The Misunderstood Bad Girl
Anna Lynne McCord plays the conniving, poor little rich girl Naomi Clark.
"Naomi is initially the bitch," McCord said. "But then you quickly see that she deals with parents who are completely blase and throwing money at her just to not deal with her. She needs validation, so she manipulates every situation and is always switching her faces. It's an interesting dynamic, but it's the way she survives."
"I try to make a point to put a soul in there because every person does have a reason why they are the way they are," she said. "The one part where you actually see Naomi for who she is, is with her boyfriend Ethan (Dustin Milligan). That's when you see that she's real. That she's just like any other girl who doesn’t feel beautiful and needs to feel that way, who needs to feel loved and who needs approval. That's what I try to bring out in her."
The Adopted Son 
Wilds was cast as star athlete Dixon Mills. As an African-American teen, Wilds' character represents the biggest departure from the original series. The Wilson family adopted him after taking him in as a foster child.
"His past is still with him," Wilds said. "He's been in the family for eight years, but he's still trying to find his way and keep his way inside of the family. Growing up and going through the group homes, he didn't know who his father or mother was. Now he wants to keep that security around him. He does whatever he has to do for security and stay right in his dad's eyes."
"I do feel a lot of responsibility," he said. "It is a heavy word, but I have broad shoulders, so I can handle that.....90210 offers up another chance to tell a true story."
The Hot Teacher
Ryan Eggold, plays teacher Ryan Matthews.
"He's just out of college so he really relates to the kids," Eggold said. "He's a great character to play. He's really rebellious and he doesn't really care about rules and things."
Eggold was 6 years old when the original series debuted.
"It was such a massive show. I definitely remember kids in grade school defining themselves by characters on that show," he said.
The USC graduate has dreams for the spinoff, but he keeps it in perspective.
"At the end of the day, it's a spinoff of a teen soap opera, so I can't sit here and say we want to change the world," he said. "But I can say that if kids can relate to it and see, 'Oh, I've dealt with that. I've experienced that,' and gain anything from that, learn something from that or at least just feel, 'I'm not alone,' that would be great. If we can provide any kind of minor social commentary about the world we live in, in some small way, that would be cool."
Eggold will share some screen time with Jennie Garth, who will reprise her part as Kelly Taylor, now a high school guidance counselor. Two attractive adults hanging out can mean only one thing. Eggold conceded, "There's a good chance that Jennie and I will have some interesting stuff."
The Good Girl
Grimes claims she started watching the original 90210 when she was only 1.
"My mom was a die-hard fan," she said. "That was our mommy/daughter night."
When Grimes heard that there was going to be a spinoff, she was thrilled.
"Never in my life did I think I'd end up on it. Now it's such a trip. It's so cool. Its like, 'No way is Kelly Taylor right beside me.' It's crazy."
The Toronto native, who played Darcy on "Degrassi: The Next Generation," can relate to Annie.
"She's a good girl raised very well in a very tight-knit family, and she's coming into this crazy world," she said. "I'm going on this journey with her. What attracted her to me the most was that she's making this transition and she's struggling with this transition. She wants to be on her best behavior and get along with everybody, but at the same time she's got this sarcastic wit to her and this strong head, and I love that she maintains that because I'm very much like that as well. Obviously I'm coming into a new world myself and basically riding the same wave that she is, and it is a culture shock and it is scary."
