Jason Priestley, Vanessa Morgan Talk Father-Daughter Bond on ‘Wild Cards’

Jason Priestley and Vanessa Morgan’s father-daughter relationship on The CW’s Wild Cards grew naturally — in part due to their familiarity of each other’s work. 

Priestley, 55, told Us Weekly exclusively that he was a big fan of the network’s Riverdale, a teen drama on which Morgan, 32, starred, long before he ever met the actress. The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum watched the show in support of his late friend and former costar Luke Perry, and soon became aware of Morgan’s talents. 

“I was very familiar with Vanessa,” Priestley shared. “I used to watch Riverdale with my daughter Ava, who’s a teenager, and we loved watching that show together. I started watching it because my dear friend Luke was on the show, but I became a very big fan. I thought they did a lot of really fun, interesting stuff on that show and obviously shot in my hometown in Vancouver.”

While Morgan has not yet seen the original Beverly Hills, 90210, she was well aware of one of the series’ biggest stars. The actress said that Priestley is “a household name” who she was thrilled to work with. 

“I watched the new generation of 90210, but obviously, I just knew who Jason Priestley was because I feel like that’s a household name,” Morgan said. “My family was just so excited. They’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, Jason.’ It’s on my bucket list to watch the original 90210 because I loved the new one, so it’s on my list.”

“Don’t go too far down that rabbit hole, Vanessa,” Priestley responded with a laugh. “There’s, like, 300 episodes of it. It’ll take a year.” 

The pair also bonded over their Canadian upbringings — although they are  from two different coasts — and their shared identity as parents. Morgan had an extra visitor by her side when she returned to the set of Wild Cards in September 2024: her daughter. The Riverdale alum and her fiancé, James Karnik, welcomed their first child together, a baby girl named Kaia, in July 2024 — just five weeks before she began filming. 

“I think anything after having a C-section is pretty full on, but I didn’t have much action stuff,” Morgan said about her return to set. “I think the hardest part for me was getting in and out of cars because I had a C-section. I think it’s also the hours and breastfeeding. I was really running on lack of sleep — three hours a night — and that, for me, was the hardest part.”

Morgan added that the show’s crew and cast, including costar Priestley, were supportive and encouraged her to take the time she needed to care for her daughter. The actress, who is also a mom to son River, who she shares with ex Michael Kopech, revealed that she suffers from “baby brain” at times, but found a way to power through on set. 

“Oh, I still have [baby brain],” Morgan said. “Literally, still have it. I literally was asked, ‘Oh, what did you do yesterday?’ And I’m like, ‘I actually do not remember.’ It’s a problem. But yeah, obviously everyone was super supportive, so if I ever forgot my lines or anything like that, everyone was patient with that.”

A father of two teenage children with wife Naomi Lowde-Priestley, Priestley jokingly told Morgan that he still forgets things on occasion. 

“It never goes away, Vanessa. My youngest is 15 and I still have baby brain,” Priestly joked. 

Wild Cards Season 2 premieres on The CW Wednesday, February 5, at 8p.m. ET.