Shannen Doherty Talks True Tori, Responds to Diva Accusations in Jason Priestley's Memoir

"She's a beautiful girl and she needs to ignore the haters," actress says of Tori Spelling

By Zach Johnson May 16, 2014 1:27 PMTags

Shannen Doherty has nothing but love for Tori Spelling.

Though they've been at odds in the past, the former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-stars' friendship has last more than two decades. Spelling's marriage to Dean McDermott is hanging by a thread after his 2013 affair, and Doherty is often rendered speechless when she tunes in each week for Lifetime's True Tori.

"Wow. Wow! It is just all out there," Doherty said on The Arsenio Hall Show Thursday. "She is baring her soul and I think that everybody has their process of what's cathartic for them in how to deal with something, and this might be hers." Had Spelling sought her advice before agreeing to film, Doherty said she "would have told her to do whatever she felt was the best for her." She added, "My heart does break for her. It breaks for anybody that's in that situation. I mean, that's pretty awful and I certainly hope everything works out for the best. And in meantime, it's making for some amazing TV."

"I just hope that Tori loves herself. She should," said the Charmed star, who noted that Hollywood often exacerbates actress' insecurities. "She's a beautiful girl and she needs to ignore the haters."

Doherty was also asked about Jason Priestley's memoir, in which he wrote about her diva antics. In 1990, Fox executives sent them on a last-minute trip to New York City for a meeting with advertisers.

"I could not believe my ears at Shannen's very first words after she boarded," Priestley recalls in his book, Jason Priestley: A Memoir. "Her butt had barely hit her seat before she said loudly to the PR person, 'Really? A town car? You send a town car to take me to the airport, not a limo?' She sighed a very put-upon sigh. I laughed, as I couldn't really tell if Shannen was kidding or not."

According to Priestley, "That was just the beginning. I looked on, becoming more uneasy by the minute as she began bitching about the short notice and the food on board and the temperature in the cabin and everything else." Doherty's list of demands only intensified after they arrived in the city, he writes.

The Arsenio Hall Show / Courtesy CBS Television Distribution

Is what Priestley wrote true? "Back in the day, when you and I would sit and do this, the one thing I remember is there was always stuff on my card about who you were battling with," Arsenio Hall told Doherty. "They would say you're battling with Tori, you're battling with Jason, you're battling with [Luke Perry] 's pig—remember, Luke had a pig?" Indeed, Doherty did. "I mean, I only met it once. It didn't like me, I guess," she said before joking, "But I hear it's writing a memoir! Can't wait for that!"

Doherty isn't mad at Priestley. "It was so long ago and obviously I would have to refer to the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of journals I have of every single day taking account of everything that happened. I always say that everyone has their own version of the truth and memories are very funny things," she said. Regarding that particular excerpt, she said, "I've always hated limos...I think limos are weird and you can't talk to the driver because you're really far away...I love being social with people."