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Why was Shannen Doherty fired from Beverly Hills 90210? Actress weighs in on exit
Shannen Doherty reveals personal struggles behind her being fired from Beverly Hills, 90210, citing unprofessionalism due to a tumultuous marriage and battles in her personal life.
Shannen Doherty, widely recognized for her role as Brenda Walsh in the iconic TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, recently opened up about the circumstances surrounding her departure from the show after its fourth season in 1994. In a candid conversation with former co-star Jason Priestley on her podcast, Let's Be Clear With Shannen Doherty, she delved into the personal challenges that ultimately led to her unceremonious exit.
Shannen Doherty opened up about being fired from Beverly Hills, 90210
During the podcast episode, Doherty openly acknowledged her unprofessionalism on the set, attributing it to the turmoil in her personal life. Her marriage to Ashley Hamilton, which ended after just one year due to Hamilton's battle with addiction, significantly affected her ability to be punctual at work. Shannen reflected on her last season, confessing, "Towards my last season, I was in a really horrible marriage, and there were things that were transpiring in that marriage that made it really hard for me to consistently be on time for work." She regretfully admitted that her unpunctuality inconvenienced her co-stars, extending their work hours, stating, “I know that became a very big problem for the rest of you, as it should be because if everyone else is on time and you are waiting for one person it sucks.”
While taking full accountability for her actions, Shannen expressed a wish that the producers had approached her before deciding to write off her character, Brenda Walsh. She desired a more compassionate conversation about her personal struggles, hoping to find a resolution that didn't involve her dismissal. “I sort of wish I would have been sat down and sort of looked at and said, ‘Listen, the end result is going to be this, you are going to get fired and none of us are willing to put up with it anymore and I understand that you have an issue in your personal life, but that also can’t bleed into work. You have to get your s**t together!'” she expressed.
But the acclaimed actress acknowledged that her lack of transparency with the makers eventually became the cause of her exit from the show. She further added that her father at that time was “super sick” totaling up to “the most bizarre situation”, stating, “I didn’t even want to leave the house because I was scared that [Hamilton] would go and get drugs.”
Jason Priestley felt sorry about being unaware of Shannen Dohert’s troublesome past
Jason Priestley, who played Brenda's brother Brandon Walsh on the show, shared his perspective on the difficulty the cast faced in understanding Shannen's behavior without her opening up about her personal struggles. He expressed regret at not knowing more about her life at that time, as it could have led to more compassionate management of the situation.
He shared, “I wish that I would have known more about what was happening in your personal life at the time because I could have hopefully managed it with more compassion and more caring, but we only knew what we knew. Of course, the hardest thing for me was the show was about Brandon and Brenda, it’s about the Walsh family and ‘How is that going to impact the show?’ and ‘How would we find a path to move forward with the show?'”
Shannen, however, made it clear that she doesn't hold any grudges against her former castmates, emphasizing her personal accountability. “I do blame myself because I should have had my personal life more together, I should have left a relationship earlier, I shouldn’t have been going out. I got definitely affected by the attention, and all of a sudden I could go into a nightclub and it didn’t matter how old I was. I found it all very alluring and seductive. And I fell into that trap, then you add the personal issues and I should have been transparent,” she admitted.
Shannen's openness about her faults and the acknowledgement of the impact on her co-stars is surely commendable. The legacy of Beverly Hills, 90210 remains intact, but Shannen's confession sheds light on her personal struggles causing a negative impact on her professional life.
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