A single program served to make his name and face known throughout the world. And although he never stopped working in the media, that character he played for a decade in that iconic series continues to occupy a very special place in his career and in his life. Perhaps that is why, in his new biographical book, I Choose Me: Chasing Joy, Finding Purpose, and Embracing Reinvention, Jennie Garth He dedicates several chapters to it.
In her memoir, which goes on sale April 14 in the United States, she recounts the challenges of dealing with difficult plots in Beverly Hills, 90210 while maturing in real life. And, of course, it addresses several of the rumors that have been circulating since the 90s: her violent rivalry with Shannen Doherty and her passionate romances with Luke Perry and Jason Priestleyincluded.
Regarding the presentation of her book, the actress gave an extensive interview to People and confessed: “I think that Luke was my first true love. It was difficult for me to differentiate between my character Kelly’s feelings and my own. He was jealous of all the guest stars Perry flirted with. Now, looking back, I think: ‘You were just like any other girl in the world: everyone imagined him as their first true love,’” she said, laughing.
“Everyone imagined he was my first true love. But the truth is, it was confusing. Sometimes everything got a little blurry. There were a lot of conversations and intimate moments between these two characters, and I think I got carried away and allowed myself to think it was real“, he confessed. Even so, she affirmed: “I still believe that there was something real between us. “We had a very special relationship.”
In her book, she writes about their lingering kisses and affectionate touches: “When Kelly fell in love with Dylan, I fell in love with Luke,” she explained. In turn, she assured that the relationship did not end when the program stopped airing in 2000, but her love for Luke faded as real life took over.
“All that confusion disappeared for me, because he got married and I got married, and we became very good friends.. And that was just a silly dream. But my teenage self really believed it,” said the actress.
When Perry died of a stroke at age 52 in 2019, Garth felt deep pain. “The loss of Luke moved me deeply. I felt paralyzed, unable and unwilling to speak. It was too difficult to understand, too devastating to accept,” she wrote in her memoirs.
Garth, 54, has three daughters with her ex-husband Peter Facinelli, from whom she separated in March 2012, after 11 years of marriage. Three years later, she again walked down the aisle with actor Dave Abrams. However, the actress assured that her character’s story influenced her own vision of love. “It had a big impact on my view of love and relationships. Kelly was involved in many love triangles. And even Brandon (Priestley) ended up being unfaithful to Kelly. Brandon Walsh, precisely! So I got a lot of messages that ‘love is risky, it’s dangerous to love someone’. So I lived my life very cautiously in the world of relationships. Until I discovered that that didn’t work for me either,” she explained.
While Kelly Taylor and Brandon Walsh had a strong romantic connection, the opposite could be said about the actors who played them. Although it was often suggested that they had a fleeting and passionate romance while filming the series, the actress assures that his relationship with Priestly was “strictly professional.”
“We never kiss off camera. He and I are very close. We are like brothers. “We love each other very much, but no, the passion was exclusive to Brandon and Kelly,” he added.
Regarding his discussed rivalry with Shannen Doherty – Brenda Walsh in the strip – Garth assured that it was real, and that over time he came to regret it. “I think that We were both in the same situation, really in the spotlight, and our characters were written to be rivals“explained the actress.
She added: “That was reflected in the media, in the audience and, subsequently, in the world’s perception of our relationship. And that, in turn, was confusing for us, I think.”
“I’m embarrassed to say it, but the other day I was looking at a magazine Teen Boplooking at old photos, and I saw a page that said, ‘Oh, Jennie Garth, great life, Midwestern values. How sweet!’, and then I turned the page and it said, ‘Join the ‘I Hate Brenda’ fan club.’ And then I realized that it wasn’t just us. This energy came to us from everywhere and pitted us against each other.“, revealed.
“I realized how terrible it was, how terrible it was to put ourselves in that situation. No one guided us. No one got therapy then. No one talked to us about things. We were just managing on our own,” she reflected. He added: “We were doing the best we could. And sometimes strong women clash, especially when they are young and don’t have much education about friendship and its importance.”
Garth came to understand over time that she and Doherty were more similar than they realized. “She was an Aries, I am an Aries. She was very close to her family and very aware of her father’s health problems. I was also going through the same thing at the same time, and there were a lot of things happening, adult things that affected us both, but the media attention put the rivalry in the foreground, more than the friendship and admiration that we really felt for each other,” he indicated.
At the same time, he noted that it is still difficult for him to believe that Doherty, who died in 2004 at the age of 54, a victim of cancer, is no longer in this world. “In the end, we had a great mutual respect for each other as strong women who have endured in this industry. And she taught me a lot. He taught me many valuable things about being strong, standing up for myself, and speaking up. And I will always be grateful to her and the relationship we had.”, he expressed.
