

Tori Spelling’s return as Donna:

“The reason she comes back is because of Stroup’s character [Silver] because it’s her sister-in-law.”

His character’s return as a teacher at West Beverly Hills High after trumped up charges got him suspended:
(Need the details? Check Zap2it’s 90210 recaps)

– “He comes back questioning the meaning of it all and is wondering what he’s doing with his life. He’s 24 and he’s teaching and he doesn’t know if he wants to teach anymore. He attempts to resolve that. Some soul-searching and blah, blah, blah.”

– “He comes back into that sort of bad vibes, people thinking that he’s a child molester or whatever. So that’s his priority to him to sort of clean up his reputation. But then, he also doesn’t care what people think of him.”

The many discarded plot ideas for his character:

– “If you dealt with a teacher and a student [romance] honestly, it would be really exciting, but that would result in my [character's] dismissal most likely so … maybe when I’m done with the show, that’s how I’ll go out. Of course, that’s what they set up in the pilot, but they never touched it.”

– As Harry Wilson and Tracy Clark’s long-lost lovechild: “They were going to do that. Yeah.”

– “This character has been a series of possibilities that they have declined for various reasons. They were going to make me Shannen Doherty’s baby daddy. They were going to make her pregnant. They didn’t do that because of reasons I can’t say.” (What a tease! He is a d**k.)

What he’d like his character’s future to be:

– “Him kind of unwinding in the sense that he’s this teacher, so he’s expected to have it together and the kids look up to him. To see him falling apart would be very interesting, to see him struggling, to hold it together in his personal life while having to present this authoritative face to school.

– If his character had secret life: “He’d probably be going having sex with older women everywhere. No, he’d probably be on a motorcycle in the middle of nowhere. That’s what I’d like to imagine him doing.”

Two of his favorite TV shows:

– “Oz, that s**t is so good. Oh my God, the performances are just right on the money. Just good, good, good acting. F**king good acting. And the writing was sharp because it was always saying something, and it was always looking at human nature and commenting on it. Always these interesting monologues. Every episode had this sort of fable, but a really adult way. Great old-school theater actors and lots of diversity. I was obsessed with that show.”

- “I loved Saved by the Bell. Phenomenally addicted I was to that show. Tiffani Amber Thiessen in any context but Saved by the Bell is gross. There it is. I’m a d**k. She’s just slutty and gross. As Kelly Kapowski, she’s the best girl ever, and you want to marry her. I’m going to get hate mail from Tiffani Amber Thiessen now: ‘Eggold, you’re dead, mother–.’”

What else he does besides acting:

– Working on a comedy feature, Lunchers, he co-wrote with Adam Rose about two dudes who love to lunch and have unrealistic views of themselves. Aiming for a two-week shoot during his hiatus in March.

– Painting his new place – “I’ve gotten Spartan Stone and an Eggshell in the bathroom, a very nice green. I’ve got Greenwich Beige in the living room. It’s delightful. I’ve got Behr, Ralph Lauren, I got the works.”

– Fooling the tabloids with a false romance – “I’m dating Dustin Milligan on 90210. Very happy. I call him Dusty. He’s very tender, a very tender lover.”

– Doing a mean impersonation of Jonah, from Summer Heights High.

What would you like to see Eggold’s character Mr. Matthews get into when he returns? Do you think his character has untapped potential plot-wise?