Let's Be Clear with Shannen DohertyBrian and Shannen clicked from the start and never drifted apart. The friends remember their nights on the Sunset Strip and their days on the set of Beverly Hills 90210. From paparazzi problems, career ups and downs, love, and even real estate...nothing is off limits when these two are together!
This is let's be clear with Shannon Dorny that last episode was so good we had to give our listeners some more. So we're back with Brian Austin Green. I'm going to flash to then us doing the reboot, okay, because because as you know, and as some people may know, I did not want to do it. Yeah, I wasn't going to do it. Luke and I had had mini meetings and conversations where we had both decided that neither one of us were doing it, and instead we were going to do our own show, and we had a couple of different ideas and producers that we wanted to work with. And then Luke passed, Yeah, and you are really the one. I was still sitting on the fence. I wanted to honor him, but I didn't want to revisit that. I didn't want to revisit the emotions it might bring up. It just felt like I was going backwards, right, And you're really the one that said to me, and you were the only one, by the way, the only one when we got to set, and even before negotiating and talking about wardrobe and all these talking.
Now again at Luke's wake at the house, we were sitting and your mom was there and you were sitting on the back of the couch. I remember it like I remember the conversation when that came up.
But you were the only one who knew that I had cancer, that it had come back, and then it was stage four, and I will say, you're probably You're the main reason, next to besides Luke, that I did that show. And what's really funny is that I'm very happy I did it because you know, you had your moment where you you were like, oh, I am funny, I can do comedy. I think that was the moment when I realized that I was funny and I could do comedy too. I had always been told that I was funny, but I always felt like, no, I'm too smart, or I'm too serious, or I'm too dry, or I'm too dark. I have a my sense of humor people don't get because it's so dark. You and I have a very similar sense of humor. We're both very dry and a little on the dark side in a good way. And we would talk about the scripts and you would we would both say to each other, Yeah, we're just going to improv. We're just gonna improv. And we.
Trailer with the candles and the whole thing, like improv that entire thing.
We did improve the entire thing. That was amazing, and the eating.
I look back on the reboot, it's such a great experience because ultimately, I feel like we stepped back into a situation that was so hard and traumatic when we were younger, and we stepped in in a place now where it's like, I'm done with all that shit. I'm gonna fucking show up here no matter what's going on, and I'm gonna enjoy it. And we enjoyed each other's company and time, and we had great fucking dinners, and like it was. I gloved that experience. There were there were parts of it that fucking sucked, of course. Yeah, So but that's that's gonna happen. Nice, That's gonna fucking happen all the time. You're gonna get in the car and there's gonna be fucking traffic and you're gonna go that drive sucked. So what it's like, you know, it's I always I always tell people, like one of the mantras, one of the things that I really try and follow on a daily basis is I feel like the only thing in life that I have control over. I've said this before is who I choose to be while living life, because life fucking does this. It has a substance downs, and it has the crazy shit, the neurological shit that I went through, the fucking divorced stuff, like all the you know, you go through the lows and you go, oh my god, this is fucking terrible, and then you go these these highs where everything's great, and it's like, Okay, who do I want to fucking be during all of this? Do I want to be somebody that is unpredictable emotionally because if things are going great, I'm super nice, and then if things are going shitty, I'm a fucking asshole. When you meet me or see me out somewhere, do I want to be that guy? Or do I want to be the guy that, no matter what, fucking stops and takes time to connect with people genuinely. And you, it's the I feel the same way about you. You're very good at doing that. Like you, no matter what is going on.
Around you.
Take the time to take in your surroundings and fucking be the person. I've said it that char and I were just talking about it to me, you live consciously like all the time, Yeah, which is that's but it's a choice. It's not People get confused. They think like, oh, that person's just better than me. It's like, no, that's not. It's a fucking conscious It's a choice that I make in every single situation, every conversation that comes up. My first instinct is you want to fucking be venomous, and you want to stand up for yourself and you want to defend yourself and you want to do things. But then I stop, and I take a breath, and I go, Okay, how do I really want to be in this moment? You know, if somebody's saying shitty things to me in comments or in fucking whatever, do I want to fall in line with that and become a part of that fucking stupid conversation. Or do I want to stop and go Okay, let's approach this as fucking respectful adults and let's have a real conversation. And as soon as as soon as I do, fuck, I feel so much better.
Well, because then you can be proud of yourself, right you can. You can then walk away from whatever that conversation is or whatever encounter, that is, and be proud that you handled it a certain way and with class and with compassion and with integrity. I had a I think it was mid fourth season of the original nine to two one zero. I started going to therapy pretty heavily because I was trying to figure out that marriage and all of that. And she and I went for a pretty long time afterwards, and she taught me something that has always stayed with me, and that was that she said, before you react, count to three, and if you're still angry after you count to three, count to ten, then you can answer. Then you can respond. There's nothing wrong with taking a pause. You don't have to be so reactionary so quick. And I think I was so quick all the time in my earlier life because I felt I felt attacked. I felt attacked, but I also felt as a woman, I wasn't being heard. I wasn't instantly respected like the men were. I wasn't paid as much as Jason was or whoever was, And nobody considered in that first season when I was sort of an angel coming to work, nobody considered me to be the quarterback there was. And it was ingrained in my head from being a child and having such amazing parents that I was equal to my brother and that it didn't matter what your gender was. Everybody should respect each other equally. And so when I felt that I wasn't getting that, my reaction was a very bad reaction, right, because my reaction then took away any reason really respected me because it was so incredibly reactionary, and I would get angry and upset, and that if I said I don't like how Brenda is being written, that it was, well, it's not up to you, right, and you don't have a voice here. And when some executives and people helped those people create the I Hate Brenda newsletter in order to drum up that bad publicity, and I was saying, this is hurtful to me personally, like I'm I'm young, and these people are attacking me and I need help with this. It was sort of, well, that publicity is great for the show, and then it's funny to hear that in the meeting, it was, well, she's getting really bad publicity. Now, this isn't a good look for us. But going back to my original point, I wish that I had learned the whole three ten count at a much younger age, because I know how much it benefits me. So even now, if somebody is complaining about something in life, and maybe I have gotten not great news about cancer, I still stop and count to myself and say, it doesn't matter what you're going through. What matters they're needing to share. They're needing somebody to listen to them and give them comfort, and you need to do that. You need to give them some comfort and love. And whenever, now, whenever somebody says it's so stupid that I would complain to you, you of all people, and I'm like, no, I'm actually the right person to complain to now, because I don't think everything's relative my health situation. You went through a massive health situation. That does not mean that we're in a competition. It's not a competition, and we're not excluded from from being a part of your life and hearing what your issues are and trying to help you as well.
Right, Yeah, I hate Brendan newsletter. I totally forgot about that.
Yeah, that was brutal.
I honestly believe like you weren't meant to be on the show for more than the four seasons that you were, Like there's no you were meant to move, move out into the world and do some other stuff, and like that was that. That was a strange, little little group. It was an amazing group, but it's a strange one. I think the universe, man, the universe has these like weird fucking things happen and it doesn't make any sense. But you look back on them and you go, man, thank god, thank god, you weren't you weren't stuck there for another eight years or six years. That would have you would have I know you, you like you would have felt so fucking caged by that experience. You're not someone in my experience to be like quit in a box and you know this is this is just what your life is now. You like you just love to fucking roam and do and try things and experience things and do all that and now two and zero. After a while, it really didn't offer that. I mean, we were at the point when we were at like the double up episodes and doing all that shit.
It was so like it was brutal.
It was a grind Monday through Friday. You'd get there at seven thirty in the morning and you'd worked till eight thirty at night and you'd go to you know, and it was just like groundhogs day. Every single day you'd show up.
And I think for me, Charmed was the only show that I probably could have been on forever, because yeah, there was just something about it. There was my character, my crew, my directors, my writers. That was also your show like you, and I was directing it just yeah, I was doing stunts. It felt like I was getting to rome and not be in a box while also still being in a box. But it was a box that I was super happy with versus I agree with you, I think nine which you want to know, everything does happen for a reason. And and if I had stayed, I probably would have gotten fired a year or two years or three years later because I would have been so incredibly unhappy.
You would Yeah, you would have fucking hated it. You would have hated it.
There well, I also hated the direction Brenda went.
You would have been like, these stories are fucking ridiculous. Yeah, what is happening with my character? Why am I saying this? You hadn't just been like up in arms every day on set because I was, and you know me like I am as damn near as agreeable as they come. I was rewriting scenes. I was like, this is fucking terror, this is garbage, ripped this page up. Fucking Tory and I were sitting in and I'm not a writer, torrit, I don't think Tory is a writer, like but but the fact that we were doing that is like, okay, that's yeah. It was Uh, that show got tough tough to fucking write for it after a while because it was like, Okay, we're we graduated high school and now we're in college. Okay, now we're we graduated college. Now we're working at the fucking store. I felt like everybody stayed the same. It was like the same sort of issues, the same drama.
It kind of I mean, listen, I didn't really watch it when I was on it, so I didn't watch it when I was offer, But from everything that people conveyed to me afterwards, it just got Some of the storylines were, oh, it just.
It's just yourself deeper and deeper into the same So like it wasn't it didn't. It didn't grow at the time. It was like our environment changed, but our characters didn't really change. Like it was we were just in a new we were on new sets, wearing new clothes and doing new stuff, and it was a new year. It's like that, that was it. Otherwise it was just the same stuff we were shooting Season eight was the same as scenes we were shooting Season two. Like it wasn't they were. It was damn near a copy and paste at that point. It would have it would have driven you fucking crazy.
All right, Well, I guess I'll thank everybody the next time I see that totally. Hey, I want to thank you all for that phone call. I really want to thank you guys for firing me. Guys I really appreciate and not wanting me to be there. I just want you to know the way that would be. I would there's some people I would love to see the reaction to that. I might actually do it, because it's kind of funny to so many years later go up.
To just call everyone almost like you know, aa, like make amends, like you call everyone, you go listen. I just wanted to thank you for that phone call you guys had that day, because changed for the better at that point, right, And I didn't sound to show knew me because of that experience.
I'm looking at their notes because they do have really good notes. Uh, did you feel like a little brothers to me? No, you felt like I didn't right, No, No, you felt like seemed like fucking bros. Like we were.
It was aside from the fact that we were different ages that never ever fucking played a part in anything, but we we hung out and to me, like you were, we were absolute fucking me equals. I gotta say, like that was that was one of the experiences that I had with pretty much all the cast was like I was. They never treated me as like the younger one or like you know, Jay would call me young Brie and stuff like that, Like there was always reference to that. But I was never treated by anyone, uh, in any sort of different way. And you and I especially never had that relationship. I think, like I remember showing up on setting, you being there and feeling so relieved because it was like, oh, I fucking know somebody here, great and we'd we'd worked on all sorts of things around each other. We had never worked together on anything, so all of a sudden, beyond set, it was like holy shit, like auctionnon too, this is this is great. I still was like, oh, it's a pilot, Like we'll do this pilot and then we'll you know, but hey, we got to do a pilot together. That's great, you know, yeah next year when we're doing you know, the fucking Prices right reboot.
What was it like for you when you came back for like season five and I wasn't there was there anything weird on this set? Not to be all self consumed, but I'm just curious if it felt weird or if did because did Tiffany come on right after me?
She came on right after you.
In a way, it was almost like I lost my friend, but now my girlfriend's on the show.
It was It was definitely weird, though, like it was for me. What was weird was like being in the hallways where you usually were and not seeing you, not seeing you in the makeup trailer, not like being on set because we talked about this before. We didn't have much stuff together on so they had a couple fun things for us here and there, like we would dance it, you know, the pool party or whatever. We would be off on the side doing that kind of stuff. Stuff honestly that I think you and I created more than was written.
Like it was.
We we just it was like oh there's a group of people. Okay, I'm gonna end up with Sham because I'd rather be over there. So we're gonna be here all day for the fucking party scene. But I remember it was the daily life, like getting a set, because we had a like a routine. After four fucking years, you have a routine. It's like you you get there, you know where everybody is, you know everybody hangs out, you know where like the spots are and the things, and so to get there and all of a sudden, it was like I would get to those places and you weren't there. It was fucking strange, like it was. It wasn't It wasn't so much. I didn't feel so much of the professional loss as I did the personal loss because it was just you were a part of that experience for me. You were a part of life there. So then when you weren't there, it was strange. It was like.
Losing a pet.
You know. It's like when you watch the other pets kind of come around, it's like there where Now what do we fucking do? You know? This is the one that we like followed and hung out with, and didn't you just compared to a pet. I didn't compare you to a pet, but I compared the loss of you for people that haven't lost a callag you at work. A lot of people have lost pets. I'm going to cut you off there, s because that's uh.
But you know what was really cool was that when we did the reboot, I think we consciously decided that we wanted to actually work more together because we hadn't.
We did.
We pitched and they led us, so a lot of our stuff was just you and me, which was awesome. And again and we would do the improv and we would just go on tangents and play and have fun and be creative, and our sense of humors would compliment each other. And our wardrobe was super cool.
And yeah, I'll never I'll never forget the one scene we had that ended with you reading watermelon because they kept all of that in. I was shocked, Like it was the final episode. It was the party at at my house as we're picked up and you were reading watermelon, you offered me some. It was They kept like an extra two and a half minutes of us just fucking like riffing.
And and that was pretty cool of them to keep it was great yeah. It was fun because you would think that they would have cut that and they don and it was it was and I and I loved that you were that through all of my like on camera eating scenes and it's finally in the last episode that you start partaking in the eating.
I love that you told me early on though, you were like, so one of my choices is I'm going to eat in every scene. I was like, fucked, dope, I don't take the scene when you guys, when we were all up on stage singing with Ray and you were just like eating all the time. It was fine.
It was so great and and everybody else was looking at me.
Like, bananas, sandwiches, apple, you do whatever the fuck you could consume? Do it?
Oh my god. Somehow I picked skittles one day when we were all sitting around in the director's chairs for that scene, and I was so sick from the candy, and I didn't think that it would take that many takes, but it did, and I just had it. Oh god. That's that was the first time that I went maybe this eating thing is not totally I think I'm going to rethink this character episode eight, but I was happy with it again that was that was a really fun experience for me. I felt I felt super very free and like liberated from myself.
Remember when we went and ate and at that Mexican restaurant and it was like a fucking twenty minute walk to get there, and like I remember just walking through the city and like looking at sty was. So it was so cool that way, because that is not we don't have time to do stuff like that. We don't have lives that support that type of behavior. But when you're in Vancouver, you're.
Very good with getting out seeing a place, and I go into a self conscious mode and I hide. So I was hiding out in my hotel suite, and you were the one that all said called me, I'll be outside your hotel in five minutes, like we're going for a walk, we're going to go here, we're going to go do this. And you got me out and got me seeing things and yeah.
And I've been there for like three weeks though before you got there, or two and a half weeks before you got there. So I like, for me, it was when you got there, I wanted you because I felt I mean, I felt a bit not responsible for you being there, but I really felt like you're here. I wanted to take care of you and make sure that you felt good and that you had a good experience in the city and that it was the best it could be, because like I talked you into a lot of this shit, Like I just was in your ear constantly, like come on, let's do this and it'll be fucking great, and you know you'll you'll love doing it.
And also coming in two and a half weeks later is hard because everybody's established themselves. Yeah, you know, they've rented apartments right, you know, next door each other, so there's always there's there's already a click going on. And it doesn't matter that you're, however much older, you still get when it's time to get on that plane. And then when it's time to walk on that set and see everybody again, it's it's like massive butterflies in your stomach. But you didn't you you didn't once let me feel like I was out there by myself. You were very much shan, we're going here, we're going there, we're doing this. I never ate lunch by myself.
And how crazy is it that the apartment that I had was not near anybody else's. It was I was in my own spot and I was literally like two blocks away from you, right, So it was like you got there and just that naturally happened, like it wasn't nobody planned for that because I don't know that city at all. People were like, where do you want to stay? I was like, I have no fucking where. I text Jason, I was like, where should I stay?
I don't you know? What's the good area? It's a good spot. Your area. It was really good. That was Cole Harbor was Yeah, it's a really good good.
The seawall and stuff there, because I would every morning get down to the seawall the path around on my electric skateboard and I just fucking go out. So then when you got there, it was all about like, come like, come with me on all this stuff. We're gonna walk the sea wall, we'll go to the restaurants, we'll go to the coffee shops, we'll do the things. And it was fucking great. It was. I'd so I had so much fun doing that with you. I'm so glad that you were out there in.
The meet too. Thank you what I thought if you weren't. Thank you for like being in my ear and making me get past myself and doing it because I it was an awesome, awesome experience. I'm so happy I did it. Like really, looking back, I'm like that was that was just an awesome experience and and did so much for me. And it's exactly what I needed because I'd just been diagnosed with stage four like February, I guess or something, Yeah, February towards the end of February. So to have that distraction, to have something going on, and to at least for six episodes, think that you're going to have a job and that cancer isn't going to impact your career and nobody's going to want to hire you. It was really nice. And then to be able to hang out with you and have fun and play characters that we got to essentially develop, and it was just overall really awesome experience, one that I loved. So thank you. I think I think I think I've asked you everything that I would want to ask you. And also aren't we supposed to do yours right now? Yeah?
So for people that don't know, yeah, we're doing two episodes today.
It's fun.
So I'm on your podcast and then you get to come over to my world.
Which is awesome because I love Your Guys podcast and I haven't seen Randy in forever.
He's so excited to talk to you.
I am so excited too. And then obviously you know that I love Sharana, So I'm I feel like I've now been doing this podcast thing for a while. I haven't really, but it feels like it. So to be on the other end of being on your Guys podcast, it's gonna be really cool. You know what's funny.
I was thinking about when I remember when I talked to you before I had the uh like the documentary, the idea, and you were like, I don't want to fucking talk about nine O two one.
Oh, I don't want to rehash any of that shit. Yeah.
Cut to now we're on each other's podcasts, and literally we've been talking about nine O two one.
Oh. I know, I know, I do remember that. You know what.
It's fucking cathartic, man. It's like, I strongly SI just to people that went through any sort of traumatic experience earlier on and are trying to avoid that and not dredge that up, and feel like, oh, maybe if I just bury it and I forget that it was there, it'll be better for me fucking get out and talk about it. We're totally different people, you know than when we did the show.
And going through divorces, which both of us have gone Yeah, yeah, it's the same thing. It's you can go through a divorce and either feel anger, resentment, or whatever. My case, it's a bunch of other emotions and you can sweep that under the rug or you can deal with it. And by talking about it, you learn so much about yourself in the process, and you also learn so much about what other people that are in your life thought of you and of that during that time, and so they get to voice what they saw, what their concerns were, you get to deal with that. It is very cathartic.
It is uh, just not letting life break you. It's you know, when shit comes up, just fucking like take it, take it on head on and fucking stand tough and stand proud and stand tall, and you'll be fine. You'll be okay. Like shit fucking hurts and shit sucks, but you'll be okay. Just stick with it, right, see it through, because there's a there's always something at the other end of it. Always there's no way to avoid that really.
About coming in the resolution, because in order to get past it, you have to resolve it. And so if you resolve it and you're able to resolve it with peace within yourself and maybe with others, sometimes there is no peace with other people, but you can still find the peace within yourself and give yourself the grace and move on. It's so much healthier and you feel way lighter, way lighter. Yeah. So I'm going to call everybody now and be like, hey, thank you so much for getting me fired.
Right, Hey, so I really wanted to talk to you about that conversation that was had thirty years ago.
That for you than that, Yeah, Like I haven't thanked you, and I haven't really heard how traumatic that must have been for you. So if you can share that with me, I'll talk to you for a minute. Okay, I want to know what you.
Felt during that thing.
Oh my god, it's a good one, all.
Right, Shan, come on over. I'll sorry over on Oldish.
Okay, I'll see you over there.
I love you.
I love you too.
Fe
