Charmedstar Rose McGowan reflects on her casting in the series. McGowan played Paige Matthews inCharmed, beginning in season 4 in 2001. Paige came in as a character followingCharmedseason 3’s loss of Prue, who was played by Shannen Doherty for the first three seasons. Doherty’s departure fromCharmedwas controversial, and it is something that she spoke about as recently as this year, before her tragic death from cancer in July.
Speaking on theLet’s Be Clearpodcast,McGowan reflects on what it was like to replace Dohertyon the show. The actor explained that when she arrived on the set ofCharmed, she “did not understand the backstory” surrounding the conditions of Doherty’s departure from the show, and was just “told she was fired and nobody talked about her.” McGowan went on to explain the media storm that ensued afterward, wherein various outlets tried to pit her and Doherty against each other. Check out the full quote from McGowan below:
At the time I joined Charmed I did not understand the backstory. I was just told she was fired and nobody talked about her. [I was] just trying to keep my head above water at that point. I was very famous at that point, but I was persona non grata, non-hirable. I caused disruptions everywhere I went. This is something that Shannen [and I] later talked about that she related to: the weight of what it’s like to have the media machine lie about you.
It was just strange. I was told over and over: ‘No show survives a major cast change.’ You only have like 200 something jobs on the line and far more behind the scenes of people you’re able to’t see in administration, but no worries if everybody loses their jobs because you joining is going to tank the show.
I was in a very vulnerable position. The thing in Hollywood is if you got fired as a woman from a job, you didn’t get a second chance, so it was already a miracle that Shannen was there in the first place. I think that’s certainly what made her vulnerable to the operation behind the scenes that took her out. . . she was preyed upon in that way. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with someone wanting things to be better. They made it sound like she was difficult.
From the get go, every question was like, ‘Do you think Shannen Doherty hates you?’ ‘Do you think she’s jealous of you?’ ‘What do you think? And I refused to take the bait.They wanted me to start a war with her, and I was like, absolutely not.And to her credit, she absolutely did not do that either.
The Backstory Behind Shannen Doherty’s Departure From Charmed
Shannen Doherty’s Firing Resulted from Set Drama
While the specifics of the firing were seemingly not discussed on the set ofCharmeditself,Doherty’s departure came after some on-set drama. According to Doherty and co-star Holly Marie Combs, the first three seasons were riddled with drama involving fellowco-star Alyssa Milano. By season 3, Milano began “documenting every time she felt uncomfortable on set” and later threatened to “sue” Combs and Doherty for creating “a hostile workplace environment.” This put theCharmedteam in a position where they had to decide between Milano and Doherty.
All 8 Seasons Of Charmed, Ranked Worst To Best
While the eight seasons of Charmed provided entertainment from start to finish, some seasons were more entertaining and of higher quality than others.
As evidenced by the cast lineup,Charmedended up choosing Milanoto stay on the show, ousting Doherty. On theLet’s Be Clearpodcast, which Doherty hosted prior to her passing, the actor discussed how this firing affected her, clearly feeling hurt by it. Over the years, Doherty accepted that “the situation happened,” yet drew the distinction that “moving on with your life does not equate to forgiveness.”
Following Doherty’s story on the podcast, Milano spoke out and said that she is “sad people can’t move past” Doherty’s firing, but did not apologize directly for her alleged actions on set.Doherty later countered Milano’s claim, noting that she would stand by the “truth” of what happened on theCharmedset. Especially given this contentious background, it is good that McGowan refused to “take the bait” when it came to speaking about the woman she replaced. It put the actor in a challenging position, but she would not be adding fuel to the fire.
Charmed
Cast
Charmed is a television series centered on three sisters—Prue, Piper, and Phoebe—who discover their powers as the Charmed Ones, destined to fight evil forces. Set in modern-day San Francisco, the series explores their evolving magical abilities while they juggle personal lives and combat demons and warlocks.
