Metro US November 1st 2010
Actress Shannen Doherty has admittedly made her fair share of mistakes — highly publicized ones at that. But after years of soul-searching she’s learned the difference between being bad and being a badass. In “Badass: A Hard-Earned Guide to Living Life with Style and (the Right) Attitude,” she imparts that lesson, along with dating advice and decorating tips.

When did your journey of becoming a badass begin?

I was 27 when I got a DUI and it was one of the most humiliating, humbling experiences. It wasn’t like that moment I instantly turned myself around. You’re still going to have those moments where you fall flat on your face and the thing is to not be discouraged. It doesn’t mean you’re not on your way to becoming a badass, because we still make mistakes. It’s just that you’re not going to make those same mistakes again.

What would the younger you think of the woman you’ve become?

She’d be like, “Ah, finally!” My main goal was to get back to that little girl because there wasn’t anything that she couldn’t accomplish. There’s something to be said for resilience. Kids bounce. As we get older, we lose our bounce. It’s important to find it again.

You distinguish “b—” from “badass.” The media has often painted you as the former. How do you deal with the criticism?

I ignore it. If someone keeps painting a label on you that doesn’t fit anymore, you just shake it off, like an ill-fitting coat. You don’t keep on putting on the coat, you don’t try to make it fit, you don’t get mad at it. You just throw it in the back of your closet. You move on and you buy a new coat. It’s not your issue; it’s theirs.

What inspired you to write ‘Badass’?

I was always the girl my friends would call for advice. In my 20s it was like “do as I say, not as I do.” Now, I’ve worked on my own personal issues and I’m enough through that process that you can do as I do. [The book] also touches on issues that a lot of books don’t. Like, what do you do when you go on a first date and you’ve had too much to drink? Then you sleep with a guy, but you really like him. How do you get the mystery back?