Entertainment Weekly has a new cover story and interview with former feuding 90210 costars Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty, who are back on the new version of the series on The CW as their original characters as adults. Both Garth and Doherty say they had no problems working together despite their conflicts in the past and that they’ve grown up considerably. As for their on-set fights, they say that there wasn’t the fistfight that Tori Spelling detailed in her book sTori Telling, and Doherty adds that that Tori sold her out by portraying her so negatively in that book and that she would never do that to a coworker:

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: In Tori Spelling’s book sTORI Telling, she tells some pretty harsh stories about you, Shannen. Did you read the book?
DOHERTY: I will censor myself out of respect for Jennie because she’s friends with Tori. I got passages sent to me and a vast majority of it is incredibly exaggerated. Maybe it’s a difference of how I was raised. I just don’t believe you write personal on-set experiences in a book. For me, when you work it’s almost a sacred experience whether you get along with everyone or not. In 27 years of acting I’ve never sold out one of my cast members. Ever. And I will stick to that.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: In the book it says you two got into a fistfight. That sounds very badass. But is it true?
JENNIE GARTH: A fistfight? That makes us sound so tough.
SHANNEN DOHERTY: I know. Like we were serious gangsters.
GARTH: I didn’t read the book either.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You’re thanked in it.
GARTH: For what? I wonder what I did. I asked Tori if I needed to read it and she said no, I shouldn’t bother.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Okay, but back to the fistfight: fact or fiction?
GARTH: I don’t think we ever hit each other.
DOHERTY: We had our moments.
GARTH: I just remember being outside and the boys having to try to settle us down.
DOHERTY: No, we never punched each other.
GARTH: Scratching? I’m not going to deny that.

[From EW.com]

The two say they’re pretty surprised at the racy direction the show is going in, and that it’s a departure from what they’re used to with the show. Both of them had input into their characters, though, and are pleased that they’ve matured and are in successful careers. One plot point they vetoed would have involved a love triangle between their characters fighting for a guy. Garth and Doherty say they’ve already done that and don’t think their characters would be in that place now:

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: There is a rumor that in this new 90210, Kelly and Brenda will be fighting over the slightly Dylan-esque bad-boy English teacher, Ryan Matthews. Are we really going to see Kelly and Brenda fight over another guy?
DOHERTY: I would not do that.
GARTH: People want that. They want that love triangle because that’s what they’re comfortable with with us. But it’s not happening.
DOHERTY: That was one of the things I was adamant about: Brenda Walsh would not fight for a guy anymore. There are bigger, more important things in her life. Besides, I encourage [Kelly] to date Ryan. I offer to babysit.
GARTH: All those people who wrote the ”I Hate Brenda” newsletter are going to get mad at me now, like ”Why are you leaving your child with Brenda?”
DOHERTY: Hopefully those people have grown up.
GARTH: I doubt it.

[From EW.com]

Doherty came off as mature but tough in this interview. She’s gone through a lot in her personal life, and says she didn’t really like her character Brenda Walsh and the way she behaved on the old 90210. Doherty acknowledges how much she owes her fans and says that she’s willing to play Brenda again and it’s a kind of thank you to her fans for her past success. “At some point it hit me that this is what the fans wanted. They put a roof over my head. They allow me to eat and to feed my dogs. The only reason I survive is because of them. If there’s one way to possibly say thank you, it is to go back and play a character that you never even liked yourself.”

Doherty likely needs the work too, and I wouldn’t guess that she has a lot of offers coming in. She did Charmed, Scare Tactics, North Shore, and Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty, but nothing really lasted for her.

The new 90210 will premiere on The CW network on September 2.

All photos credit Entertainment Weekly.