Speaker 1: It's nine with Jenny Garth and Tori Spelling. Today we
Speaker 1: have the pleasure of talking to yet another one of
Speaker 1: our amazing supporting cast members. Today we're talking to Brandon Douglas,
Speaker 1: who played Mike Ryan, and we want to talk to
Speaker 1: him about Yep, he showed up in five episodes. Let's
Speaker 1: let's get to know him. Hello, Look, how que you are?
Speaker 1: How are you? Sorry? You probably hate the word cute.
Speaker 1: I'm sure your entire career people always said you're so cute? Sorry,
Speaker 1: let me rephrase. Look how handsome you wantsome? Thank you?
Speaker 1: How are you to hija? Hi? It's good you well,
Speaker 1: thirty years, so so, so many years? What if the
Speaker 1: cool thing you guys are doing? Thank you. We're having
Speaker 1: a lot of fun. We have a good time. It's
Speaker 1: so fun because we get to reconnect with people like
Speaker 1: you that we haven't seen in so long. But like,
Speaker 1: where are you right now? What? What's happening in Brandon's life?
Speaker 1: I am living in Middle Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee. Nice. I
Speaker 1: live in an area called Leeperspark. Have you seen Jason?
Speaker 1: Jason Priestly? He lives in Nashville Now. Jason lives in Nashville. Yes,
Speaker 1: he moved about a year ago. I heard Shannon is
Speaker 1: moving here because really actually kind of in the same
Speaker 1: area where where my family and I lived. No, I
Speaker 1: didn't know Jason lived here. How long did Jason live here?
Speaker 1: I think like a year? Two year? Two? Yeah. Yeah,
Speaker 1: a lot of people in there. I love it. A
Speaker 1: lot of people in Tennessee. Why do you live in Nashville. Um,
Speaker 1: I grew up in Texas, and uh, I just wanted
Speaker 1: to get out of southern California, to be honest, and
Speaker 1: I'm just going to go to Austin and then it
Speaker 1: just got too big. Yeah, And so it was time.
Speaker 1: My youngest graduated from high school, got four kids. Four
Speaker 1: kids well at Parsons the new School, studying design and amazing.
Speaker 1: The other three or two are in college and ones
Speaker 1: out in the professional world. And so I just thought
Speaker 1: it was time. Wow, I missed the weather. My wife
Speaker 1: really misses the weather. We're jealous you got out. We
Speaker 1: get a little bit jealous of everyone that kids. Okay, yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm almost out. I have still have a kid that's
Speaker 1: in high school. Tour is stuck here for a good
Speaker 1: number of years. She can't leave them. Somewhere else. It
Speaker 1: could be a lot. Yeah, well, okay, we wanted to
Speaker 1: talk to you about what Cassy. We're in five episodes
Speaker 1: of the show, right, Yeah, and you came in. Were
Speaker 1: you the first KEG president or were you the second
Speaker 1: one or the third one? I'm so confused because there
Speaker 1: seemed you were the first. I mean, it's been a
Speaker 1: long time, but I think I first. Yeah. Yeah, Steve
Speaker 1: was getting hazed. Yeah I got black balled. I remember that. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and you just like leave him high and dry because
Speaker 1: you guys don't want to be involved with it. Nice, nice,
Speaker 1: nice job. I was just I was just following the director. Wait,
Speaker 1: I have information that I'm just simply reading from our
Speaker 1: producer that you were not the first. Oh I wasn't.
Speaker 1: I feel like you were the second because he was
Speaker 1: departure of Foreign President Charlie Dixon. Mike Ryan, a senior
Speaker 1: at SeeU, becomes the president of the Caghouse, and then
Speaker 1: there was a third apparently who dat what's going on?
Speaker 1: I don't know. I know this is all new to me. Well,
Speaker 1: I guess when they graduate, you had to have someone new,
Speaker 1: But it probably happens all the time. Right, we didn't
Speaker 1: go to college only Onto, so well, he was a
Speaker 1: senior at see you so yeah makes sense. Yeah, you're
Speaker 1: a good president. Though. I want to go out and
Speaker 1: say you were my favorite one, definitely. She hasn't remember
Speaker 1: the others, but she's going to go on a limb
Speaker 1: and say you were her favorite of the two i've
Speaker 1: seen so far. You are definitely my favorite because you're
Speaker 1: really You're kind and you have a kind spirit, and
Speaker 1: you're very fair. And I don't know. You don't listen
Speaker 1: to John Sears that much. No, I do remember. I
Speaker 1: do remember sticking up for him and going after going
Speaker 1: after him after they they played the you know, the
Speaker 1: black ball on him and tried to get him out.
Speaker 1: I remember that. Yeah, you were a good guy. I
Speaker 1: was a good guy. I was a good guy. You're right, yeah,
Speaker 1: John Sears, Yeah, we're still mad. I mean he yeah,
Speaker 1: he mistreated my best friends here. So what happened though?
Speaker 1: Why did you leave? Why it was it only five
Speaker 1: episodes for you? Yeah? I don't know. We do have
Speaker 1: information that your character, Mike Ryan was replaced with Jack
Speaker 1: Armstrong played Mike Ryan. Were confused, why did this happen?
Speaker 1: I have no idea, I have no idea. I was
Speaker 1: just thinking how grateful I am that they didn't just
Speaker 1: replace Kelly with three other people, because that could have
Speaker 1: happened apparently. Jeez, it's a tough business. No, no, m
Speaker 1: You started off on in TV on shows like Falcon Crest,
Speaker 1: which I loved. I'm a huge daytime so but nighttime
Speaker 1: so predominantly, and yes, love Ferris Bueller. Ferris Bueller. Yeah,
Speaker 1: Ferris Bueller, A half hour sit come on NBC with
Speaker 1: Jennifer Anniston was actually in that. She was one of
Speaker 1: the one of the series regulars as well. Multi camera
Speaker 1: like in front of a live audience. No, it was
Speaker 1: a single camera Okay, it was not audience. It was fun,
Speaker 1: it just was not very good. Say that. And you
Speaker 1: were in one of my favorite movies, Four Keeps Left.
Speaker 1: That movie used to be Maybe Baby. Yeah, it was
Speaker 1: a good movie, Molly, Yeah, Randall back movie, good movie.
Speaker 1: What was Class of ninety six? So I'm actually glad
Speaker 1: you brought that up. Classic ninety six was probably my
Speaker 1: most favorite thing that I was that in Doctor Quinn
Speaker 1: Medicine Woman, which which is been a huge part of
Speaker 1: my life, which I'll get to in a second. Classic
Speaker 1: ninety six was a one hour drama and it was
Speaker 1: created by the now late Leonard Goldberg of Spelling Goldberg
Speaker 1: from obviously your Father, Yes Story and the creator of
Speaker 1: your show one and so they were partners throughout the
Speaker 1: seventies eighties and didn't dynasty in all these huge shows. Right.
Speaker 1: So Leonard created Class of ninety six and it was
Speaker 1: an East Coast version. Starting College is nine O two
Speaker 1: one up. We did seven Box and it was just
Speaker 1: kind of didn't didn't catch on fast enough, even though
Speaker 1: you know, very passionate about that project was so long ago,
Speaker 1: but it was extremely well written. Um Peter Horton from
Speaker 1: God this is jogging back so many memories thirty something, right,
Speaker 1: thirty something, Yeah, he was the he wrote the pilot. No,
Speaker 1: he didn't write the pilot that he directed. The piloting
Speaker 1: was involved. Yeah, it was a It was a It
Speaker 1: was just really really well well done shows. Just the
Speaker 1: timing was off. Remember that show party at five? Yeah,
Speaker 1: of course I feel like it followed us at some
Speaker 1: point of saying, vibe the same field of Class of
Speaker 1: ninety six. That's interesting. Leonard did Class of Year and
Speaker 1: then it caught on. I think we've had another year
Speaker 1: would be able to do a story of our lives
Speaker 1: if we had had another year. Yeah, but uh so,
Speaker 1: Lenard Goldberg did Class of ninety six, which is interesting
Speaker 1: because when our show was created, the working title was
Speaker 1: Class of Beverly Hills. I remember that so wild. I
Speaker 1: remember that so that that was before you came on
Speaker 1: to play. That was before okay, and then what was after?
Speaker 1: Ano twent o? Uh so Ferris Bueller was before nine,
Speaker 1: then Class of ninety six, then nine two one? Oh.
Speaker 1: Then I think Doctor Quinn. I think Doctor Quinn Medicineman,
Speaker 1: which I was on for like almost five years. Okay,
Speaker 1: that must have been so much fun to shoot that.
Speaker 1: It was awesome. It was a period piece. It was like,
Speaker 1: and she's the coolest. Yeah, she's so cool, She's great.
Speaker 1: She was terrific to work with. I played a young
Speaker 1: doctor on the show, so a lot of my stuff
Speaker 1: character work was with her, kind of being an apprentice.
Speaker 1: And then I ended up marrying into the family, marrying
Speaker 1: her daughter. Was I met my wife on that show?
Speaker 1: Really your your real life wife? How? How how did
Speaker 1: you meet your wife? Her brother was a crew member
Speaker 1: and was my stand in, and also Joe Lando stand in,
Speaker 1: and so we wrote motorcycles together, and she came down
Speaker 1: to the set periodically. I lived nearby and uh yeah,
Speaker 1: so you guys shot that out in like the canyons
Speaker 1: out there, right, yeah, right off of Canyon Doom. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and I wrote I Guess in Canaan. Yeah. It was great. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that was fun. I liked watching that show. It just
Speaker 1: sort of transported you to that time. Yeah. You know,
Speaker 1: it was so cool about that is every time I
Speaker 1: would put off the garb or you know, the wardrobe
Speaker 1: as you call it in you know, in the business,
Speaker 1: I always felt like I was like that person, like
Speaker 1: because you put on period of clothes and and you
Speaker 1: just you just take on a different Personam kind of
Speaker 1: just slid right into it. It was really cool. I
Speaker 1: had a great time doing that. We can ask you
Speaker 1: another question about nine or two on Yeah, because you
Speaker 1: you were big at this point. Did you just get
Speaker 1: offered the role? Did you have to audition or no,
Speaker 1: I got offered the role. Yeah, okay, that's why I figured.
Speaker 1: But yeah, yeah, I feel I feel like, you know,
Speaker 1: you should have a series regular. Yeah. Yeah, well, I mean,
Speaker 1: you know, I mean, you go from you go from
Speaker 1: most series, don't become nine two z right, most series
Speaker 1: go listen. I used to say this all the time.
Speaker 1: I look back on my career and it's you know,
Speaker 1: to get a pilot is a huge win in the business, right,
Speaker 1: and then for a pilot to get picked up for
Speaker 1: thirteen or seven or whatever, you know, that's like winning
Speaker 1: the lottery, ish on a maybe a state. And do
Speaker 1: you have a show you know, go on and become
Speaker 1: a huge hit like nine two and I was, and
Speaker 1: have the legacy that that it has is just stratosphere, right.
Speaker 1: So I felt so blessed that I was able to
Speaker 1: go from a couple of different series um and just
Speaker 1: and just be a working actor and be able to
Speaker 1: make my livelihood with something I was, you know, so
Speaker 1: passionate about. It was I feel fortunate for that you
Speaker 1: met your wife on the set of Doctor Quinn. But then, what, like,
Speaker 1: why did you decide to sort of slow your your
Speaker 1: acting down or was it to become a dad? What?
Speaker 1: When I was on Doctor Quinn that was my fourth
Speaker 1: series regular role, and I had then when I married Danielle,
Speaker 1: she had a two year old, so I kind of
Speaker 1: became instant dad, even though his biological father was very
Speaker 1: much in his life. Great guy. We're good friends to
Speaker 1: this day. It's terrific. But I got into my early
Speaker 1: thirties at that point, and I had been in Hollywood
Speaker 1: for you know, since I was eighteen, so I've been
Speaker 1: there for about fifteen years. And like I said, it
Speaker 1: felt really blessed to work on a consistent basis. But
Speaker 1: I really started to loathe. I choose that word because
Speaker 1: I just hate I'm so tired of audition. I just
Speaker 1: did not want to. I did not want to potentially
Speaker 1: be an actor who was going to have to audition
Speaker 1: for everything forever, right, So I kind of I did
Speaker 1: a little forward looking. I knew I wanted a big family.
Speaker 1: I knew that we wanted to start having more kids
Speaker 1: right away. So I started thinking, Okay, if I'm forty
Speaker 1: years old, am I going to be happy doing what
Speaker 1: I'm doing? The wave life is knowing what the process
Speaker 1: is as an actor, and if you don't embrace that
Speaker 1: process that, let's face so, there's so much competition here're
Speaker 1: not going to work, right. So I started this company
Speaker 1: that I still have twenty three years later as a
Speaker 1: hobby while I was on the set. Unrelated it's in technology,
Speaker 1: unrelated to Hollywood acting. Has nothing to do with it whatsoever,
Speaker 1: because I had a lot of downtime, you know, being
Speaker 1: a serious regular on that show. I worked like four
Speaker 1: days here at three four days off. Fast forward to
Speaker 1: that started to take off as that show got canceled finally,
Speaker 1: and then I just randled it and I'd never looked back.
Speaker 1: And I've done some Doctor Quinn TV movies, Growing Pains movie,
Speaker 1: I did a few other TV things here and there,
Speaker 1: But I really, honestly, I'm not in front of a
Speaker 1: camera in fifteen seventeen years A long time, are we
Speaker 1: the first? Wait? Tell us about your company. I am
Speaker 1: so impressed that you did this and like admirable, So
Speaker 1: like Mark, make a choice and not not play the
Speaker 1: game anymore. Just he did it on the side at
Speaker 1: the same time, we should have like starting a business
Speaker 1: on the side while you're still in the think of it.
Speaker 1: That's what's awesome. Because yeah, sorry, yeah, um tell us
Speaker 1: about it. Called Tier One Technologies. It's a it's a
Speaker 1: computer product component electronic component distribution business. UM. I was
Speaker 1: really involved in in the stock market at the early
Speaker 1: stages of the dot com boom, and so I met
Speaker 1: a lot of people and I got some really strong
Speaker 1: contacts in computer world ish type companies, and so I
Speaker 1: had access to just some good relationships that i'd established
Speaker 1: and started a distribution business from that, and then it
Speaker 1: just kind of grew into you know, um all types
Speaker 1: of relationships with automotive, gaming, medical, UM. I get to
Speaker 1: use my brain, you know, I mean, which I wish,
Speaker 1: not that you didn't use my brain as an actor
Speaker 1: as I did, but I kind of feel like I
Speaker 1: get to do some of both. I missed this though
Speaker 1: a lot. I missed the creative aspect. It's also one
Speaker 1: of the reasons why I wanted to come to Tennessee.
Speaker 1: I kind of want to kind of wanted to reinvent
Speaker 1: myself a little bit as well. So I'm still trying
Speaker 1: to figure out. I've only been here for a year,
Speaker 1: so I'm still trying to figure out I can give
Speaker 1: my business from it. And they shoot a lot of
Speaker 1: stuff in Nashville. So they shoot a lot of stuff
Speaker 1: in Nashville. I say, yeah, you still, I think you
Speaker 1: should get back in there. We'll see, we'll see. Maybe
Speaker 1: it's maybe maybe maybe in in you know, producing, or
Speaker 1: I can get involved with the project that I could,
Speaker 1: you know, maybe help raise money and something or an
Speaker 1: independent put myself in a role that would be that
Speaker 1: would be of interest for sure. We'll see. Okay, so
Speaker 1: you did all these great shows. You said your favorite
Speaker 1: was probably Doctor Quinn, which I understand. Why what what
Speaker 1: when you kind of stopped acting, were people still recognizing you?
Speaker 1: And what were they recognizing you from? Like what's the
Speaker 1: character that people sort of stuck with? Probably Doctor Quinn? Yeah,
Speaker 1: not nine two and well it wasn't on it long enough. Yeah,
Speaker 1: there was, I mean there was, you know what was
Speaker 1: great about nine or two? And as far as when
Speaker 1: you talk about recognizing if somebody would, I used to
Speaker 1: get this a lot, and I didn't become, you know,
Speaker 1: a household name where people know Tori Spelling and Jenny
Speaker 1: Garth or Jason or Luke or any of you all
Speaker 1: that were, you know, on sets an iconic show. But
Speaker 1: I had this you look really familiar, like I know
Speaker 1: you some kind of always had this luxury if you
Speaker 1: want to call it that, I don't know of. Yeah, Hi,
Speaker 1: I'm Brandon Douglas and I was on this show. Or
Speaker 1: they would say I know, I know you from the show,
Speaker 1: and then I could finish the conversation or I could
Speaker 1: just say yeah, I've heard that and know I look
Speaker 1: like that guy, but it's I do that. I still
Speaker 1: do that. Yeah, I like to use that one like, yeah,
Speaker 1: I get that a lot. I hear that from people.
Speaker 1: It's funny. Yeah, it's fun So it was always cool
Speaker 1: to be able to say nine or two and oh,
Speaker 1: because as soon as I would say that rat president,
Speaker 1: then they knew that mark of that character in the episode.
Speaker 1: And Steve and because you know, you guys going to
Speaker 1: college was a big part of the show. Was bought
Speaker 1: in high school was high school, but then it took
Speaker 1: on a whole different twist once you guys went to college,
Speaker 1: so it was cool. Well, we're so glad you were
Speaker 1: a part of it. Let me just say that, thank you.
Speaker 1: You really did. You did a great job part of
Speaker 1: our legacy. So thank you, Yes, thank you. I appreciate comment.
Speaker 1: Thank you, So Brandon, before you go, there's always internet
Speaker 1: things about your character. But it is super interesting that
Speaker 1: this other actor comes in to take over. I don't
Speaker 1: know why they didn't just make it a different Keig
Speaker 1: House member, but can you remember at all the time
Speaker 1: when you left and they bring in this other guy
Speaker 1: and then it becomes sort of a big president. Mike
Speaker 1: is gay, and Steve I think, actually outs him. We
Speaker 1: haven't gotten to that yet, but I'm just wondering if
Speaker 1: they recast it, like, why were you working how communic continue?
Speaker 1: I must have been working on something else because I
Speaker 1: was a contract actor. I didn't have like a, you know,
Speaker 1: a regular role, even though I had a block of episodes.
Speaker 1: I remember, I remember hearing about that. But I must
Speaker 1: have been involved in another job at that point because
Speaker 1: it was way later in the season. Yeah, it wasn't
Speaker 1: consecutive for sure. That was definitely not part of the
Speaker 1: character arc that I was. I remember being involved. I
Speaker 1: mean it was something somebody else when you're talking about it, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1: So they bring it this but the same character, same character,
Speaker 1: same character, and then he suddenly gets sort of this
Speaker 1: more prominent storyline that has all these complexities which I
Speaker 1: won't get into because we haven't rewatched it yet. But
Speaker 1: and then suddenly it's this new guy. But we're all
Speaker 1: supposed to think it's sort of the same guy. And
Speaker 1: that's not the only time that's happened. That's happened the
Speaker 1: other time. I don't know, I don't know. Yeah, they
Speaker 1: should have just made it a different character. Why would
Speaker 1: they do that to the audience. I don't know. Yeah,
Speaker 1: Brandon Ugless, you were delightful. Yes, so happy to reminisce
Speaker 1: with you. You guys both look great. Thank you. I've
Speaker 1: never been to Nashville, always wanted to go, so hopefully
Speaker 1: let's go visit. I want to go. We have to
Speaker 1: come out. Come out. If you like live music, it's
Speaker 1: a great spot. Love it always there's always something going on. Well,
Speaker 1: be well, love to your family and excited to see
Speaker 1: what happens next for you. That's great. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1: Great to see both of you. Bye, thank you. Hi.
Speaker 1: That was fun, right, it's so fun. Yes, it's like
Speaker 1: the same thing they did, you guys with Jack McKay.
Speaker 1: Remember Josh Taylor was not in the first McKay. Yeah, right,
Speaker 1: So it seems like a similar situation, like maybe the
Speaker 1: you know, the first guy either wasn't great or like
Speaker 1: was busy. But they don't want to change the character
Speaker 1: and that all the time. They do that with your dad, what, Donna,
Speaker 1: that's how was your dad? Oh, maybe it's my dad too,
Speaker 1: but I know it was your dad too. Oh, my
Speaker 1: mom and your mom, your the heck, yeah, because I heard.
Speaker 1: But this is kind of the reverse. That's the only
Speaker 1: thing stimes. They think a character is going to be smaller,
Speaker 1: so they just hire someone like, you know, for that
Speaker 1: one episode. It's not a big part. But then when
Speaker 1: the character gets big, they want to get someone else.
Speaker 1: So that's kind of the reverse of how it happened
Speaker 1: with Brandon Douglas. Just it's just weird though, that they
Speaker 1: would take the keg President and have him on for
Speaker 1: five episodes. He's prominent, everybody knows his face, he's a
Speaker 1: good guy, and then a few episodes later they decide, hey,
Speaker 1: let's go back and bring that character back and make
Speaker 1: him gay. Why just face with a new face, especially
Speaker 1: a notable actor that was offered this job because he
Speaker 1: wasn't notable after people saw him in a lot of stuff.
Speaker 1: You're right, they should have said the character of Mike
Speaker 1: Ryans moved away and like when you go see a play, yeah, totally.
Speaker 1: Isn't that what they do on soap operas. The character
Speaker 1: of Drake Romano is now being played by Drake Romano
Speaker 1: a real I don't know, Oh my god, that's Joey's
Speaker 1: character and friends on the soap opera of Days of
Speaker 1: Our Lives doctor Drake right, no, no, oh my god,
Speaker 1: who's Dedre Hall's husband on Days of Our Lives? Uh?
Speaker 1: Roman Roman played by multiple people and then somehow both
Speaker 1: the actors were available and they let them both be
Speaker 1: on it as different characters. Yeah, but anything goes Drake
Speaker 1: who's the host or whatever? His name was Roman, and
Speaker 1: then there was John Black but it was really the
Speaker 1: same dude, Like, yeah, an original Roman was played awesome
Speaker 1: by Josh Taylor, who was around I mean, Jake, Okay,
Speaker 1: you're still thinking about Maur's place totally. I actually have
Speaker 1: been thinking about it a lot. I know we have
Speaker 1: to go, but a lot of people are asking for
Speaker 1: Melrose rewatch from us, which I'm like, I am, I'm
Speaker 1: out about it, but just saying, you know, my heart
Speaker 1: was in that. I got to say, even though I
Speaker 1: was working all the time and didn't get to watch much,
Speaker 1: I like really was into Melour's place with my friends,
Speaker 1: like really into it the same. That's so funny. Jenny's
Speaker 1: computer just crashed. That's just giving me by