Tori Spelling has revealed that Hilary Swank was left 'hysterically crying' after being fired from Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1998. Speaking on the 90210MG podcast on Friday, Spelling, 52, recalled the emotional moment when Swank, 51, learned she was being let go from the show.
A Close Friendship on Set
Spelling, who played Donna Martin on the iconic 90s series, said she and Swank 'had become quite close' during their time together. Swank portrayed Carly Reynolds, a single mother and waitress at the Peach Pit, who appeared in 16 episodes of the eighth season. Spelling described herself as Swank's 'safe place on set,' noting that Swank often confided in her about personal matters.
'I was kind of her safe place on set, and she would talk to me about everything,' Spelling said.
The Firing Incident
Spelling recounted the day of Swank's dismissal. 'We were all in our dressing rooms,' Spelling said. 'And [Swank] said, "[Late 90210 producer] Paul Waigner wants to talk to me in his office - do you know what it's about?"' Spelling admitted she was unaware of the reason for the meeting and waited for Swank to return.
'So she goes in, and she comes back, and she's crying, and she comes into my dressing room,' Spelling said. Swank then revealed she had been fired from the show. Spelling, the daughter of late producer Aaron Spelling, expressed shock at the news, saying, 'I hadn't heard any of this - we didn't know.'
Fear of Career Ruin
According to Spelling, Swank was terrified that being fired from 90210 would end her Hollywood aspirations. 'She was like, "Oh my God - if I get fired off of 90210, I'm never gonna make it,"' Spelling recalled. However, Spelling added that she was recounting the event from her perspective and memory, not verbatim.
A Blessing in Disguise
Spelling emphasized that the firing turned out to be a blessing for Swank. It allowed her to audition for the role of Brandon Teena in the 1999 film Boys Don't Cry, for which she won her first Academy Award for Best Actress. 'She would not have been able to get that role, do that role and then win an Academy Award,' Spelling said. Swank later won a second Oscar for Million Dollar Baby in 2004.
Swank's Own Reflections
Swank herself has previously spoken about the firing. In a 2014 interview with Conan O'Brien, she said she was 'devastated' but noted that the show's popularity had waned by its eighth season, especially after Luke Perry's departure. 'I was on 90210 in the eighth season when no one watched it anymore, and Luke Perry was long gone,' Swank said. 'I'm thinking, no one watches this show anymore, and I got fired off of a show that no one watches.'
Two months after her firing, Swank landed her breakthrough role in Boys Don't Cry. 'I looked at it as a silver lining,' Swank said. 'It's always such a reminder, when something bad happens, there's something else that could be looming around the corner.'
