Tori Spelling recounts how Hilary Swank broke down in tears after learning she was fired from Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1998.
Close Bond on Set
Spelling, who portrayed Donna Martin on the iconic 1990s Fox series, shared the story on the 90210MG podcast. Swank, then 24, played Carly Reynolds, a single mother and server at the Peach Pit, appearing in 16 episodes of season eight. The two actresses grew close during filming, with Spelling serving as Swank’s confidante on set. Swank often spent time with Spelling and her then-husband, Chad Lowe.
“I was kind of her safe place on set, and she would talk to me about everything,” Spelling explained.
The Firing Moment
Spelling describes the day Swank was let go. While in their dressing rooms, Swank mentioned a meeting with producer Paul Waigner and asked if Spelling knew the reason. Unaware of any issues, Spelling waited nearby.
Swank returned in distress. “She comes back, and she’s crying, and she comes into my dressing room,” Spelling recalled. Swank revealed she had been fired from the show.
The news shocked Spelling. “I hadn’t heard any of this—we didn’t know,” she said. Swank panicked, fearing it would derail her career. “Oh my God—if I get fired off of 90210, I’m never gonna make it,” Swank reportedly said, according to Spelling’s memory.
A Career Turning Point
Spelling views the dismissal as a fortunate turn. It allowed Swank to audition for and win an Oscar for her role as Brandon Teena in 1999’s Boys Don’t Cry. Swank later earned a second Best Actress Academy Award for Million Dollar Baby in 2004.
“She would not have been able to get that role, do that role and then win an Academy Award,” Spelling noted.
Swank’s Reflection
Swank addressed the firing in a 2014 interview with Conan O’Brien, admitting she felt devastated at the time. The show had lost popularity after Luke Perry’s departure, and being let go from a fading series stung.
“I was on 90210 in the eighth season when no one watched it anymore, and Luke Perry was long gone, so I was fired off the show at that point,” Swank said. “I’m thinking, no one watches this show anymore, and I got fired off of a show that no one watches.”
Two months later, she landed the Boys Don’t Cry role. Swank saw it as a silver lining: “It’s always such a reminder, when something bad happens, there’s something else that could be looming around the corner.”
