It is safe to say that cast members on the set of “Beverly Hills 90210” didn’t always get along so well. After all, they were all pretty young at the time. There was plenty more behind-the-scenes action that wasn’t as lovey-dovey. Shannen Doherty quickly earned a reputation as a diva when she complained about having a normal taxi instead of a limo for promos.
She even had a years-long feud with fellow actress Jennie Garth. Their on-screen characters were conflicted as well. It’s been said the two have since repaired their relationship. Doherty also often showed up late to showings, much to the frustration of producer Aaron Spelling.
The Cast Was Always Incomplete
While tuning into any random episode of Beverly Hills means that you will end up seeing most of the main cast, there is a good chance that you will not see them all. This was surely an annoying thing for some viewers, but another thing that many would probably not notice.
No single actor or actress appeared in every episode. While they were pretty much a permanent fixture on our screens during the show's running, only four members of the main cast – Donna, Kelly, David, and Steve – were in all ten seasons. Actor availability, the storylines, and even the actors that were let go led to this interesting piece of trivia.
Off-Screen Action
"Beverly Hills 90210" featured what were some of the most attractive people to act in front of a camera at the time it was filmed. It was a pretty good bet that even when the cameras stopped rolling, things remained pretty steamy. It almost didn't seem real that everyone on the show could be so darn attractive.
Actor Jason Priestly has said that “various combinations” of people shacked up during the years of filming. Actress Tori Spelling echoed the thoughts, revealing she had a summer fling with one of her co-stars. However, Tori is staying tight-lipped about just which of the hunks was lucky enough to earn her affection.
Casting Changes
Pilot episodes are often strange thanks to a shift in writing, a switch in details, and a change in actors. It always seems to be the case. And such was the case with "Beverly Hills 90210." The original actor for the father of twins Brandon and Brenda was Lyman Ward. He is best known as Ferris Bueller's father in the eighties movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."
However, he was replaced – James Eckhouse became Jim Walsh for the rest of the series. They even reshot Ward's pilot scenes with Eckhouse standing in. All this happened before the show even aired, so few knew about this last-second casting.
Age Is but a Number!
When Gabrielle Carteris won the role of sixteen-year-old Andrea Zuckerman on "Beverly Hills 90210," she hid an important piece of information: she was almost thirty. Still, she was able to land the part and all was well... until Carteris got pregnant. There always seems to be a twist in the tale, right?
The writers decided to simplify things by making her character get pregnant as well. It wasn't the first time writers had to do some tricky thinking to work around a cast member's personal life, and it won't be the last. Carteris isn't even the only member of the cast to lie about age!