What To Know
- Kathleen Robertson plays Elsbeth Sampson, a fiercely protective political spouse, in Reacher Season 4.
- Robertson has had a long TV career, but first hit it big with Beverly Hills, 90210.
- She revealed that her time on 90210 was very difficult.
In Reacher Season 4 Episode 2, “Cage Fight,” fans are introduced to Elsbeth Sampson, played by Kathleen Robertson, the no-nonsense wife of Congressman John Sampson (Marc Blucas). She first appears when Reacher arranges to meet Sampson at the National Mall. Instead of the congressman coming alone, Elsbeth arrives with Sampson’s head of security.
Unabashed and fiercely protective of her husband and his career, Elsbeth makes no bones about her position in Sampson’s life: Right by his side. Far from a shrinking violet, Elsbeth can handle anything Sampson says in front of her, and there appear to be few, if any, secrets between them. In turn, she protects him from anything and everything that could threaten the career they have built together. And with Sampson eyeing an even bigger political future, they share the same ultimate goal: Getting him into the White House.
But while Elsbeth may be new to the world of Reacher, Robertson should look more than a little familiar to TV fans. The actress has been a familiar face on the small screen for decades, including a memorable run on one of the biggest teen dramas of the 1990s.
Over the years, Robertson has made a name for herself with roles in Scary Movie 2, Boss, Bates Motel, and The Fixer, but she first found fame as Clare Arnold on Beverly Hills, 90210. The smart, witty, and privileged daughter of California University Chancellor Arnold (Nicholas Pryor), Clare became romantically involved with Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering) and is best remembered for everything from throwing herself at Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestley) to calling out Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) over her cocaine addiction; Clare eventually became a core member of the group.
Aaron Spelling Prods/courtesy Everett Collection
But behind the scenes, these were not so peachy at the Peach Pit.
In The Slice of Life Show by Pete Ferriero, Robertson revealed how toxic 90210 was.
“Going into it, I was sort of like, ‘Oh, this feels dangerous. This feels like something I could be really typecast. This feels like something that isn’t going to lead to good things.’ Which is why I left when I did. It felt scary to me not to leave,” revealed the actress.
But being typecast wasn’t the only issue, as bullying was a component of the show as well
“It was horribly difficult,” said Robertson. “It was the biggest show in the world. And when you, or for me anyway, I can’t speak to anyone else, but it was not a warm and fuzzy environment to land into.”
She explained that the bullying started in the beginning. “They would take Polaroids… I would see my Polaroids in the makeup trailer cut in half.”
However, not everyone was mean to her. “Some of the actors were very welcoming. Tori [Spelling] was amazing. Day one, warm, amazing, welcoming, but yeah, it was rough.”
Most recently, Robertson has starred in the hit show Tracker, wherein she plays Maxine, a high-powered and successful attorney from a major firm. Now with two high shows under her belt, she can put the mean girl antics of 91210 behind her.
Reacher, Season 4, Wednesdays, Prime Video
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