On last night's episode of "90210," we finally got our first more-than-fleeting look at Teddy's soccer-playing beau Marco, and learned his fatal flaw in the process: He's not rich! GASP! How dare he step foot in Beverly Hills without a seven-figure trust fund to his name! Teddy didn't seem to mind too much, though, a happy circumstance for those of you drooling over the dark and handsome actor behind the role: Freddie Smith.
We got on the phone with the Ohio native recently to chat about his breakout role and to find out how long he'll be staying in California's most infamous zip code.
Hollywood Crush: What attracted you to this character?
Freddie Smith: The character was great. Me and him are kind of similar. He's an athlete. I didn't play soccer, but I played basketball and baseball in high school, and he's got a very charismatic personality, and I always look at things positively, and so does my character. So we had a lot of similarities. And it's a great show.
What was the audition process like?
It was a funny story. Usually when you go for a recurring guest or a new character you go up to five or six times. I went one time and they put me on tape and cast me from the tape. It was amazing. They called me, and my manager was like, 'Hey, you're going to do a chemistry read,' and I was assuming it was going to be with Trevor [Donovan]. But then two hours before I was supposed to go in, he called me and said, 'Hey, they don't want to see you anymore.' And I was like, 'Why?' And he said, 'Because you booked it.' And I was like, 'Wow!'"
So you didn't meet Trevor before filming?
That [first scene] you saw. We knew each other for two hours before we did that scene.
What have fan responses been like so far?
There's people like girls, guys—all different ages. It's all been positive, thank God. They've been appreciative of what I've been doing. This one guy sent me a long letter saying he was a writer and after watching me, it helped him get over his writer's block. He came up with this new character. It's really great that my work is touching people. It's amazing to have people appreciate the work I'm doing.
What can you tell us about the last few episodes of the season?
[Teddy and Marco] go to prom. It's an amazing prom. It's going to be a great episode. I think it's one of the more mature relationships, especially for high school kids. But with these characters, they're just so mature. They really know what they want and who they are. It's great to be able to play a character who knows what he wants.
Do you know how many episodes you'll be in?
I'm not sure. This season is a total of five. There's a great possibility I'll be back next year, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they're doing with it!
Do you hope Freddie returns next season? Are you enjoying Teddy and Marco's relationship? Tell us what you think in the comments and on Twitter!
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