Metro Newspaper June 21st 2001

Metro Newspaper June 21st 2001

Shannen Doherty, rose to fame as Brenda in Beverly Hills 90210 before quitting after 4 series. [seasons] Several minor hit films later, including Heathers with Winona Ryder, [this was BEFORE 90210 started] she joined Charmed, a TV show about three sister witches, but has just announced she will not be signing up for a fourth series. [season] This weekend she presents a spooky Weird Weekend on cable channel Living, which includes unseen episodes of Charmed.

Are you the new Sabrina, Bewitched or Buffy?
None of them now I’ve left but, if the show was going to be compared to something, I’d prefer it to be Buffy.

Would you cast a spell on someone to make them fancy you?
Never. If people are going to like you then, if magic were true, you’d actually be making them do something they didn’t want to do.

Are you fed up with being asked about Beverly Hills 90210?
Yes, totally...

Good, because I’m going to ask a couple. Do you miss it?
Not at all but I do miss a couple of the people. I still see Jason Priestley. He came and surprised me on set a couple of weeks ago, he’s such a great guy. I also stay in touch with Luke Perry, Ian Ziering and I speak to Tori Spelling occasionally. As for the rest of them, I’m not too bothered whether I ever see them in my life.

Is there a hex on the show? You aside, the others don’t seem to work that much
I think it may be because most of them don’t want to. Luke’s on a show in the US and Jason... well, he can kind of work when he wants to.

How much time do they spend with hairdressers on the set?
Quite a bit but not as much as you’d think they would.

You have a reputation for being feisty ... Are you?
I was much more when I was younger. But I’m still opinionated and speak my mind. I have strong views. As a kid, even at four, I wasn’t allowed to watch cartoons. My parents would give us the newspaper to read instead so that fives you a better idea of how the real world is. The trouble is that, being a woman, if you offer a view and stand by it, then people consider you to be a bitch. If you’re a man then you’re a [slaps thigh] ‘good ol’ boy’.

Do you still go to the movies?
Yes and no, I’m sitting on a fence a little. I don’t do as often as I could. I think the last film I saw was What Women Want. No, I went with my parents to see 15 Minutes with Robert De Niro and Ed Burns. I didn’t really enjoy it.

So what film did you last enjoy?
I love everything Julia Roberts does and I normally love De Niro. 15 Minutes wasn’t too bad until De Niro dies. After that it just went downhill, there was no reason to sit through it. I loved Any Given Sunday and Heat is one of my all time favourites.

Coming from Memphis, do you drink Jack Daniels?
No. I’m a wine drinker.

If you had to have a tattoo, what would it be?
I have one actually. It’s an Irish Cross with the sun behind it. It’s to signify my heritage which is Irish Catholic.

What was the last CD you bought?
Sade. But I’m really showing my age when it comes to music. I still love Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and U2, they’re my favourite artists. I don’t think there’s ever been a better band then Zeppelin. It’s music that makes you think. Oh, and I also love Eric Clapton. I named one of my dogs Layla.

What would be on your jukebox from hell?
From hell? Meaning songs I hate right? Anything that was too heavy metal.

What’s your ideal night out?
A really nice dinner in my favourite restaurant in LA which is called Café Des Artistes.

Do you dream?
All the time. I used to have really horrible nightmares where I’d swallowed the remote control to the TV. Don’t ask me where that one came from. It was really horrifying.

What’s in your icebox?
Frozen pizza rolls, chicken pot pie, ice cream – which I don’t normally eat but keep for my friends. And frozen garlic bread that I really love.

No healthy diet then?
It’s convenience food.

What’s your exercise regime?
[Laughs] Is riding horses enough? Seriously, when I’m working ten months out of the year, the show keeps me fit. As I do the stunts it’s quite hard work. When we first started I had to do a programme of sit-ups and push-ups. The wire stuff is all about stomach control and it’s unbelievably difficult.

Do you sing in the shower?
Sometimes. I try to make up my own songs – I just go off. I fancy I could write but I think I would probably suck. I’d be best sticking to acting.