The 90210 reboot is getting a lot of publicity, but it just isn't the same without the late Luke Perry. Most of the original cast returned for the reboot, but Shannen Doherty revealed that if it weren't for Perry's passing, she wouldn't have signed on. Doherty was on a panel with the rest of the cast recently when she opened up about how Perry's death pushed her to reprise her role as Brenda on the iconic show.
“For me, as these guys know, I definitely wasn’t going to do it,” the actress told the audience. “Nothing against the show, I knew it would get sold and do well without me. They didn’t need me. At that moment it wasn’t what I wanted to be doing.”
But after Perry suffered a massive stroke at the age of 52, Doherty's heart changed.
“When Luke passed away, things drastically changed for me and I felt like it was a great opportunity to honor him,” she explained. “And I’m really glad I made that decision because now I get to sit up here with a lot of people that I respect and love. We went on this amazing journey together where we also got to really, sort of, heal through losing somebody who means the world to all of us."
Perry, who portrayed the brooding bad boy Dylan Mckay, passed away on March 4th, five days after suffering a stroke. Doherty opened up about how despite not speaking for a while, Perry reached out to her in 2015 after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The two, who played on-screen love interests, rekindled a connection that never really dimmed.
“I am in shock. Heartbroken. Devastated by the loss of my friend. I have so many memories with Luke that make me smile and that are forever imprinted on my heart and mind,” Doherty said. “Luke was a smart, quiet, humble and complex man with a heart of gold and never-ending well of integrity and love. Luke reached out to me during my cancer journey and we picked right back up, albeit older and wiser, but that connection remained intact."
Doherty also admitted that even though she wasn't ready to be on 90210, the bond between cast members will never disappear.
“There is a special kind of love one has for each other when you are experiencing the journey we did on 90210 and of course life in general,” she shared. “I will miss him every day. Every minute. Every second.”
As for how Perry's death will be addressed on the show, Doherty admitted that it will be dealt with right off the bat.
"The first episode very much deals with it," she said. "Luke was such a sort of quiet, subtle, yet dynamic human being that he had a very strong and lasting impact on people. So, naturally, we would have to deal with it."
I'm glad that Doherty decided to return to the show, but I wish that it didn't take Perry's death to bring her back. It just goes to show how special Perry was, and the impact that he made on everyone around him.
