In Season 4 of “Reacher,” Canadian actress Kathleen Robertson plays Elspeth Sampson, the protective wife of presidential candidate John Sampson (Marc Blucas). Elspeth will look especially familiar if you watched a lot of TV in the 1990s. If she reminds you of a whip-smart blonde college student who once handcuffed herself to the bed of Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestley) on “Beverly Hills, 90120,” you’re spot on. More than 30 years ago, Robertson joined the cast of Fox’s iconic teen series “Beverly Hills, 90210,” playing Clare Arnold.
After moving into the famous beach house with Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) and Donna Martin (Tori Spelling), she became a core member of the gang. Aside from the aforementioned handcuff incident with Brandon, he wasn’t the only object of her desire. Clare also had romantic flings with David Silver (Brian Austin Green), but it was Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering) who ultimately became her main squeeze. She eventually said bon voyage to Los Angeles and left for Paris with her father, breaking Steve’s heart in the process.
While joining the juggernaut series and taking on the role of Clare was a major step up for Robertson, there was a lot of tension behind the scenes. In a 2026 interview on the “Slice of Life” podcast, the actress opened up about her time on what she called “the biggest show in the world,” describing the set as “super intimidating” and “horribly difficult,” acknowledging it was not a “warm and fuzzy environment.”
Kathleen Robertson had a tough time on Beverly Hills, 90120
While speaking to Slice of Life, Robertson also shared a particularly unsettling story about the time she discovered cut-up photos of herself. “They’d take Polaroids — continuity Polaroids,” she said. “I’d see my Polaroids in the makeup trailer cut in half. I don’t know who did it.” (Via Entertainment Weekly). When she asked about the photos, the makeup artists shed no light on who the culprit was. “They were embarrassed because they didn’t want me to have seen it,” she added. “They were trying to protect me.” But Robertson noted other cast members were welcoming, particularly “90120” lead star Tori Spelling, whom she said was “amazing” from day one. Ultimately, the rough environment prompted her to move on.
Robertson recalled feeling like she had “to get out of here.” She added, “If I don’t, I’m f—ed.” After leaving “Beverly Hills, 90210,” Robertson made the jump to the big screen, starring in films like Gregg Araki’s cult classic “Nowhere,” “Splendor,” and “Scary Movie 2.” On TV, she landed guest roles on shows like “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “CSI: Miami,” and “Bates Motel” before eventually joining the cast of “Reacher” — and she’s loving every minute of it. “I had never really been a part of a show that was such a huge sort of global phenomenon in the action space,” she told PauseRewind (via NBC 24). “And I’d never really done anything like this, and so I was really, really excited to be a part of it.”
