Tori Spelling and Brian Austin Green worked out on-air what — or who — caused them to lose touch for 18 years after they worked together on Beverly Hills, 90210.
During the Monday, August 26, episode of Green’s “Oldish” podcast, he asked Spelling, 51, why she thought they stopped speaking to each other after the 2000 finale of the Fox drama.
“I remember our last conversation and the last thing we said to each other before those 18 years. I was crying,” she recalled. “I remember crying that we were going to lose touch because we were so close. It was almost like going through a divorce or something.”
Green, 51, said he made an effort to remain friends with Spelling but thought she wasn’t interested.
“What I remember is going by [your then-boyfriend and our former costar] Vincent [Young]’s house to see you multiple days after we wrapped and trying to keep a connection going. But it got to the point where I just never got that from you,” Green claimed. “And then I remember being at the 90210 DVD release party and you were married to [now-estranged husband] Dean [McDermott] and I was with [now-ex-wife] Megan [Fox] when we were still just dating — you guys got there and you never said hello to me once. I just kept missing you guys and then you were gone.”
Green and Spelling played love interests David and Donna on Beverly Hills, 90210 for 10 seasons. They also dated in real-life at the beginning of the series’ run. Young joined as Noah – one of Donna’s love interests — in 1997.
“It was just this thing of like, ‘She just doesn’t want to be my friend.’ I genuinely felt that way,” he admitted of their falling out. “I tried to visit you and I would call you. When that wasn’t reciprocated and so I gave up. I didn’t know what was going on in your life.”
Spelling clarified that her “complicated relationship” with Young, 41, played a role, adding, “On my part, I lost myself in that relationship again as I had done previously in relationships. That relationship was not a good relationship for me and toward the end I got wrapped up and things weren’t good.”
Spelling, who dated Young for two years until their 2001 split, said she “panicked” when Green would visit her. The actress noted that Green’s relationship with Vanessa Marcil also affected the situation. Green and Marcil dated from 1999 to 2003 after she joined the cast as Gina for seasons 9 and 10.
“That relationship was frustrating to see from a friend’s perspective who loves someone so much. To see what is going on and see how your friend is treated and not be OK with it,” Spelling said about Green and Marcil’s romance. “But also knowing that you can’t really say anything because the person has to go through their own experience and go on their journey.”
For Spelling, it wasn’t easy to face the fact that she didn’t “like someone” for Green.
“I shied away from you because you weren’t a fan of [my] relationship [with Vincent]. You had a good working relationship with Vincent but I don’t think you felt like our personal relationship was something that was correct for me,” she continued. “My process was different and I would shy away from those that would really fight for me. I never stopped thinking about you and never stopped wanting to reach out and reconnect.”
Green, for his part, stood by his commitment to his bond with Spelling, saying, “I still showed up. I had come to terms with knowing that wasn’t a good relationship but you are my sister so there is no cut-off.”
The former costars noted throughout the episode that they are now good friends, recalling various phone conversations they had recently.