Shannen Doherty praised Alyssa Milano shortly before her death despite feud
Shannen Doherty praised her enemy and screen sister Alyssa Milano for her work in “Charmed” before she died of cancer.
Before her death, the former “Beverly Hills, 90210” actress, who played Prue Halliwell on the show, recorded an episode of the podcast “The House of Halliwell” with her co-star Holly Marie Combs, who played Piper Halliwell.
In the episode released Tuesday, Doherty reflected on how actress Lori Rom filmed an unaired pilot as the third Halliwell sister, Phoebe, before the role was ultimately given to Milano.
“Lori and Alyssa are very, very, very different people. So Lori’s performance was different than Alyssa’s. Lori was very similar to Holly and me in the sense that she was very rooted in drama,” she explained on the podcast.
“The presentation was much more serious and much more somber, which was exactly my style. I loved the presentation and thought everyone was great.”
Doherty continued, “When Alyssa came in, she brought a lightness that I thought the show ultimately needed. She came in and did a great job. And yeah, she just brought a little bit of a different touch to the show.”
The kind words come months after Combs, 50, claimed on Doherty’s podcast “Let’s Be Clear” in December that Milano arranged for the late actress to be fired from the WB show.
“We were told (by Alyssa) that it was either her or (Shannen), and Alyssa threatened to sue us for a hostile work environment,” the former “Pretty Little Liars” actress recalled how producer Jonathan Levin told her about Doherty’s exit.
When Doherty left the series after season 3, she was replaced by Rose McGowan, who played the Halliwells’ long-lost half-sister, Paige Matthews.
On Sunday, Milano, 51, expressed her condolences to Page Six following Doherty’s death: “It’s no secret that Shannen and I had a complicated relationship, but at the core, this was someone I deeply respected and was in awe of.
“She was a talented actress, loved by many, and the world is less without her. My condolences to all who loved her.”
Doherty died on July 13 at the age of 53 after a years-long battle with cancer.