LOS ANGELES, California?The big joke on the set of 90210 was, maybe the show?s title should be changed to a Canadian zip code. After all, a number of its stars come from there.

The young actors and actresses of 90210 share more than just their roots. For most of them, this show is their biggest break yet, and the newfound fame is taking some getting used to.

It?s no big surprise the show has gotten a lot of attention. It is, after all, the contemporary spin-off of Beverly Hills 90210?the hit ?90s show controversial during its time for its themes and the widely reported on-set tension among its co-stars.

There?s none of that in the new show, the stars insist. They all hang out and even watch the show together.

?It?s actually one of the cooler things about this cast; so far we don?t hate each other,? says Dustin Milligan, who plays jock Ethan Ward on the show.

90210 follows the premise of Beverly Hills 90210, but instead of Brenda and Brandon moving from Minnesota to California, we have Annie and Dixon, who just moved from Kansas and are adjusting to the craziness in their Beverly Hills high school.

Elements of the old show can be seen in the new one?including The Peach Pit. Shannen Doherty (Brenda Walsh) and Jennie Garth (Kelly Taylor) returned to the set, too, this time as faculty members (and sans claws).

Sex, drugs and family troubles are recurring themes in the show. It will make you glad your high school life wasn?t as complicated.

Meet the kids of 90210.

Dustin Milligan (Ethan Ward)

How did you react when you got this role?

Man, I freaked out. I was in my underwear in bed when I heard that news, and I just jumped right up and starting dancing and freaking out. And then I ran into my living room and started freaking out with my roommates about it. Then I went back inside and put on pants. It was crazy.

Soon enough people are not going to be able to talk to you anymore, I guess.

Everybody says that. Everyone?s like, ?Wait and see what?s going to happen. Get ready for it.? But no hordes of teenage girls are chasing me down the street.

How?s life in L.A. here for you?

I don?t like the Hollywood lifestyle that much. I kind of avoid all that and go skateboarding by the beach rather than worry about who?s taking my photo in Hollywood.

What similarities do you have to Ethan?

Very few. Growing up, I was never a jock. I skateboarded, I snowboarded, I did more of that kind of thing than actual team sports. I was not the king of jocks, Mr. Popularity, that Ethan is set up to be. But I think one of the cool things about Ethan is that he?s got a sense of humor that?s very similar to mine. In general, though, I think it is kind of a stretch for me. I?m from a small, small town in Canada, so this whole thing is just a jump.

So your upbringing is completely different than Ethan?s?

Yeah, I did not have a lot of money. I never had a car. I still don?t have a car.

Annalynne McCord (Naomi Clark)

Did you watch Beverly Hills 90210?

I never saw a single episode. I was pretty much allowed to watch ?Little House on the Prairie.?

You were too young?

I was, like, three when it came out. I was really young.

How did you grow up in comparison to the girl in the show?

Probably the complete opposite. No money, didn?t go to high school, was home-schooled, graduated at 15, and moved to New York on my own at 15.

Were you modeling?

I ended up doing some modeling. I was able to make a little money here and there. I just kind of lied about my age, you know. I was very smart as a 15 year old. I was like, ?Guess how old I am,? and then they?d guess 19, 20. I?d be like, ?Good guess.?

Didn?t you have to be 18 to rent an apartment?

I couldn?t lease. In New York people have a lot of roommates because it?s so expensive. So I would come in and be, like, business suits, and I would try to look as old as possible, red lipstick, you know, nice to meet you. I was all prim and proper, and, yeah, I sublet. I moved around a good bit. But I just really believed that this was what I wanted. I wanted to be an actress. Film was my passion. I remember how connected I would get watching a project. And I wanted to impact people with my work. So that kind of gave me the driving force. Looking at it now at 21, so much could have happened to me living in New York, but I was very blessed. I had little guardian angels on my shoulders, that?s for sure.

Did you ever miss not going to high school?

For a hot minute I did, but then I was like, you know what, I?m 21 years old now and I?ve lived in Miami, I lived in New York for three years, I?ve lived here for three years. I?ve been all around the world. I?ve been able to travel overseas. I?ve been able to see so much and still be 21 years old and be working on a kind of a hit show, getting to talk to you guys from all around the world. It?s been such an incredible opportunity. For five minutes I was kind of like, ?Hmmm, I wish I would go to prom,? and now I get to go to a homecoming on the show. I get to go to prom.

You go to school at work.

Yeah. I go to school at work now, and I get paid for it. And apparently I?m spoiled, rich, and popular. It?s great.

How much of Naomi is in you or how much of you is in Naomi?

I try to put myself into Naomi as much as possible. We definitely had completely different childhoods, but at the end of the day she?s still very much a girl who wants to feel beautiful, who wants to feel approved of, who wants to feel loved, who wants her parents to approve of her and validate her feelings and her insecurities and give her some stability, and she rarely gets that. And that?s kind of why she has the edge that?s she has. So I try and incorporate that as much as possible, so that you get the raw, real truth and vulnerability in Naomi even though she?s a bitch.

What do you do when you?re not on the set?

I?m usually sleeping. I?m kind of boring, honestly. I don?t drink so I rarely go out. I have a kitten named ?Mouse,? and he?s my best friend, my little boyfriend, my little buddy. And I love hanging out with him. I have two really great girlfriends, and we do sushi a lot. I?m not the Naomi going-out-to-clubs girl, unfortunately.

Jessica Stroup (Silver)

Are you happy with your character?

I?m thrilled. I?m having a blast. She?s so much fun to play?spunky. I think the writers are doing a great job because it?s so relevant to today?s times. She?s a girl who has her own mind. She speaks her mind, and she blogs about it.

Was your high school completely different?

Totally different. I?m from the South. I?m from a world where sports rule. To me and my parents, if you love it, you play your sports and make good grades and you?re set. I hate hearing that high schools today are cutting out art programs to save funding. They?re cutting down on drama or music, and that?s so vital, that?s so important to teens, to development, to creativity.

Do you guys talk about your show?s impact on viewers?

Yeah. The cast, we talk about the story lines and where they?re going. We want it to be a great show. We want to show what kids are going through.

Michael Steger (Navid Shirazi)

What?s it like to play a journalist on the show?

It?s great. I get to be nosey and not have to apologize, I always want to be that inquisitive type of guy and be out there, so it?s fun.

How was your high school experience?

I felt like high school was just?not too long ago I had the whole world on my shoulders. Everything was huge, every date, every moment was, like, a big deal.

How different is it from the high school shown in your series?

You know, I didn?t grow up with all the money; so it?s a whole new world. My mom, she bought me a 1986 Toyota pickup for $600 and said, ?Here?s your first car.? And my first car in the show is a Bentley 2008 with 26-inch rims.

Do you really have a black belt?

I do. I trained all my life, and I taught for two years. Martial arts is my first love. That led me into acting.

Did you watch the original show?

A little bit here and there, and I knew all the drama. I was very aware of everything that happened, and even when I met Shannen Doherty I was impressed and nervous. I was carrying all this junk food to my trailer and she was sitting outside of her trailer, and I was, like, should I talk to her, should I talk to her? I went up to her and said, ?I?ve heard so many amazing things about you.? And she looked at me and said, ?Yeah, and none of those are true.? (Laughter) She has a great sense of humor.

Have you been chased by fans on the streets?

I had, like, 20 girls follow me to Forever 21 which was really awkward because they were standing there with their phones taking pictures, and I just looked at these girls and I didn?t know what to say. I looked like a complete moron.

Do you like watching yourself on TV?

It?s really hard. I like to fast forward through it, but I cringe when I see myself. I always feel like I can do it better, or the scene could have taken a different direction.

What are your hopes and dreams for your career?

I?d love to do a martial arts epic film.

Tristan Wilds (Dixon Wilson)

What can you tell us about your character?

He?s pretty cool. He?s kind of a troublemaker. He is very fun, very light-hearted. He?s the adopted son of the Wilson family.

Are you similar to Dixon in any way?

Yeah, pretty similar. He?s a really smart kid, and I was kind of a geek in school. I wasn?t one of the cool kids. I was more the kid in the library giving people math notes. Dixon, he?s kind of a troublemaker. I guess I get into trouble a little bit.

Did you have a similar relationship with your dad?

My dad was the one who taught me how to cut my hair. That was one of our bonding things. You know how Dixon and Harry bonded over lacrosse; me and my dad bonded over barbering. He taught me when I was 11, and ever since then I?ve been in the barber shop cutting hair. Even when I go home, I still go, ?Hey, who wants a shape-up??

Did you watch the original show?

Yeah, a little bit. My sister was a big fan. I?d probably be watching cartoons, maybe ?2 Stupid Dogs? or ?Ren & Stimpy? or something, and she?d come sit on my head and change the channel.

And who was your sister?s greatest idol in the original show?

Kelly. I remember she would always talk about Kelly and Dylan?s relationship.

Has she been on set already?

No, but she?s been bugging me, ?Oh, my God. I?ve got to come out there, Tristan. I?ve got to see Kelly.?

Isn?t it weird that you?re in a spin-off of a show that your sister watched all the time?

Yeah, it is. When I was auditioning for it, my sister said, ?Oh, my God. Oh, my God. You?re auditioning for ?90210.? Tristan, you have to get it.? I?m, like, ?Relax. I?m going to do everything I can. It?s not up to me. All I can do is audition.? But thank goodness I got it. And when I got the call, she was a lot more excited than I was. I called her up. ?Tahlia, guess what? I got the part.? ?Oh, my God. Oh, my God,? phone dropping. I was like, ?Oh, man. Wait a minute.? Jesus, she was running around the house and screaming and stuff.

Have you met some original members?

Yeah, I met Shannen Doherty. Shannen Doherty is really, really cool. I also met Ian Ziering at a party. It was crazy because I?m, like, ?Wait a minute. You?re Ian.? And he said, ?Yeah, man.?

Did you get some autographs for your sister?

Not yet. I?m going to wait until she gets here so I can introduce her to people. ?Hey, this is my sister,? and just watch her melt.

Jessica Lowndes (Adrianna Duncan)

Have you bonded with the cast and made friends?

Yes. I love everyone. Everyone is so sweet and supportive. We?re all at the same place in our career. It?s really exciting and new.

How about the other girls? They?re not catty and having problems? They had some problem on the old show.

No, not at all. Shannen?s amazing to work with. My character has a lot of emotionally charged scenes with her, confrontational scenes, and after every take she?s hugging me and encouraging me. It was surreal to work with her.

How did you feel when you started working with her?

It was very cool. I wasn?t afraid, I was excited. I had to warn her. My character is pretty dark; so I?m going to do some pretty crazy stuff, and she was totally cool with it. We had some intense scenes. It was fun.

Did you do research to be Adrianna?

I did so much research. I don?t have experience with drugs personally at all. I talked to real addicts about it. I watched documentaries. I watched drug movies, almost every drug movie ever made. I was kind of concerned at the beginning because it is a very dark character, and I didn?t want people to hate her. I wanted to give her a lot of depth, because underneath it all she?s not a bad person. She?s just going through a hard time, and she?s under a lot of pressure and she?s really sad. I?ve had people actually come up and say, ?I can totally relate to what you?re going through or what your character?s going through with your mother,? which is devastating, but also amazing. I can be there and help them not feel so alone in that situation.

How was your own time at high school?

Well, I wasn?t on drugs. I was fine. It was good. It was a whole different experience for me. I lived in Canada. I went to private school, so it wasn?t as in your face as this drama. But I was in the school musical, so I can relate in that aspect.

You sing?

I do sing.

You write songs?

Yes. I took piano for years. I was randomly sitting next to this producer on a plane, and next thing I knew, I gave him my demo CD. He bought it to the CBS show ?Moonlight,? and they bought my song ?Goodbye? which was really cool. And for 90210, they actually used my song ?Fly Away,? in the scene where I?m high on Vicodin listening to my earphones singing in class. That was my song, which wasn?t a great representation because I?m supposed to be cracked out and sounding horrible. But they?re really open to using my own stuff.

Do you watch your own show when it airs?

Sometimes we watch it as a cast. Or I?ll invite people over. I never watch it really alone. That?s just weird. The more the merrier.

You get recognized by the paparazzi too, right?

Yes. That?s not really fun. They?re nice right now. Obviously it?s so new, and there?s nothing to be weird about and mean about, but it can get out of hand. It?s a very invasive thing.

Shenae Grimes (Annie Wilson)

Do you have a lot in common with your character?

Yeah. Coming from Canada to here is a big transition. It?s a culture shock.

But many of you come from Canada.

I know. I was so relieved. You feel instantly bonded to people when you come from the same place, and Canada is such a warm place. Privacy is hugely important there, just a general sense of respect for one another. As soon as I met Dustin I was, like, ?I feel like I?ve known this kid forever.? We?re all the same breed. It?s really bizarre, but it?s true.

How was the auditioning process?

Oh, my God. It was so ridiculous. I was told that Annie got cast; so I put Silver on tape the last day that I could. And then I got a call the next day saying to put Annie down on that tape that day. Did it. Got a call that night telling me to fly out to L.A. that weekend to screen test. Did that. Got told that the producers switched off, and there were new people on board. Then I came back, auditioned for them live. Then I went home. Then two weeks later, I got told that Hilary Duff got my role. Then I got a call two weeks later saying, never mind, she?s not doing it, you are. And there you go. It was like a month and a half of craziness, but it happened, eventually.

What was your high school experience?

The first two years, we?re really similar to West Beverly. I went to a very catty high school for a couple of years. It was miserable, and I was definitely in it. I was an immature 13, 14-year-old kid. And then I started acting and I started seeing a world outside of high school. I started seeing how real people interacted, and it wasn?t this catty bull that happens in high school. So I left that high school and went to a more independent program. I just kind of went to class when I could, did the work I needed to do, and learned my social skills outside of high school. I think that?s key. I think that?s very important, realizing that a world exists outside of it.

Is fashion important for you?

Hugely important. I want to pursue it as a separate entity from my acting career. I don?t want to sell clothes in five minutes because I?m the girl from 90210. That is of no interest to me. I want to create a line that makes an imprint in the fashion world, that?s innovative, something new, something people haven?t seen or heard of before, and I want it to be quality.

As a designer?

As a designer. I don?t want my name to be attached to it directly and necessarily. I will be a spokesperson for it because I believe in what I do and I want to have control of everything I?m putting out there. But I want to have longevity and a fashion career completely separate from the acting world. I?m hugely inspired by vintage. I?m always at the flea markets and stores and sifting through things and being inspired by new collections. I interned at a fashion network, so I was constantly watching the tapes of fashion runways and seeing what was happening. Style.com is my little Bible. Just staying in tune with what?s happening and trying to be one step ahead of it I think is key. So when the time comes, when it?s right, hopefully it will happen. I want to take my time with it. I don?t want to rush into anything because I want it to last.

What are you wearing today?

This is not so exciting?a beater and jeans. This is ?Sass & Bide.? The shoes, I just looked at, they?re called ?Pour La Victoire,? which I guess is some French fancy thing, ?J Brand Jeans,? always a good go-to. Wife beaters are key, very easy, and these are vintage necklaces from just around.

Do you like to go to the Hollywood events?

No, I don?t. The more I can avoid the cameras, the better. I?m not big on the party thing. I don?t like getting my picture taken. Paparazzi follow me all the time now. But, you know, I can?t give up a good time, either. I can?t give up a great experience that I wouldn?t have if it wasn?t for the job.