Behind the Scenes Stories From ‘90210’

13. There’s a Reason Why the Scott Scanlon Character Died

Scott Scanlon was a quiet character during the first two seasons before he was suddenly killed off. The actor Douglas Emerson who was playing the role decided to quit to go to junior college, so they wrote it in that he accidentally shot himself. Dramatic.

14. Gabrielle Carteris’ Age Was an Issue

You would think they would have considered the potential challenges of hiring a 29-year-old to play 16-year-old Andrea Zuckerman upfront, but technically casting directors are not allowed to ask ages. It wasn’t possible to keep her looking young forever however, and she also got pregnant at one point which they had to write into the show. And then they wrote her right out of it.

15. Hilary Swank got fired from the show.

It’s hard to imagine now, but Hilary Swank was cast on 90210 as the character Carly Reynolds, the single mom that dated Steve Sanders. It was a story arc that was supposed to last two seasons but they wrote her out after just 16 episodes. It was a bummer at the time, but then Swank booked Boys Don’t Cry so it ended up being good for her career. Hello Oscar!