Shannen Doherty in October 2019.Photo:AFF-USA/Shutterstock
AFF-USA/Shutterstock
Shannen Dohertyopened up about how learning she had cancer in 2015 impacted her filming of the movieBethany.
During the Feb. 12 episode of her podcast,Let’s Be Clear, featuring director and screenwriter James Cullen Bressack, the actress, 52, said that she received news of her cancer diagnosis just a week or two before filming began. (Doherty revealed to PEOPLE in 2015 that she hadbreast cancer, which went intoremissionin 2017 butreturnedin 2020 atstage 4. In a 2023 PEOPLE cover story, Doherty saidthe cancer had spread to her bones.)
He continued, “And you showed up and gave it your all. I recall one instance when, perhaps due to the medication, you struggled with a particular speech, the one where you confront yourself in the mirror… it’s all about beauty and such.”
Shannen Doherty in the 2017 film Bethany.Uncork’d Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection
Uncork’d Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection
Doherty, portraying Susan in the film, elaborated on the difficulties she faced trying to focus and perform amid her recent diagnosis.
She recalled that the scene Bressack mentioned, in which she had to gaze into a mirror and touch her face, was especially challenging. She found herself repeatedly forgetting her lines, a rarity for someone known for her impeccable memory.
Shannen Doherty in October 2019.Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
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After a discussion, Doherty and Bressack decided to approach the scene without words, drawing inspiration from Robert De Niro’s silent intensity inThe Godfather Part II.
“You suggested, ‘I’ll convey it with just a look,'” Bressack recalled. “And you did. You looked in the mirror, tears welled up, and you didn’t utter a word. It was all there in your expression.”
Doherty agreed, “It’s a moment I’m particularly proud of as an actor,” she said. “I believe it’s much more challenging to convey everything solely through expression; words can often be a crutch.”
In January, on another episode of her podcast, Doherty andher guest, oncologist Dr. Lawrence Piro, discussed how cancer treatments have evolved in recent years, as well as Doherty’s hopes that future advancements will allow her to continue living a full life.
“I always talk about the fact that we just need to squeeze out another three to five years, and then there’s going to be T-cell therapy or there’s going to be this,” theBeverly Hills 90210alum said of the ever-evolving field of cancer research.
source: people.com
