Shannen Doherty and Rose McGowan
Sylvain Gaboury/FilmMagic/Getty ImagesRose McGowan wishes she had made friends with Shannen Doherty earlier.
“If I regret anything, it’s knowing her sooner,” McGowan, 50, said on the Friday, Aug. 23, episode of the podcast “Let’s Be Clear With Shannen Doherty.” (Doherty’s mother and inner circle continue the podcast in Doherty’s honor.)
“I don’t know how it would have happened, but I wish we could have,” McGowan said.
McGowan described the late actress as “the bravest, most courageous fighter” she knew. “We were really pitted against each other,” said McGowan, who Charmed after Doherty’s dramatic exit, continued: “I was just told she was fired and nobody talked about her.”
The power of three will free us… from everything except drama. Charmed, which premiered on The WB in 1998, made headlines from the start when Aaron Spelling cast Shannen Doherty to play one of the three Halliwell sisters, four years after she was infamously fired from Spelling Television’s Beverly Hills, 90210. “(Aaron) (…)
Charmedwhich ran from 1998 to 2006, originally starred Doherty, Holly Marie Combs And Alyssa Milan as witches (and sisters) who try to protect the world from evil. After three seasons on the show as Prue, Doherty’s exit was announced. McGowan joined the series in season 4 as half-sister Paige.
Shannen Doherty and Rose McGowan
Gerardo Mora/Getty ImagesDoherty has spoken openly in the past about how she believes Milano, 51, had a hand in her firing. Milano has denied he had the power to remove Doherty from the production. Looking back on the drama, McGowan stood by her decision to never speak ill of Doherty after she joined the cast of Charmed in her place.
“I refused to take the bait. They wanted me to start a war with her and I said, ‘No way. I’m not going to start a war with her,'” she added Friday. “And to her credit, she absolutely did not do that.”
McGowan was grateful for the opportunity to build a real bond with Doherty towards the end of her life, saying: “What a gift to be able to spend the last year and a half with her, truly an incredible gift.”
She continued, “The biggest misconception about her was that she was tough. At the same time, it was the truth, but it wasn’t her natural personality. And I would say that was the biggest misconception about me too. We both just love to laugh. There’s a softness underneath all that.”
The cast of Charmed is mourning the loss of Shannen Doherty, who died at the age of 53 from complications of cancer. “A true lion heart. What a warrior,” wrote Rose McGowan on Sunday, July 14, in an Instagram comment. “Your daddy is holding his best girl now. Love to your mom, your dog and everyone who (…)
Doherty announced her cancer diagnosis in 2015 and after two years of chemotherapy, she was in remission. The cancer returned in 2020 as stage IV breast cancer. In November 2023, the former “Beverly Hills, 90210” actress confirmed that the cancer had spread to her bones.
“I don’t want to die,” she said People the same month. “I’m not done living. I’m not done loving. I’m not done creating. I’m not done changing things hopefully for the better.”
We weekly confirmed in July that Doherty had died at the age of 53. McGowan responded to the news with an Instagram comment: “I can’t stop crying. A world without Shannen Doherty is unimaginable.”
In honor of Doherty, there will be a tribute to her at 90s Con Florida on Saturday, September 14, hosted by Combs, Drew Fuller And Brian Krause.
