- Jason Priestley continued The Slice of Life show podcast, where he spoke about Shannen Doherty’s early departure from Beverly Hills, 90210.
- Although there have been well-documented reports of drama on set, the actor said, “I have nothing but fond memories of working with her on the show.”
- Before her passing, Doherty had Priestley on her podcast, where she said her marriage at the time contributed to her leaving the show.
Jason Priestley looks back on one of the toughest behind-the-scenes moments of Beverly Hills, 90210 — Early release of Shannen Doherty.
During a recent appearance on Pete Ferriero’s show The Slice of Life show podcast, the actor, who played Brandon Walsh in the classic ’90s teen drama, opened up about Doherty’s departure at the end of the show’s fourth season, explaining that his behavior had become increasingly disruptive but that the decision to part ways with his co-star wasn’t an easy one.
“I really feel like Shannen’s behavior only started becoming disruptive during the fourth season of the show, and then she left at the end of the fourth season,” Priestley recalls.
Despite the circumstances surrounding his departure, Priestley stressed that he personally never had a problem with Doherty, who played Brenda Walsh, Brandon’s twin sister, on the series.
“There was never any problem between her and me specifically,” he said. “I always loved Shannen. I loved working with her. She was a great actress. She was a great scene partner.”
He added: “I have nothing but fond memories of working with her on the show.”
Aaron Spelling Productions/Courtesy Everett
Asked if he still thought it was the right decision, he paused and replied: “That’s a tough question. » Adding: “I feel like, given the information we had, we made the only choice we could.”
Priestley suggested things might have turned out differently if Doherty had been more open about what was going on in her personal life at the time.
“If Shannen had been more open about what was happening to her in her life at that time, I think we might have made a different choice,” he explained.
In 2024, the actress invited Priestley on her podcast, Let’s be clear with Shannen Doherty. During the conversation, Doherty explained that her marriage to then-husband Ashley Hamilton played a role in her leaving the show, saying, “Toward my last season, I was in a really horrible marriage and there were things happening in that marriage that made it very difficult for me to always be on time for work.”
She added: “I don’t think anyone knew that my father was very ill, and I don’t think anyone knew that my husband was a big drug addict…and it was eating me up. I didn’t even want to leave the house because I was afraid he was going to do drugs.”
The actor pointed out to Ferriero that losing Doherty meant losing one of the essential ingredients to the show’s success. And indeed, fans were shocked the moment she left the show.
“You have to remember that it was scary for us because Shannen was part of the secret sauce that made the show successful, and we were going to lose that,” he said. “Even though we knew it was going to impact his life and his career, we knew it was going to impact our show as well.”
He reiterated that the decision was not made lightly, adding that fans sometimes tend to romanticize the behind-the-scenes experience of the shows they grew up watching, saying, “You know, the reality is we weren’t a group of high school kids. We were a group of adults who got up in the morning and worked at 6:30 in the morning and worked until 7 or 8 at night and then went home.”
Mikel Roberts/Sygma via Getty
Priestley revisited his 90210 days in recent weeks. Last month, he reunited with his former co-star Jennie Garth on her Podcast 9021OMGwhere the two discussed another major turning point in the show’s history: his decision to leave the show.
During that conversation, Priestley revealed that Brandon and Kelly Taylor (Garth) were originally supposed to get married, but his departure from the show ultimately changed those plans.
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“Yeah, I think so,” Priestley said when Garth asked if the couple was always meant to end up together. “I think that was the overall plan.”
“So what exactly happened?” » asked Garth.
“I’m gone,” Priestley replied.
The actor, who played Brandon for eight seasons, explained that his departure, which prompted his character to move to Washington, D.C., made the planned marriage impossible. He also reflected on his growing frustration with the show’s increasingly melodramatic storylines, admitting that he repeatedly encouraged executive producer Aaron Spelling to end the show while it was still a success.
“I didn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel,” he said.
Beverly Hills, 90210 ran for 10 seasons, ending in May 2000.
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