ATTEN: "Why Shannen left?" threads

[The Original P3]

forevercharmed1 said:

I THINK SHANNEN SHOULD HAVE NOT LEFT I WAS RELLY SAD THAT SHE LEFT AND I THINK SHE SHOULD COME BACK FOR A NINTH SEASON !!!!!!

Aye aye aye....

A) There is no 9th season and never will be (thank gawd)

B) Shannen didn't leave. She was fired.

That is all.

[Esmeralda]

Can someone move this thread to a different forum, like the Halliwell Manor or even the General thread, and then tack it to the top so any newbie can see it? That's also a good suggestion for any of these "repeat-a-lot" threads. It's hard for us Prue-fans to read people knocking her and Shannen in her fanclub.

Thanks much!

[Carrie De Luna]

I truly think Kern took advantage of Shannen past, and her disagreements with Alyssa to get her fired. He probably played them against each other.

Think about it. None of the remaining sisters gained the clout Shannen had. Even though they were labeled "producers." Holly Marie said all becoming producers did was make them pretend to listen to them more. Shannen's departure was the best thing for Kern(more control for him). I'm not saying the other actresses were weak but they certainly didn't challenge him the way Shannen did.

[~B@MeLiSsA30@B~]

I don't remember where I heard this, but I heard that Shannen was hard to work with on the set and that is why she left the show.

[charmedfan19982006]

didnt shannen leave because of alyssa milano?

[The Original P3]

charmedfan19982006 said:

didnt shannen leave because of alyssa milano?

Read the thread.

[pubesy]

before i start i would like to make it clear that i AM a prue fan.

but you have to admit, SD has to cop some of the slack for being fired. they dont just fire mains for no reason.

i had never really cared what went on backstage. as far as i was concerned, in my head alyssa and SD were catty towards each other and in the end it was one or the other. the firing was mutual. she did not want to be there.

i watched this special report on the life of shannon doherty pre and post 90210. it was more focused on shannon in 90210 and her previous films than it was charmed. but charmed was mentioned. now i do know that E news and other tabloids are not reliable sources....but when you have few other sources......

it talked about her early days in before 90210, some b and c grade films she did, how she was an extremely talented actress at a young age. however during 90210, when she hit the big time, fame became a struggle for her. she became catty on set towards another well known actress on set (i never watched 90210, so i dont know much about the show) unprofessional, showing up lat for casting meetings and filmings, she was demanding towards directors. apparently she was quite a bit of a party girl and ended up in brawls outside clubs.

in the end she was fired from 90210, as she could not get along with other cast members and she repeatedly showed up late for filmings.

she then did a few more b and c grade movies. and apparently she peeved producers off there too.

“she didn't want to sign the contract extension and wanted out, then after the season ended, Shannen decided to come back for the 4th but it was too late when Spelling Television gave her the 'pink slip' while she was in Canada filiming a movie.”

“I never said that there weren't any problems at all with Alyssa. I'm just saying that they were blown out of proportion into making people believe it was one of those "her or me" deals which it wasn't.”

shannon had been complaining that she wanted out of charmed from the middle of the 3rd season, if not earlier. love her or not, SD WAS a diva. she an alyssa obviously did not get along, plus the fact that she wanted more say in the show, made her want to leave.

the producers obviously tried to make her happy by at least letting her produce 3 episodes.

so when the producers gave her that wish and fired her..its all the big bad producers fault? shannon shares no blame? SHE was the one mouthing off saying that she wanted out.

and as far as the AM versus SD.... make your own decision up who started it there.. my guess is SD...going by past history...

then later calling charmed a 12 year old show...tsk tsk. alyssa was the smart one, she kept her mouth shut about the whole situation, even to this day.

If SD was making a lot of noise about wanting some time off and bugging the suits about it when those on the set (say Kern for example) would not listen or at least not do anything to help her, it is not inconceivable that this complaining (which is how it might have been taken) lead to her dismissal

I think SD, whatever time off she wanted (and stars often want some time off to pursue other roles for a short break or the money, or they just love the role), might have been arranged, but perhaps she just went about it the wrong way and pissed off the wrong people.

maybe her contract said she couldn't have time off. maybe she wanted too much time off...like 12 months....maybe she demanded it....there are 1000 maybes.

Though unlike Alyssa, Shannen never stopped caring about her performances and work. In season 8, you could tell Alyssa was tired of being Phoebe. Shannen portrayed Prue beautifully till her very last moment on screen. She really put her heart and soul into All Hell Breaks Loose.

shannon wanted out after 2 1/2 seasons.....AM stayed till the finale.
i think that says it all.
Alyssa was also a fantastic actress, give her some credit....she pulled may fans into the show, just like prue.

[The Original P3]

Before I start..I would just like to say that I'm gonna have a lot of fun with this one.

but you have to admit, SD has to cop some of the slack for being fired. they dont just fire mains for no reason.

I think the whole "wanting out" deal pretty much covers being fired. But I really don't understand what you're trying to get at with this. No one is saying Shannen was completely 100% innocent and shocked at receiving her pink slip. She wanted out, therefore when she directed the finale, she helped set it up so that incase she did get out, hence her firing, that the fans and viewers could draw a plausible explanation for why Prue didn't survive but Piper did.

i watched this special report on the life of shannon doherty pre and post 90210. it was more focused on shannon in 90210 and her previous films than it was charmed. but charmed was mentioned. now i do know that E news and other tabloids are not reliable sources....but when you have few other sources......

Tabloid reliable, no. E! News though I would consider the most reliable source possible though.

it talked about her early days in before 90210, some b and c grade films she did, how she was an extremely talented actress at a young age. however during 90210, when she hit the big time, fame became a struggle for her. she became catty on set towards another well known actress on set (i never watched 90210, so i dont know much about the show) unprofessional, showing up lat for casting meetings and filmings, she was demanding towards directors. apparently she was quite a bit of a party girl and ended up in brawls outside clubs.

in the end she was fired from 90210, as she could not get along with other cast members and she repeatedly showed up late for filmings.

People make mistakes. She was in the 19-20 age range during her time on 90210. Going from practically nothing to being the star of a hit television show effects young actors differently. If you ask me though, Shannen's "partying" wasn't nearly as trashy and out of control as the "partying" celebs of today. Just something to think about. But wait...other people are forgiven for their past mistakes right? I guess that same courtesey doesn't apply to Shannen. Guess when she's 50 people will still be saying "Yeah! Well...she partied when she was 20 and was a BAD GIRL!"

she then did a few more b and c grade movies. and apparently she peeved producers off there too.

Um incorrect. Duno where you got that info because I've certainly seen practically every documentary on Shannen on E! and never was it said that Shannen didn't "get along" with other producers and directors. NEVER.

shannon had been complaining that she wanted out of charmed from the middle of the 3rd season, if not earlier. love her or not, SD WAS a diva. she an alyssa obviously did not get along, plus the fact that she wanted more say in the show, made her want to leave.

Shannen wanted out because of how she was being treated. She had ideas for the show that were being completely ignored and were blown off. And no it's not OBVIOUS that her and Alyssa didn't get along. What's OBVIOUS is that this small feud that doesn't even register on the top 10 greatest celeb feuds of all time has been blown ridiculously out of proportion. The "feud" was that Alyssa wanted Shannen to sign and Shannen didn't want to. There was fall out with that because Alyssa took that personally. Leak that to the media and you'd think there was a WWF smackdown going on behind the scenes. Heyy..maybe the used the ring from Wrestling with Demons!!

the producers obviously tried to make her happy by at least letting her produce 3 episodes.

She directed 3 episodes. Not produced. And LETTING her? Do you really think the higher ups were so afraid of Shannen they just bent over and did what she wanted? If that were the case then I'm thinking she would have never even left the show. Why leave a show when you can walk all over the people in charge and get a muffin with the snap of your fingers to boot! Shannen was a wonderful director but they did not have to let her do anything.

so when the producers gave her that wish and fired her..its all the big bad producers fault? shannon shares no blame? SHE was the one mouthing off saying that she wanted out.

Um...huh? Again going back to the first time you addressed this blaming Shannen for being fired thing.

and as far as the AM versus SD.... make your own decision up who started it there.. my guess is SD...going by past history...

Ohh past history? Really? When she was 19 she was acting the EXACT same way at 30?! So going by your logic here, she should have also been out partying till all hours of the night too. Showing up late...but wait. I coulda SWORN she wanted the show to be better and she directed 3 episodes. Sounds like a turn around for me. But then again, we have to remember that everyone else's past can be forgiven but Shannen's. Silly me.

then later calling charmed a 12 year old show...tsk tsk. alyssa was the smart one, she kept her mouth shut about the whole situation, even to this day.

Are you seriously 'tsk'ing a tabloid rumor? And FYI, Alyssa was not the "smart one" keeping her mouth shut. EVERYONE kept their mouth shut about what went on behind the scenes. That's the exact reason we're having this discussion! If people knew the exact truth then there wouldn't be discussion on this topic. It's all speculation that's been brought about by comments made here and there, people putting the pieces together, and what's been taken from interviews on the matter.

maybe her contract said she couldn't have time off. maybe she wanted too much time off...like 12 months....maybe she demanded it....there are 1000 maybes.

A year off? You've got to be joking. Stars get "time off" all the time. Hugh Laurie recently, before the writers strike, just up and flew to London to be with his family because he was feeling home sick. They can work around time off, but do you recall a lot of Prue-lite episodes in season 2? No. She didn't receive hardly any time off. You don't know the circumstances and it could have been a family matter. Those things come up and if I had a serious family situation, I wouldn't give a damn what my "contract" says, I'd expect the people I work with to be understanding and have a consious.

shannon wanted out after 2 1/2 seasons.....AM stayed till the finale.
i think that says it all.

No it DOESN'T say it all. Shannen may have wanted out after 2 and a 1/2 seasons, but that NEVER impacted her performances. Not once did I feel her performances at Prue lacked and I personally had no idea she didn't want to be there. Alyssa is the COMPLETE opposite near the end of the show. She was tired, unbelievable and I felt like I was listening to her read her lines instead of becoming her character. Shannen put her heart and soul into her performances, most notably All Hell Breaks Loose. In Forever Charmed, I didn't see that type of dedication from Alyssa in the slightest.

Alyssa was also a fantastic actress, give her some credit....she pulled may fans into the show, just like prue.

I never said Alyssa was a bad actress. She had some very believable scenes (end of Long Live the Queen) and I'm well aware that the viewership of Charmed pulled in prior Shannen fans, Holly fans AND Alyssa fans. But did she stay dedicated to her character and role and do it justice the way Shannen did with Prue? That's a no.

[pubesy]

i think AM did stay true to her character. the reason AM portrayed phoebe as tired and fed up was because Phoebe WAS tired and fed up of the fight.

i agree. SD would definately be different at 19 compared to 30. but when you have nothing else to go against.....

and where did you get information about the AM SD feud being about not signing a contract? shannon attacks AM saying that "certain people were unprofessional"

shannon DID say it was a 12 year old show. it was in the interview coming out of her own mouth. saying this did nothing for her cause.

She wanted out, therefore when she directed the finale, she helped set it up so that incase she did get out, hence her firing, that the fans and viewers could draw a plausible explanation for why Prue didn't survive but Piper did.

then what is the problem? shannon wanted out. she got out. why is it so terrible? why is her leaving blamed on AM or the producers all the time?

when saying she directed a few episodes, i never meant that they let her because she wanted to. they let her have a bit of a say just to shut her up for a bit, to keep her happy. they really did not want her leaving because how would they have a power of 3. when they worked out they could bring in another, (RM) well if SD wants out, then let her out of the contract.

[The Original P3]

i think AM did stay true to her character. the reason AM portrayed phoebe as tired and fed up was because Phoebe WAS tired and fed up of the fight.

So tired of the fight she was a bed hopper? No. Like it or not, Alyssa DID NOT give her best performances of Phoebe (not that there was much to work with) near the end of the show. Phoebe came off as very apathetic about everything because that's how Alyssa was feeling about continuing to portray the character. I understand 8 years is a long commitment and can cause a burn out. But I didn't see that happen with Holly.

i agree. SD would definately be different at 19 compared to 30. but when you have nothing else to go against.....

How about not making any comparrisons at all? I don't see why something she did as a teenager has to be carried over and haunt her for the rest of her life. That's ridiculous especially because if she were not famous, I'm sure herself and her family wouldn't even mention it.

and where did you get information about the AM SD feud being about not signing a contract? shannon attacks AM saying that "certain people were unprofessional"

Like I said, piecing things together is how I got this information. Sorry I don't document every piece of news about this considering theres about 10,000 different rumors going on with this ordeal, but from the reliable sources I have found, this is a very reasonable conclusion. And Shannen NEVER attacked Alyssa. You JUST stated yourself that she said "certain people" were unprofessional. Forgive me, but enless Alyssa had briefly had her name changed to, Certain People, then I don't see her mentioned in ANY interviews from Shannen about why she was no longer on the show.

then what is the problem? shannon wanted out. she got out. why is it so terrible? why is her leaving blamed on AM or the producers all the time?

Excellent question about why it's blamed on Alyssa. But if TPTB (The Powers That Be) had been more forthcoming towards Shannen and with her when she needed some time off, maybe they wouldn't have found themselves in the predicament of having to fire their lead actress.

Also, it was the unprofessional way they went about firing her that is often a reason that's raised about her firing. You don't send your lead actress on a show that had been on for 3 years, who carried the show and got it to where it was, a pink slip over seas without even a phone call apologizing for how it had to be like that. It's been stated before that NO ONE called her or handled anything correctly. Holly was the one that let too much of this information leak, and I believe, was fined or reprimanded for it. It is my belief that they have some sort of confidentiality contract that had to be signed during this whole fiasco. Not a fact, just a theory I have.

they let her have a bit of a say just to shut her up for a bit, to keep her happy.

To shut her up for a bit? You've got to be kidding me. Shannen had IDEAS for the show's storyline and direction. Directing episodes doesn't even change the outcome of that particular episode but only includes filming, angles, how scenes are set up, etc. If Shannen was being beligerant as you are so claiming she was, I'm doubting a couple episodes as director would have done much.

they really did not want her leaving because how would they have a power of 3. when they worked out they could bring in another, (RM) well if SD wants out, then let her out of the contract.

Oh please. Have you seen a soap opera? Storylines get tweaked all the time. And as we saw in the 7th and 8th seasons, continuity was not something they were incredibly focused on. Paige could have been their mother's half sister's daughter, twice removed but could have tweaked the story that she was the "missing link" for the power of three. No one is irreplaceable.

[pubesy]

bedhopping is not alyssas fault. she is not the creator of her character.....thats the producers....the man of the month crap they started.

To shut her up for a bit? You've got to be kidding me. Shannen had IDEAS for the show's storyline and direction. Directing episodes doesn't even change the outcome of that particular episode but only includes filming, angles, how scenes are set up, etc. If Shannen was being beligerant as you are so claiming she was, I'm doubting a couple episodes as director would have done much.

i agree. thats why she kept complaining.

had been more forthcoming towards Shannen and with her when she needed some time off, maybe they wouldn't have found themselves in the predicament of having to fire their lead actress.

we have no idea what else she wanted, or anything like that. and we have no idea if her arguments or requests were reasonable or not. and we have no idea if the powers that be were reasonable in denying such requests.

i just really hate how any discussion of why SD left always ends up in arguing how SD was a better actress that RM or AM, or it was all AM or TPTB's fault or whatever. or I hate rose, SD was better. Alyssa was a fantastic actress and still is. same goes for Rose.

[The Original P3]

bedhopping is not alyssas fault. she is not the creator of her character.....thats the producers....the man of the month crap they started.

Never said it was her fault. But the character itself had gone downhill and the performances did not make up for the lack of it.

i agree. thats why she kept complaining.

She did? Really? Were you on set? Didn't think so.

i just really hate how any discussion of why SD left always ends up in arguing how SD was a better actress that RM or AM, or it was all AM or TPTB's fault or whatever. or I hate rose, SD was better. Alyssa was a fantastic actress and still is. same goes for Rose.

Depends really. In an AM thread you won't be getting the same reactions. I, on the other hand, am an SD fan and am a firm believer in the benefit of the doubt.

Never said anything about them being bad actresses. But performance wise, Alyssa didn't sell it like she used to near the end of the show that's purely fact.

[Cara Halliwell]

I think they are both great. I think they also have their pros and cons, but overall, i have to say its an awesome show and i love watching it. Who knows why Shannen left for sure, but if she didn't leave and kept doing something she didn't like, then they might not have gotten Rose McGowan in time and would have had to cancel the show when shannen finally quit! Anyway, I like shannen and she's awesome.

[jate88]

no offense to anyone but how come you aren't this passionate about the subject when it comes up in other posts.

[detroitpiston]

Mar 25, 2008 2:08:10 GMT -5 pubesy said:

it talked about her early days in before 90210, some b and c grade films she did, how she was an extremely talented actress at a young age. however during 90210, when she hit the big time, fame became a struggle for her. she became catty on set towards another well known actress on set (i never watched 90210, so i dont know much about the show) unprofessional, showing up lat for casting meetings and filmings, she was demanding towards directors. apparently she was quite a bit of a party girl and ended up in brawls outside clubs.

in the end she was fired from 90210, as she could not get along with other cast members and she repeatedly showed up late for filmings.

Uh Shannen showed up late for work once and was fired.
She and Jennie Garth didn't get along because both felt they should be the stars of the show. Her and Luke Perry didn't get along because of ego problems. Everyonelse was just following suit or just didn't care. And was Shannen a party girl? Yes but what teenager isn't?

[xoFeliciaFinleyxo]

I thought the reason why Shannen left the show was because her and Alyssa weren't the best of friends. Shannen wanted to leave earlier in the series but because of her contract they couldn't let her. that's why had to make it look like Prue died and didn't just leave the show magically.

[kiriashra]

I have heard a ET interview of her saying she did not care for A.M. work ethic and that some "people" liked to slack off a lot. So it sounds like their was hostility on the set.

[Ebdim9th]

I noticed Charmed change directions within the first six episodes, some of which may have had to do with Burge, or even Javier Grillo Marxuach. The point is the show changed directions every season, I'm not sure therefore that changing the shows' direction is a valid reason to relentlessly vilify Brad Kern. The way season 3 ended, with both Piper and Prue dead, it was open-ended enough leave a viewer pondering that perhaps both would return miraculously to the living with a little help from a demonic kung fu wanderer. Unfortunately that was not to be. Brad Kern said in the commentaries he did want Shannen back but couldn't secure any kind of 'guest role ' return for her, and just having her photo alone at the end of Forever Charmed would have been too expensive, something like 10,000 dollars from a budget that had already been slashed by the hundreds of thousands. And he qualified that by saying 'even if she'd wanted to'.... I think there were plot holes in season 8, oh definitely, but there were plot holes in every season. Having a bunch of different writers involved does that to a show.

[~Andrew~]

My response to this thread: I think that Shannen left because of some arguements upon the set. There were RUMORS that she was asking for too much or she and Alyssa got into a fight. However nobody can prove that exactly those rumors are true. Shannen however was in a interview where she stated that she didn't like someone she was working with and she didn't appreciate people that were bitching about their jobs. Btw I that all for of them are amazing actresses!

[CharmedFaith]

Shannen was fired from the show. Part of it had to do with her and Alyssa not being BFFs like Kern and theWB wanted them to be. The other part was probably because she had guts enough to stand up to the Exec producers and the network, plus some people not taking their work seriously enough around S3 (which I think we know who that is)