Charmed was a daytime staple in the 90s and we were all mesmerised – and yes, charmed – by the supernatural antics of the three glamorous sisters who used their powers to combat demons and warlocks.
The show ran from this day, October 7, 1998, to 2006 and made household names of its stars Shannen Doherty, Rose McGowan, Holly Marie Combs Ryan and Alyssa Milano.
Charmed was created by legendary Hollywood producer Aaron Spelling, also responsible for Beverly Hills 90201, and had a cult following.
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The three sisters, using the “Power of Three”, kept their magical capabilities a secret but inevitably found themselves in endless scrapes in modern-day San Francisco.
But where are they now? Daily Star has delved into the archives…
(Image: Getty Images)
In 2010 Huffington Post ranked Charmed in the Top 20 Magic/Supernatural Shows of All Time and it has won numerous awards and accolades. It was then announced a reboot would premier in 2018.
It’s been more than 20 years since Charmed first hit our screens, so we take a look at where its stars are now and what they’re doing.
Shannen Doherty
(Image: Getty Images)
Shannen played the role of Prue Halliwell, the eldest of the sisters. Her power was initially telekinesis but later developed to astral projection – the ability to be in two places at the same time. She was considered the strongest witch.
Shannen, now 50, was a child actor before Charmed and was most known for playing Jenny Wilder aged 11 in Little House in the Prairie.
The Memphis native, who came from a strict Southern Baptist background, became a major name after playing Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills 90201 but she left the show after its fourth season.
Spelling cast her in Charmed in 1998 and she even went on to direct some of the episodes but it is rumoured she was fired for being difficult on set. She was known for her “bad girl” persona in the 90s – including getting into physical fights with 90201 co-star Jennie Garth.
(Image: Getty Images for Hallmark Channel)
Post Charmed, Shannen concentrated on prime-time soaps and launched her own reality show, Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty but it was cancelled after one series due to poor ratings.
Bizarrely, Shannen also featured in Bo Selecta! in the USA with Leigh Francis as psycho superfan Avid Merrion.
By 2016 she had been cast in Heathers and then reprised her role as Brenda in 2019. Shannen was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and had to undergo a mastectomy. Her cancer went into remission for a spell but she announced in 2020 that it had returned and was now stage four.
She has been married three times – two of them not for very long – and has been wed to photographer Kurt Iswarienko since 2011.
Rose McGowan
(Image: Getty Images for Audible)
Rose played the younger sister of Paige Matthews whose magical power was teleporting. She was the secret love child of the Halliwell sisters’ mother Patty and came into the show in season four, as a replacement for Shannen Doherty.
The 48-year-old has a rather interesting backstory – she was born into the Children of God cult in Florence, Italy, but thanks to her father’s contacts she was allowed to pursue a modelling career as a child. But by age 15, she had emancipated herself from her parents and was living on her own in LA.
She spent the late nineties starring in indie films and it was only after being cast in Charmed she became well-known.
Her film breakthrough was in Scream in 1996 and then went on to star in Quentin Tarantino’s double-feature film Grindhouse.
She was in a high-profile relationship with Marilyn Manson and famously turned up to the 1998 VMAs wearing a completely see-through dress with him.
She said at the time: “Sorry you’re square and I’m not. Bummer.”
(Image: PA)
Rose also hit headlines in recent years for helping to kickstart the MeToo movement.
She accused disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in 1997 in a hotel room and of other showbiz bigwigs of knowing about the widespread abuse of young aspiring actresses but doing nothing about it.
She tweeted: “All of you Hollywood ‘A-list’ golden boys are LIARS… You all knew.”
Rose has also accused filmmaker Alexander Payne of statutory rape after having sex with her when she was 15 and he was in his late twenties.
A spokesperson for Payne has previously said he has “no further comment regarding Rose McGowan’s false allegations.”
Alexander has also stated: “While I cannot allow false statements about events twenty-nine years ago to go uncorrected, I will continue to wish only the best for Rose.”
She is a prominent activist for issues ranging from gay rights to equality for women and has also loudly criticised the Democratic Parry and Joe Biden.
Holly Marie Combs Ryan
(Image: Getty Images)
Holly Marie played the role of Piper Halliwell, the second eldest sister. Her character was sweet and sensitive in the first few seasons but became more assertive and aggressive after the death of Prue (Shannen Doherty).
Her power was to stop time.
Holly Marie, 47, was born in California to teenage parents – her mum was just 15 when she had her. She has a distinctive mark above her eyebrow, the result of a nasty fall as a toddler.
Additionally, she became a certified scuba diver aged 13.
Her first acting breakthrough was aged 18, after various small roles in the early 90s, in Picket Fences before being cast as one of the leads in Charmed.
She was the only cast member to appear in every episode of the series, including the original unaired pilot.
Holly Marie has had a fairly steady if uneventful career and was cast as the mother of one of the main characters in the hit teen drama Pretty Little Liars in 2017. She has also been married three times and has three sons.
Alyssa Milano
(Image: Getty Images)
Alyssa played Pheobe Halliwell, the youngest sister and possessed the power of premonition. Considered to be a “passive power” she was also highly skilled in martial arts to compensate for it.
Alyssa, 47, is known for being in various other high-profile 90s projects such as Melrose Place, Who’s The Boss and later in the sitcom, My Name is Earl. Alyssa was another child actress and has said that, unlike many former child stars, her childhood was not marred by working in the entertainment industry.
Who’s The Boss made Alyssa a teen idol but she later struggle to shrug off the “nice girl” image it cultivated and struggled to be cast in edgier roles.
After Charmed Alyssa dabbled in comedy films and as well as being the host of Project Runway: All-Stars by 2017 she was in the Netflix satirical comedy Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later.
Similar to Rose, Alyssa is an activist and was a vocal part of the MeToo movement. She advocates for AIDS sufferers, PETA and anti-gun violence, among other causes.
Notably, she was in a relationship with tragic 80s idol Corey Haim, who died impoverished and from pneumonia in 2010 after battling years of depression and drug addiction. She has been married twice and has two children.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
