Matt Lanter is back in high school – with an alien twist – on The CW’s “Star-Crossed,” which premieres Monday at 8/7c.
The former “90210” actor joined TheWrap for its latest episode of Drinking With the Stars at The Bazaar by Jose Andres at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills to discuss his new series.
“It’s a futuristic ‘Romeo and Juliet’ love story, mixed a bit with ‘District 9’ and kind of a Brown vs. the Board of Education,” he tells TheWrap’s guest correspondent Sophie Schillaci.
See video: CW’s ‘Star-Crossed’ Star Matt Lanter Answers Viewers’ Questions
On “Star-Crossed,” Lanter plays Roman. He’s one of a group of alien teens chosen as the first to be integrated into high school alongside human students. He soon learns that nothing will be easy at his new school, especially when he recognizes Emery (Aimee Teegarden).
Ten years earlier, Emery discovered a very scared young Roman hiding in her backyard shed and took care of him until authorities found him and violently took him away. But, Roman never forgot the human girl’s kindness.
Lanter and Teegarden have known each other for years – traveling in the same circles and auditions as young actors do in Hollywood. But, the actor says this is the first time he has really gotten to work with the former “Friday Night Lights” actress and gotten to really know her.
See video: Aliens Meet Hostile Humans in First 5 Minutes of CW’s ‘Star-Crossed’
“She’s fantastic. I love working with her,” he said of Teegarden. “She’s one of the reasons I wanted to sign on with the project.”
And as far as returning to high school after “90210” (“I never left,” Lanter joked), the 30-year-old actor has no problems with playing younger.
“If someone is going to give me a job looking younger than I am, I’m not going to turn it down,” he said. “There are worst problems to have.”
Also read: Matt Lanter Says Goodbye to ‘90210,’ Hello ‘Star-Crossed’
Watch Lanter’s episode of TheWrap’s Drinking With the Stars above.