Production has already kicked off over in Los Angeles on Susanna Lo’s ‘Manson Girls’ and now even the public can get involved in this great project based on the notorious Manson family and more importantly murderer and conspirator Charles Manson. Manson will be played by actor Bill Moseley (‘The Devil’s Rejects’) and he’ll be joined by a slew of lovelies to appear as the ‘Manson Girls’. But hold the phone, because with a simple and generous eBay bid you could find yourself with your very own walk-on role in the movie! That’s right, Slomotion Studios are offering a lucky and successful bidder the opportunity to win a walk-on role, autographs from the cast and tickets for the Helter Skelter official tour in LA. So head over to eBay at the link below (where the bid is currently at US $1,525.00) and see if you can get yourself on set. It has to be worth it just for the potential opportunity of brushing shoulders with a range of hotties that include Monica Keena (‘Night of the Demons’), Laura Harring (‘One Missed Call’), Heather Matarazzo (‘Scream 3’), Stella Maeve (‘My Super Psycho Sweet 16: Part 2’), Brit Morgan (‘True Blood’), Tania Raymonde (‘Lost’), Gillian Zinser (‘90210’), Taryn Manning -below (‘Hawaii Five-0’) and Estella Warren (‘Planet of the Apes’).

Do your best bidding over at the ‘Manson Girls’ eBay listing here.

‘Manson Girls’ follows a young girl from a wealthy Malibu family who fell under Manson’s spell. She was not one the “Family” members involved in the clan’s infamous murder spree but was later imprisoned after she became involved with the Aryan Brotherhood and was convicted of being an accessory (after the fact) to murder.

GILLIAN ZINSER, actress/artist/philanthropist and 90210 cast member tells i-D about the hills.

Chatting with Gillian Zinser, actress/artist/philanthropist and 90210 cast member, we were pleased to discover the exhaustingly talented 26- year-old is every bit as awesome as we had imagined.

Articulate, warm, switched on and straight-forward, the precocious performer is graduating from West Beverly Hills High to the big screen this year with high-profile parts in upcoming features Manson Girls and Oliver Stone’s Savages. A former student of NYU, Gillian continues to explore her studies off campus, which include the inter-disciplines of art, film and philanthropy. Creating self-reflexive portraits and volunteering with projects such as ‘Artists For Peace and Justice’ in Haiti, Gillian has built up a well-balanced CV and loyal following. Returning to UK screens this week as surfing tomboy Ivy Sullivan in Season 4 of 90210, Gillian Zinser speaks to i-D online about the revamped TV teen classic and her own adolescence, talks performance art and shares her top 10 artistic influences.

What was the all-American high school experience like for you? I had an odd experience in high school – remember that movie Mean Girls? Tina Fey adapted that from a book about my school written by someone that went to it… I wasn’t exactly the most popular and I didn’t have the best experience. I was itching to get out.

Did you watch 90210 back in the day? Yeah, of course. I wasn’t allowed to though – I used to sneak off to watch it.

Are you a Kelly or a Brenda? I can’t really tap into my bad girl very easily, I’m going to leave the Brendas to the AnnaLynne McCords of this world. Ivy’s not like Kelly either, she’s more of an Emily Valentine, that’s the direction I would have liked to take her in but they took me on a really different path.

What attracted you to the part of Ivy? She’s not your typical teen drama character. I think just that. I’m not one to watch soaps and, as I explained, my high school experience was very trying and tumultuous and often not a fun one. I guess, in short, I was attracted to Ivy as a character because she was more of a black sheep than anything else and even though she’s your average teenage girl who is riddled with insecurities, she’s found a way to be comfortable enough in her own skin not to conform. That’s a really fun and important thing to bring to television and our audiences in particular because we’re speaking to a large group of teenagers who for the most part are going through such a formative period of development.

What’s working with Tristan Wilds like? Had you seen The Wire before joining the cast? Tristan is the classiest cat around. He’s an extraordinary artist whose talents are far underutilised on the show.

Can you tell me more about your childhood growing up? I grew up in Washington, which I shy away from talking about because I feel so detached from the city because it was so devoid of artistic culture and I grew up in a family of artists. My father’s an architect and my mother’s a painter – we didn’t come from a family of politicians, and I often found that I couldn’t really relate to or associate with the city I grew up in. My Dad’s from New York and my Mom’s from Berlin so I spent a lot of time in between the city (NY) and DC, taking the $10 Chinese Fung Wah bus up every weekend just to hang out with people and seek out forms of inspiration that I could actually understand. The minute I could leave DC I did – I moved to New York for college and never looked back.

Did you study art or acting at New York? My parents didn’t allow me to go to Tisch so I went to Gallatin, which is a tiny school within NYU. They let you choose your own major so I decided to study the relationship between fine art, the entertainment industry and philanthropy and see where we can build bridges between them.

How did that lead into acting? All my life I’ve just wanted to be a storyteller, to share my take on the human experience and explore the consequences of what we do and why. I’ve been infatuated with the potency of film as a platform to tell stories and I guess at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you’re talking through a script or the camera, I feel like I’m just here to share my perspective on things.

Are you still making art? Yeah, I’m always itching to make and create something. We have a million moments in between takes and scenes at work so I always have a pencil, a notebook or a camera on me – I’m addicted to the process of creation.

Have you ever done any performance art? I thought that might be a good medium for you… combining the two. A lot of people ask me that but no, I haven’t really had the desire to do that. For the moment I’m sticking to portraiture. I’m inspired by artists like Cindy Sherman… I’m on a show that takes up most of my year and I don’t get to play a lot of characters that I’d love to. Using my downtime to dress up for two seconds of a snap shot to play a character lets me sneak into the skin of someone I would one day like to be able to play but don’t have a chance to. So I guess that is a form of performance art.

What was the last exhibition you went to? I just got back from New York where I saw the Tim Burton exhibit. And did you go to the Tracey Emin show in London? At the White Cube Gallery? She’s so dirty, I love her!

Gillian’s Top 10 Artistic Influences

1. I’m currently obsessed with Marcel Dzama – he’s a Canadian contemporary artist.
2. Kati Heck is an artist I found in Berlin while I was travelling over there and I’ve been infatuated with her work ever since.
3. Goran Djurović – he’s a Serbian artist who I just discovered out at this gallery Obsolete, here in Los Angeles.
4. Mark Whelan is a good buddy of mine I met in Australia and he does something that looks like dipping dots mixed with S&M!
5. There’s a filmmaker, a guy named Cam Archer who just blows my mind… he made a film over here called Shit Year with Ellen Barkin and Luke Grimes and that’s definitely my favourite film of the year.
6. Also have you heard of a guy called Robbie Basho? He’s like one of THE uncelebrated 60s acoustic guitarists.
7. Also, a guy named Moondog – you have to look him up, he’s phenomenal. He dresses up like a Viking!
8. Then a band called Wiseblood who just put out their first EP this year.
9. My friend Malcolm Ford, he’ll be releasing a record later this year produced by Queens of the Stone Age.
10. Lastly a writer, a Kenyan author whose first novel/memoir is called ‘One Day I Will Write About This Place’. His name is Binyavanga Wainaina – he writes about the kind of Africa that’s long been forgotten. It provides a better perspective than that of the Western world, looking in on what we imagine Africa to be.

Text: Frankie Mathieson

Please Join:
Olivia Wilde, Brandon Boyd, Gillian Zinser, Dawn Olivieri, Eva Amurri Martino + Kyle Martino, Will McCormack, Jason Pomeranc, Roxana Saidi, Ashlee Margolis, Baelyn Neff, Nico Mizrahi, Kathryn Everett, Bryn Mooser, Irene Neuwirth, Moj Mahdara, Laurie Mulstay

for cocktails in support of ARTISTS for PEACE and JUSTICE

Thursday, January 5th
7:00-9:00 P.M.
Tickets: $75

Caulfield’s at the Thompson Hotel
9360 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

More event detalis: artistsforpeaceandjustice.eventbrite.com

The CW has launched Causes to Care About, an online destination where viewers can learn more about the charities embraced by the stars of their favorite CW shows, and donate to their favorite causes this holiday season.

Fans can go to causes.cwtv.com to find videos from stars of many of The CW’s primetime shows, in which each actor talks about why their chosen charity is one close to their heart. The site will also link to each actor’s chosen charity, so fans can easily donate directly to them.

Some of the participating actors include:

Gillian Zinser (90210) for Artists for Peace & Justice, and Waves for Water

Waves for Water is a non-profit organization founded by Jon Rose and supported by Hurley International. Waves for Water works on the front-line to provide clean water to communities in need around the world. We work with world leaders and strategic partners who take a no-nonsense attitude toward making global change.

Artists for Peace and Justice, established in early 2009, is a fundraising effort founded by Paul Haggis and friends that encourages peace and social justice and addresses issues of poverty and enfranchisement in communities around the world. The organization’s immediate goal is to build schools to serve the poorest areas of Haiti, providing an education, hot meals, clean drinking water and regular medical treatments to the children living in the slums.

Ivy and Raj have called it quits, but what’s next for Ivy? Will she head off to New Guinea with the adorable professor or will she mourn in her failed marriage, not exposing herself to the world around her? It doesn’t seem like Raj plans on telling Ivy about the status of his health any time soon, but that doesn’t mean he won’t catch up with one of her friends and have her find out through the grapevine. There’s so much that could happen, it’s hard to predict what the writers will explore next week and what they will save for the second half of the season.

90210 airs its fall finale December 6, 2011 at 8/7c and returns January 10, 2012 on The CW.

The latest in a series of intimate moments with beautiful women — in their own homes, in their own clothes (most of them, anyway), and at their invitation. Come on in.

For someone who is on 90210 — there’s a new one, and that’s perfectly fine that you didn’t know that — 26-year-old Gillian Zinser is a lot more like the “normal” women you see regularly on MeInMyPlace.com. She has one of those Tumblrs and she looks like she came out of the DVD extras of Dazed and Confused and she travels a lot for no apparent reason and she talks about things like “the responsibility of artists.” And yet: “I’ve never considered myself hip or in the know or cool by any means.” Well you should know her soon, not as your teenage cousin’s favorite hip surfer girl so much as one of those hippies in the new Oliver Stone movie about pot and guns and NAVY Seals. And because she invited us over. —The Editors

I found myself running in a lot of circles. I was willing to pick up anything from pencils to cameras to scripts to paintbrushes and make anything with them. But as soon as I graduated, I went to Kenya to photograph these slums of Kibera. And I met someone who convinced me to move to L.A. the minute I got back. So I went from the slums of Kibera to 90210. That wasn’t exactly the path I imagined. I didn’t come out here to be a part of a soap opera. I’m very, very appreciative of this job, but I think it was more of a learning platform. And from here I’d like to get back to the reason I wanted to be a part of storytelling to begin with.
Oliver Stone asked me to do a role in his film, Savages, and I have a tiny debut, but it was fun to be a part of his world for it. And I look back on all these experiences that I’ve had that maybe didn’t make so much sense at the time, and now I understand them as everything that I needed to give me the tools and experience to be able to now tell the stories that I want to be a part of.
I spent the winter down in Costa Rica learning how to surf. I’m partial to warm water — to not having to wear a wet suit — and I ride a long board, so it’s a very different sport than what you see my character do on the show.
No, I’m a water temperature snob. And the water here is insanely cold. It’s far colder than you would imagine. It’s a succulent collection back there. I mostly just like cactus because I don’t know how to care for plants — or water them, really. I’m a bad gardener.
T-shirts. Old t-shirts. And my mom’s old sundresses from the 60s, definitely.
I think everyone’s home is a pretty good reflection of what goes on inside their heads.

Gallery Links:
x10 | Photoshoots: 014
x144 | BTS: Me in My Place with Gillian Zinser

Production has officially kicked off on Susanna Lo’s ‘Manson Girls’. The story which revolves around the girls who followed murderer and conspirator Charles Manson. Bill Moseley (‘The Devil’s Rejects’) will star as Manson which seems like perfect casting to us and a whole host of stunning actresses will be joining him. Monica Keena (‘Night of the Demons’), Laura Harring (‘One Missed Call’), Heather Matarazzo (‘Scream 3’), Stella Maeve (‘My Super Psycho Sweet 16: Part 2’), Brit Morgan (‘True Blood’), Tania Raymonde (‘Lost’), Gillian Zinser (‘90210’), Taryn Manning (‘Hawaii Five-0’) and the gorgeous Estella Warren (‘Planet of the Apes’) are all playing their parts in the story and no doubt looking damn fine as they do so. Keena (below) will be making her nude debut in the movie during a sex scene which won’t be gratuitous but important to the story. Eric Balfour (‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’), Chad Faust, Jennifer Landon Patti D’Arbanville and Michael Monks also star.

“‘Manson Girls’ follows a young girl from a wealthy Malibu family who fell under Manson’s spell. She was not one the “Family” members involved in the clan’s infamous murder spree but was later imprisoned after she became involved with the Aryan Brotherhood and was convicted of being an accessory (after the fact) to murder.”

Season four of 90210 is all about “transitions,” Gillian Zinser says, as the characters we’ve followed for years are growing into themselves, taking on various adventures in the world, figuring out where their lives will take them next.

Except for Zinser’s Ivy, that is. She has already established her position in life, dedicating it to taking care of husband Raj.

“Ivy is in a completely different world from everyone else,” Zinser told me over the phone. “She’s struggling between finding a balance between her marriage and living for herself. What makes her happy? What does she truly want to do?”

Those questions do seem a bit more pressing than what kind of party Naomi will next throw.

When Ivy and Raj got married, they did so with an understanding that an “expiration date” was attached to the relationship, Zinser explains. He was sick. The concept of forever was actually not abstract. But now Raj’s cancer is in remission and Ivy is questioning whether she fell in love with who Ray brought out in her, as opposed to Raj himself.
“There’s a bit of romantic confusion,” Zinser says and 90210 viewers know why: Ivy seemed taken with photographer Nick last episode.

What can we expect to go down between these two? The actress teased:

“A triangle will form that will test Ivy’s devotion and dedication to Raj. They will re-examine their relationship.”

Starting tonight? Tune in and find out. The gang heads to Las Vegas this evening.

Gillian Zinser has answered Shoe Revolt’s question, “What shoes do you have that kick sex trafficking to the curb?”

Gillian Zinser donated a pair of Senso pale green pumps from her personal closet to Shoe Revolt, an Oregon nonprofit that fights commercial sex trafficking in the U.S. through shoes. The pair is on sale now for $300.00 – a steal for these stylish, autographed heels!

Zinser studied at New York University before landing appearances on hit shows such as Southland, Cold Case, and Cupid. Gillian also starred in the MTV television film, The Truth Below, and was in the independent thriller Liars All opposite her new 90210 co-star, Matt Lanter. Currently, Gillian resides in both New York and California as she plays her biggest role yet, the carefree Ivy Sullivan on The CW’s 90210. Keep an eye out for Zinser this year, as she will star in her first feature film, The Truth Below. Gillian can definitely be considered a philanthropic celebrity. She is regularly involved in Artists for Peace and Justice, which included taking a trip to Haiti to rebuild a school, and Hugh Jackman’s Live Below the Line Campaign, to help end severe poverty. Now she is helping to eradicate commercial sex trafficking by donating to Shoe Revolt.

If you want to buy these great pumps before someone else snatches them up, visit www.shoerevolt.com/shoes/gillian-zinser. To learn how to donate shoes from your own closet, visit www.shoerevolt.com.

On “90210,” Gillian Zinser plays whip-smart, whimsical Ivy. But what happens on TV doesn’t stay on TV for this actress, who’s just as quick and quirky as her onscreen counterpart. We chatted with Gillian about her fearless fashion sense, building schools in Haiti, the status of “Manson Girls” and more.

Wonderwall: What did you do on your summer vacation?

Gillian Zinser: We had a month off, and within that month, I worked on another project and spent the rest of my time down in Haiti working with Artists for Peace and Justice. Our mission at large is to build schools to serve the poorest areas in Haiti.

WW: How was that?

GZ: I loved spending time in Haiti. It is one of the most inspirational communities, and every time I get the chance to, I go down there. We just erected the only-ever public secondary school to exist in Haiti so that was incredibly exciting, so I went down to check that out and check on some kids that I have grown attached to down there.

WW: You’re always wearing something cool and unique on the red carpet. How do you prep? Do you work with a stylist?

GZ: No, I don’t really believe in working with a stylist. I give myself a rule of no getting ready for longer than 20 minutes. I think that that does not need to be over-thought. I put on what makes me happy, and I am inspired by my moods and what is going on in my head, and God knows there are some crazy stuff in there. I think people respond to the way I dress because it’s representative of my personality, which is eccentric and consistent to keeping myself comfortable within my own skin and not conforming to what others expect or want to see.

WW: Have you had any favorite outfits you’re worn?

GZ: My favorite item in my wardrobe might be my sequin muumuu. I bought that at a thrift store called One Revelation on First Avenue in the East Village in New York. That piece makes me happy.

WW: You and Manish Dayal, who plays your husband Raj on “90210,” work with an organization called Be the Match. Tell us about it.

GZ: BeTheMatch.org is the largest registry for bone marrow donations in the country. A huge issue right now is the fact that out of the 7 million people that are registered, 75 percent of them are Caucasian. That leaves way too many people unrepresented as minorities looking for matches. So Manish and I have done a PSA, and we are working to reach out to minority communities to get them educated and aware of the problem that people who are of minorities have 1 in a 20,000 chance of finding a bone marrow match, and try to get them registered, which costs nothing and is an important part of being a part of the community.

WW: How did you get involved with the organization?

GZ: Our storyline is directly related [to it]. Raj has leukemia on the show and is going through chemotherapy right now. If Raj’s [chemo] was not to work, his character would very possibly have to get a bone marrow transplant, which is why we researched and found BeTheMatch.org and became involved with them. He is Indian, so the Indian representation within the registry is so underrepresented, so if his character were to need a bone marrow transplant, the chance of him finding a match would be really unlikely, in which case he would have a hard chance of living.

WW: Have you yourself registered?

GZ: Yes, of course!

WW: This season, there were big cast shakeups with Trevor Donovan, Ryan Eggold and Lori Loughlin leaving “90210.” Has the dynamic on set changed?

GZ: It’s a shame to see friends go, to not have them with us on set as castmates, but we are also completely supportive of one another as artists, to be able to see them, their lives and careers open up to better opportunities. So I am really happy for all of them to get to move on and direct themselves in another direction.

WW: On the movie front, you’re tapped to play Summer Sunshine in “Manson Girls.” What’s the status of the flick?

GZ: It’s an interesting storyline and a fun piece. We haven’t started — that’s been pushed.

WW: But you do have some movies coming up, right?

GZ: I did an Oliver Stone flick, “Savages,” and I did do a movie with Matt Lanter called “Liars All.”

WW: Are you and Matt completely sick of each other now after doing last season of “90210,” then the movie and now coming back for another season?

GZ: He actually just sent me a text saying, “I miss working with you! I never get to see you anymore.” It didn’t cross my mind. I never see him on set because our storylines are so uninvolved at this point. I really do miss working with Matt. He is one of my favorites. He is a gem to be around, and probably the funniest cast member on set. I do miss Matt a lot and no longer get to see him anymore because Ivy is kind of off in her old world.

Catch Gillian on “90210,” Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW!

At Saturday’s CW Premiere Party, we briefly caught up with actress Gillian Zinser to get the 411 on Season 4 of 90210, which begins at 8PM tonight on The CW.

We also asked her about what’s coming up between her and Raj (Manish Dayal) in the coming season.

“In short, everyone’s transitioning from high school to college. This season is concentrated on that formative period of growth and development from the community that you come from into your own personal understanding of self. While everyone else is exploring themselves through the stereotypical partying that goes on at college, Ivy finds herself having to deal with Raj’s cancer, and then being married, and then finding the balance between being caretaker and also living her life for herself, enjoying herself and having fun,” she says.

But for the scoop we really want to know the answer to – will Ivy actually smile this year?

“I —-in’ hope so!” she says enthusiastically.

Season 4 of 90210 premieres tonight, September 13, at 8PM on The CW. Take a look at some images from the episode!

The CW’s 90210 kicks off its fourth season this Tuesday at 8/7c, and while a lot has changed (showrunners, cast members, college), new executive producer Patti Carr (Life Unexpected) tells TVLine that fans need not fret — it’s still the same emotionally-heightened coming-of-age sudser you know and love.

TVLINE | Welcome to 90210! Is this season going to be an example of new showrunners, new show?
Not at all. It was an exciting challenge to come in and decide how we were going to take these kids from childhood to adulthood. The kids will start to define themselves and confront who they are.

TVLINE | Season 3 ended on an ambiguous note as to who was actually going to college. That said, how will everyone still interact if they are all in separate locations?
We’re using college the way that kids want college to be — it’s all about the parties and the social life, things that everyone can be involved in whether they’re at the college or not. Our approach was really to take all of the characters who had plans for their lives and screw it all up and make them go through a whole lot of stuff to realize that their friends are their new family. Everybody is back in the premiere episode and you’ll see where they’ve been over the summer, what they thought their lives were going to be, and then how everything changed for them. And we take it from there.

TVLINE | Where do things stand with newlyweds Ivy & Raj when the show picks up?
Ivy and Raj (Gillian Zinser and Manish Dayal) are back [in town] and we’re going to follow the progression of his cancer, as well as their marriage. It’s interesting because they took that step into marriage and really thrust themselves into their adult lives, more so than everyone else.

TVLINE | That was a beautiful little arc in Season 3. Do you plan to maintain his “three years to live” cancer prognosis?
There are actually not only different obstacles for Raj and Ivy, but a really interesting twist on their story regarding what happens with Raj’s cancer. We fell in love with it and when we pitched it to the studio, there were audible gasps.

TVLINE | A remission story, perhaps?
There may be some elements of that. [Laughs]

Fashion stylish Steph Ashmore tells on his twitter:

Just styled Gillian Zinser for Zooey Magazine: Bohemian on acid. With velvet.

Are you guys excited?

90210 – an old zip code with a whole lot of new drama! The CW’s hit television show is currently filming it’s fourth season. One of the show’s stars, actress Gillian Zinser, is only kidding with the Brenda Walsh bit, because by now, it’s no secret that the spin-off teen drama is very different from the original series.

“I think we are really just trying to touch on the generation now, opposed to the old one touching on the generation then…times are changing,” says Tristan Wilds.

Tristan and Gillian were at the Hurley Walk the Walk 2011 National Championship surfing competition Thursday afternoon in Huntington Beach, CA. Celebuzz caught up with the duo to get the scoop on the popular show’s upcoming season!

“What can you not expect? There are so many ensemble stories coming together. There are a bunch of new characters and some old characters leaving us and a lot of transitions, we are all coming into our own,” says Zinser.

The season picks up with the gang after their high school graduation. The two wouldn’t give us any spoilers, but they did hint to the fact that the group will all be doing their own thing.

“If they will go to college, if they won’t, what they have seen done this summer, maybe something opened their eyes to something else…you will definitely get to see where kids want to be after high school,” says Tristan.

They may all be carving their own paths, but Gillian assures us the clan still has one thing in common.

“I think a lot of us have just grown the ‘eff’ up over the summer and you will see that in the surprising decisions that we all make in terms of where we are all going and who we are staying with and who we are leaving behind,” says Zisner.

Do you want to know who will be staying or who is checking out of the popular zip code? Tune into the season premiere Tuesday, September 13th at 8 PM on the CW!

Gillian Zinser

While she might not be a surfer-tomboy like her character, Ivy, on 90210, Gillian Zinser can still appreciate a natural, beachy look when it comes to beauty! To get waves like Gillian, scrunch some salt-spray into your damp hair, which will make your locks look like you just hit the sand – no wetsuits required.

The actress (and artist) reveals her extensive vintage collection and most prized works.

Gallery Link: x16 | Miscellaneous: Home & Vintage collection

Gillian Zinser may be best known for her role as Ivy on 90210, but this summer she’s headed to MTV with a new movie. And this time she’s majorly trading in the surf for the snow in The Truth Below, about a group of friends who get into a crazy scary accident while on spring break. And we caught up with Gillian who dished on the flick, working with a cast full of hotties, and why she’ll miss Trevor Donovan on 90210 oh-so-much.

Click on to catch our exclusive Q+A with Gillian!

Teen: The Truth Below is a psychological thriller and that’s very different from 90210. How did you mentally prepare for this role?
GZ: Well, I think what attracted me to the character that I play in Jenna was the fact that kind of like Ivy, she’s also a guy’s girl, she’s a bit of a tomboy, and she’s pretty tough and protective of herself. But what was so interesting was finding all these layers that at the end of the day she’s an average, normal girl who has a crush on a boy.

Teen: Cool! There were some super intense scenes in the film. Which was the hardest to shoot?
GZ: The most challenging stuff to play was once we got into the car wreck and we were stuck in this confined space of shooting everything in this one vehicle. All that was just incredibly difficult because we’re only working with three feet of space to live in.

Teen: Right. And you snowboard a lot in the flick. Have you ever snowboarded or was that a totally new experience?
GZ: I used to snowboard quite a bit. Last time I was snowboarding I remember I was with my boyfriend and we got into an ugly accident, so I had honestly been afraid to get on the slopes for quite a while. It was wonderful to be able to with this movie.

Teen: Cool. Do you prefer the snow or would you rather be in the sand like on 90210?
GZ: Yes, I’m definitely much more of a beach bunny. I prefer the sun over the snow.

Teen: So, there’s some really scary things that happen on the vacation in the movie. Have you ever had a similar scary encounter?
GZ: I think I’m fortunate that I’ve never been in a car accident. I also know better than to smoke pot and drive. So, no, I’ve never put myself in that position before, but I think all of us actors learned a few lessons about survival and safety measures after shooting.

Teen: After the whole crash happens, you start to play that game True Confessions. Do you think games like that can tear apart friendships like it did in the movie?
GZ: That’s a good question. I think when you’re put into a situation where you’re really really forced to look at yourself honestly and question who you are and who you’ve been and the things you’ve done and if you’ve regret having done, the relationships you’ve made and the things that maybe you’ve never got to do in life, when you really look at all those things, of course it’s going to bring out a lot of dark colors.

Teen: Right. So we need to ask. What was it like working with a bunch of hot guys on set? You’re the only girl in the cast…
GZ: Yeah, that was definitely part of the attraction of this film for me; to find a way to hold my weight as the only female in a cast of an all male ensemble. That was challenging but really, really fun as well. Not only were Reid, Ricky and Nick just wonderful to work with, the characters that we all played were all so so so different and I never really noticed the fact that I was the only girl on set.

Teen: Okay, so let’s do some cast superlatives. We wanna know…who was the most likely to mess up their lines?
GZ: I’d go with Reid!

Teen: Who would you say pulled the best pranks on set?
GZ: I’m gonna go with Ricky.

Teen: Who has the best abs?
GZ: Best abs? Definitely Nick!

Teen: The best smile?
GZ: Uh, Ricky.

Teen: Who would you say was the most serious?
GZ: I don’t think that applies to any of us cause we were lucky to have been blessed as a really, really comedic, light-hearted crew of actors. The script and the context of what we were shooting with was serious enough, but when there was a chance to lighten things up we had no choice but to keep ourselves sane with comedic advances.

Teen: Let’s talk 90210 for a sec. How do you feel about Trevor Donovan not coming back next season?
GZ: Trevor is one of the most fun, lovely human beings I’ve met in Los Angeles and he’s a dear friend of mine and we’re both new [to LA}. I think we moved at the same time, so we had a special connection. Not working with him will definitely change the dynamic of the set a lot for me.

Teen: But now they’re cutting out the show’s only gay character/storyline!
GZ: I know! I personally wouldn’t have cut him out myself, so I’m not sure. I think Trevor did a really great job at bringing important conversations and with the show this year and his identity crisis and coming into a more truthful self. I think he had a lot of beautiful response from fans who needed to watch somebody go through that in order to kind of be more comfortable with answering those questions in their own life and Trevor did so wonderfully and it’s a shame to cut that storyline short.

Teen: Yeah definitely. We agree, it will be hard to see him go. So, what are your summer plans this year?
GZ: I start shooting in four weeks so my summer is kind of cut off. I spent my hiatus filming three other projects and my family’s celebrating my dad’s birthday by… we’re gonna be sailing around Greece and surfing so that’s how I’m gonna be ending my summer.

Teen: Have you ever had a really memorable vacay, in the sun or the snow?
GZ: I’d have to say my freshman year of college, my best guy friend and I decided to go down and spend the month in Costa Rica learning how to surf and that’s when I first started surfing. Just to be alone with your best friend in a completely foreign place taking Spanish and surfing [is cool.] Costa Rica’s insanely gorgeous and the balmy weather – it was completely unforgettable.

Teen: Cool. Well, we can’t wait for the new season of 90210.
GZ: I’m excited, too! Hopefully it will be a lot more sunshine and less drama!

Teen: Yeah, definitely, but probably not, right?
GZ: I’m always after boys who don’t want me, I’ll tell you that much!

Us too, Gillian. Us too. The Truth Below premieres on MTV tomorrow, June 16 at 10/9c! Will you be tuning in? Are you excited for the new season of 90210? How do you feel about Trevor not coming back next season?

What happens when four college kids are stuck in their car after an avalanche hits?

“The Truth Below is about the emotional unraveling of these four kids who become vulnerable and have no choice but to shed a bunch of layers,” star Gillian Zinser tells TVGuide.com.

The MTV film follows Jenna (Zinser), Ethan (Reid Ewing), Dante (Nick Thurston) and Liam (Ricky Mabe), who go on a snowboarding trip during spring break. After an avalanche hits, leaving them trapped, the movie takes a psychological turn that Zinser says “examines the themes of truth, the relationship between truth and fear, and all the consequences of living dishonestly.”

Although the thriller seems a far cry from the actress’ role on 90210, she was drawn to this character for some similarities Jenna has to Ivy.

“They’re both layered individuals who present themselves in a singular tough façade and with moxie, but the pleasure in playing this role is watching those tougher exterior layers unravel.”

Jenna breaks down throughout the movie when she learns one friend is in love with her and another is a complete jerk. As the hours go by, the group fights to survive the deteriorating temperatures as well as each other.

While The Truth Below isn’t typical MTV fare, Zinser believes it will appeal to the network’s audience.

“It’s a really interesting developmental period of the characters’ lives, freshman year, something that we can all relate to,” she says. “You’re meeting so many new people and forming new friendships and relationships and really getting to know other people, but digging deep into who you are as a person.”

Can’t wait for premiere? MTV.com give you a sneek peek for 3 scenes from a movie.

90210 star Gillian Zinser spills all the details on her new MTV movie, The Truth Below. Here’s what she had to say about everything from being a tomboy to making real friends.

You might know Gillian Zinser as 90210 surfer-chick-turned-teen-bride Ivy, but this month, she’s starring in a new movie called The Truth Below, on MTV (June 16, at 10 PM). In the movie, Gillian and three guy friends (including her crush) get trapped in a car in an avalanche, on a snowboarding trip. Things spiral out of control as they start freaking out and sharing their deepest, darkest secrets. The whole things seems pretty intense (and scary in a very real way), so we sat down with Gillian to get the scoop on her character Jenna, what it’s like to have mostly guy friends, and how well she thinks her friends actually know her.

17: What’s your favorite thing about your character Jenna?

GZ: Jenna is a guy’s girl. She’s a tomboy, but what I found interesting was how protective she is of herself. Underneath all these tough layers, she’s still your average, vulnerable girl with a crush on a boy.

17: In your own life are you more of a guy’s girl or a girl’s girl.

GZ: I grew up not having very many girl friends. Girls tend to be competitive. I actually went to the school Mean Girls was written about, so you can only imagine what my high school experience was like! I was more comfortable with guys growing up, but now I find myself more comfortable in my own skin and open to people, regardless of their gender or popularity or any other label, as a result.

17: This movie is all about letting down your defenses, and figuring out how well you really know your friends. How many of your friends do you think really know you?

GZ: That’s been a pretty relevant theme in my life lately! I moved from DC to NY and then from NY to LA. The most interesting part of my move was the social part. It was kind of a social detox. In NY you’re always around people, but in LA you can go days without seeing anyone. The people in my life are friends I have by choice. I’ve made a conscious effort to have them in life. I only have the time and energy for so many people, which has cut down my friend group to a handful, but I’m so much happier with fewer good people, who really do know me.

After its success with the My Super Psycho Sweet 16 slasher flicks, MTV goes for more psychological tension in its latest original movie, The Truth Below (premiering Sunday, June 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT). Yet the man who helmed it made his name with a stalker opus: Scott Glosserman, who won raves for his debut feature Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon a few years back and spoke exclusively with Fango about his new opus.

Forgoing Mask’s satirical approach, Glosserman aims for screws-tightening suspense with Truth’s study of four young people under pressure. Jenna (90210’s Gillian Zinser), Ethan (Reid Ewing), Dante (Nick Thurston) and Liam (Ricky Mabe) are a college-age quartet heading home from a snowboarding vacation when their car goes off a mountain road and winds up buried in the snow. Unable to free themselves or the vehicle, they decide to play a game in which they share secrets from their pasts, slowly revealing dark sides and threatening each other’s ever-dwindling hopes of survival…

FANG: How about selecting your cast? Was there any particular quality you were looking for during the auditions?
GLOSSERMAN: Before I sort of married myself to particular looks or intricacies or physical movements, I wanted to make sure I cast incredibly intelligent actors, who were confident in their own choices and their own skills. Being in such a confined space, there’s so much emotion in there, and so many things that needed to be conveyed with very little movement. And I also wanted to connect with the MTV audience, which is younger than me—but I knew my cast was going to be a lot more familiar with them. And some of the preconceptions I had about my cast, about my characters, some of the archetypes and most importantly about Gillian’s role, Jenna, got overturned. Gillian and I had some amazing, unbelievable talks about her philosophy, about pop culture, about women and young people and femininity and sexuality. And they informed my directorial decisions as much as I informed hers, and the other actors’.

The cast was spectacular. They were all anxious to do something different. Gillian’s role is completely different from the one she plays on 90210, and she really stepped up to the occasion. Reid Ewing also goes completely against type from what he plays on Modern Family, and I think people will be amazed at his performance. They all brought it; Ricky Mabe has been in the game for a long time, a lot longer than many others, and he brought a real even-keeled, professional quality to the cast. He was a real great anchor for everybody. And Nick Thurston’s a movie star; he’s incredibly charismatic and bright. All of them were so prepared, so professional, so talented, and it just made my life as a director that much easier. The other thing is, we were all friends, we were all a big happy family, especially given that we were in a confined space for such a long time, and we all got along tremendously. That really helped too.

MTV will continue its original movie initiative with the June 16 premiere of The Truth Below.

The two-hour thriller stars Gilian Zinser (90210), Reid Ewing (Modern Family), Nick Thurston (Surviving Ophelia) and Ricky Mabe (Zack and Miri Make a Porno) as college friends who learn more than they bargained for about each other after getting trapped under an avalanche returning home from a snowboarding vacation.

“We were immediately drawn to the script for The Truth Below which explores the complex and challenging themes of friendship, sex, death and betrayal through the perspective of characters the same age as the MTV audience,” said Chris Linn executive vice president of programming & head of production in a statement. “The Truth Below is an opportunity to expand our original movie brand beyond horror and comedy and work with an incredibly talented group of young actors. The twists and turns in the plot combined with exceptionally strong performances make this movie a true thriller.”

The Truth Below marks the sixth original movie from MTV since the network launched its new movie initiative in 2009. The previous films include the horror-themed My Super Psycho Sweet 16 and sequel My Super Psycho Sweet 16 Part 2; the dance-tinged Turn The Beat Around, and comedy-based Made The Movie and Worst Prom Ever!