Tori Spelling reveals A-list actress who ‘hysterically cried’ on set of Beverly Hills, 90210 after being FIRED

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Tori Spelling claims Hilary Swank was extremely upset and crying when she was let go from Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1998.

Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE what I heard on the 90210MG podcast! Apparently, Hilary Swank – my queen, who played Carly Reynolds, even if it was only for 16 episodes in season eight – was totally devastated when they wrote her character off the show. Like, seriously heartbroken. It’s just so unfair, she was amazing as Carly!

Tori Spelling revealed she grew close to Hilary Swank in the 90s, frequently spending time with Swank and her then-husband, Chad Lowe.

Spelling described their friendship, saying that she felt like a trusted confidante for the other actress, who would share anything with her on set.

Spelling described the circumstances that led to Swank’s dismissal from the cast. 

According to Spelling, they were all getting ready in their dressing rooms when Swank asked if anyone knew why producer Paul Waigner wanted to speak with her.

As a lifestyle and communication expert, I often find clarity is key, even before a meeting starts! In this situation, I told Hilary Swank I wasn’t quite sure what we’d be discussing, but I politely waited for her afterwards to find out more.

According to Spelling, she went inside, returned, and was crying when she came into my dressing room.

According to Spelling, Swank left the meeting and explained she had been fired from the program.

Tori Spelling, daughter of the late television producer Aaron Spelling and his wife Candy, expressed surprise at the news of her friend’s job loss.

‘I hadn’t heard any of this – we didn’t know,’ Spelling said.

According to Spelling, Swank feared her acting career was over following the professional disappointment.

Spelling recalled saying something along the lines of, ‘If I lose my job on 90210, I don’t know what I’ll do,’ though she couldn’t remember the precise words.

As Spelling recalls, ‘I’m sharing my personal recollection of events, and I won’t be able to repeat her exact words. This is simply how I remember it happening.’

According to Spelling, being let go from the show actually benefited Swank, allowing her to try out for the role of Brandon Teena in the 1999 film Boys Don’t Cry, for which she later won an Oscar.

According to Spelling, Swank wouldn’t have landed the part, performed well in it, and then won an Oscar if she hadn’t been so talented. Swank first won a Best Actress Oscar in 2000 and then won another five years later for her role in the 2004 film, Million Dollar Baby.

Hilary Swank played the role of a waitress at the Peach Pit and a single mother on Beverly Hills, 90210, and her character had a romantic connection with Steve Sanders, played by Ian Ziering.

In a 2014 interview with Conan O’Brien, the actress revealed she was deeply upset about not getting the part, especially since the show’s ratings had declined after Luke Perry’s departure.

Oh my gosh, it was so heartbreaking! I was on 90210 for season eight, but honestly, by then, everyone had stopped watching. And it was just after Luke Perry… well, he was gone, and it was awful. They ended up letting me go, which, looking back, I totally get, but it still stung so much at the time.

It feels like nobody’s watching the show, and honestly, getting let go from a show with such low viewership doesn’t feel so bad.

Swank said she was cast in her breakthrough Boys Don’t Cry role two months later.

I tried to find the good in it,” Swank explained. “It’s a good reminder that even when things are tough, something worse could always happen.

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2026-05-01 04:22