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Spelling Lesson

Soap Opera Digest Magazine


SUNSET BEACH's Randy Spelling Grew Up In Luxury,
But Has Learned To Love The Simple Life.

The decor of Randy Spelling's SUNSET BEACH dressing room is not what you might expect from the 19-year old prince of the Spelling dynasty. No Picasso hanging on the wall. No butler. And no Heather Locklear splashing around in a hot tub with a bottle of bubbly. The room's most extraordinary feature is how ordinary it is. The same might be said for its remarkably down-to-earth occupant, whose only addition to his modest NBC studio pad is a ripped page from Rolling Stone of a hip-hop band taped to the wall.

"When we're at home, we're just normal people," says Spelling (Sean) of his famous family. "My dad walks his five little foo-foo dogs. My mom works on her line of Candy Spelling Fantasy Dolls. Just the normal things." While Spelling's humility is refreshing - not to mention surprising - the truth is that life is anything but normal. When Spelling was born in 1978, his father, BEACH boss, Aaron Spelling, had already sired on daughter, Tori (then 5), as well as a litter of top television classics like CHARLIE'S ANGELS, THE MOD SQUAD, FAMILY, THE LOVE BOAT, and FANTASY ISLAND. Spelling grew up in a sprawling mansion fit for the Carrington's of DYNASTY - and the house the Spelling clan lives now is even larger. Randy Spelling also rubbed shoulders with sexy actresses who other boys his age could only poster to their bedroom walls and fantasize about.

"There's more to life than making money, having nice things and living the high life," downplays the young actor, who graduated from a private high school two years ago. "I didn't grow up thinking everyone lived in a big house and had tons of money. My parents always raised me with morals and to respect money." In the case of the Spelling's, that's a heck of a lot of respect, which is something Spelling clearly values more than anything material.

"When I grew up, I used to love TV dinners," smiles Spelling. Huh? "My favorite was fried chicken, mashed potatoes and corn. And it used to come with a little brownie. Loved it." But, according to Spelling, peel-back platters were no match for Mom Candy's home-cooked vittles. "Mom's cooking was the best! My favorite was her chicken and brown rice casserole. And her sandwiches. She would take a piece of bread, cut off all the crusts, spread mayo on evenly, then take turkey, avocado and make sure every inch of the bread was covered. It was the perfect sandwich. Mom doesn't cook that much anymore because she's dieting...and we're grown up now.

The "we" Spelling frequently refers to is his big sis Tori, of course, now in her 8th season as Donna on another Aaron Spelling hit, BEVERLY HILLS, 90210. Randy and Tori's early sibling rivalry will undoubtedly sound familiar to families everywhere. "When we were little, Tori would try to kill me," confesses Randy. "I mean literally try to strangle me. At the breakfast table before we went to school, I'd want to watch cartoons and she'd want to watch the news. We'd fight so bad they would have to separate us. We have two rooms to eat in. I'd have to sit in one room watching cartoons, and she'd end up in the other."

While Tori's attacks could be brutal, Spelling admits that, like most little brothers, he never missed a chance to provoke her. "One day, Tori was sitting in her room watching TV with a friend," he recalls. "I came in and said something to annoy her and she came running after me - flying six feet in the air, tackling me to the ground, and then she just started pounding me. She went crazy!"

But the hardest blow Tori ever dealt Randy was her decision a few years back to vacate the Spelling nest. "Our family didn't like the guy she was moving in with, so it was hard," a somber Spelling recalls of Tori and her then-beau Nick Savalas (son of the late KOJAK star Telly Savalas). "Nick didn't want any association with our family, so he wouldn't call. I was like 14 - just a kid - and sometimes I had questions for my older sister. I'd call her everyday for like, three weeks, and she'd never call back. It was sad. But we're close now. I don't judge her and I let her do her own thing, but sometimes I definitely play the older brother. There have been certain situations where I took care of her, but we pretty much both look out for each other."

Spelling still lives at home. (Can you blame him? Have you seen that house?) with no immediate plans to alter that status. "About a year ago, right when I turned 18, I considered moving out. There was a little struggle over restrictions placed on me." Chief among those restrictions was the matter of curfew's. (It used to he midnight; now the curfew's been done away with.)

"My mom's more the disciplinarian in our house," admits Spelling of his more private parent, Candy, who incidentally, is currently marketing a line of collectible doll, with all proceeds going to charity. "She'll make my dad follow through with things, but it's hard for him to get mad. He loves his children so much. When Tori and I were kids, Dad always worried about our safety. I mean he'd worry to death. He'd always say, 'You gotta be careful kids, cause you could be kidnapped.' My sister and I were like, 'Dad, puh-leeze.' I guess his fears were not that far off. tI could happen. But I can't stop my life to be paranoid over things like that.

Spelling couldn't stop his life if he tried. In addition to starring on BEACH, he's part of the three man hip-hop band called Lynx. "Hip-hop his basically rap, but less hardcore," explains Spelling, who admits music is what really drives him. He has his own recording studio at home, where he makes his band's music tracks and writes lyrics. "All my songs have positive messages about life - like spirituality and less violence."

The busy teen's acting resume already lists starring roles on the short lived NBC/Spelling prime-time soap MALIBU SHORES, when he played a beachcomber named Flipper, and a recurring part on his sister's show 90210. How is his second year as rich kid Sean Richards, Spelling has found a character he can truly relate to - somewhat. "We had a beach house in Malibu, so I grew up partly at the beach," relates Spelling. "Over the past year, Sean has developed into a much stronger person. He loves his sister, but has this deep resentment for his parents and what they stand for - manipulation and control. He has no respect for them, which is not me at all. I love and respect my family deeply."

Spelling says he'd love to play a character he doesn't relate to in any way. "Someone," he explains, "who definitely didn't grow up in my kind of family. Someone with no direction and no one to turn to." That would be a distinct departure for a young man whose parents have always encouraged him to reach for the stars. "I definitely want to continue acting and eventually go behind the camera - whether I'm writing scripts, directing or producing," Smiles Spelling. "My dad always told me, 'If it's in your heart, then follow your dreams and you will succeed.'"

JUST THE FACTS

  • Birthday: October 9, 1978
  • Hottest Charlie's Angel Star: "Farrah Fawcett was pretty hot. Who were the other two?"
  • Favorite Spelling Show: "I always wanted to watch DYNASTY, but it was past my bedtime."
  • On Meeting Stevie Wonder: "I was like 'wow', but I didn't want to stare at him because I thought he could see me."
  • Thumbs Down: "When I was growing up, I sucked my thumb, had a blanket and a little baby pillow. Until I was 12 years old, I couldn't sleep on a regular pillow if the baby pillow wasn't on it. It was a security habit I couldn't break."
  • A Generous Tooth Fairy: "They, I mean the fairy, would always leave three dollar bills, two silver dollars, and a toy by my bed. One year, she left a keyboard."

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