Shannen Doherty discusses filming Bethany amid cancer battle

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LOS ANGELES, Feb 13, (Agencies): Shannen Doherty shared the profound impact of her 2015 cancer diagnosis on the filming of the movie Bethany during the latest episode of her podcast, Let’s Be Clear, featuring director and screenwriter James Cullen Bressack. The actress, 52, revealed that she learned about her cancer diagnosis just a week or two before the commencement of filming.

Bressack, the director of Bethany, recounted the challenging situation on the podcast. “You called me when you had just started your meds and said, ‘I’m not sure if I can do this.’ I reassured you, ‘If you can’t manage it, we’ll find a solution, but I believe distracting yourself by working will be beneficial.'”

Despite initial reservations, Doherty committed to the project, giving her best effort. Bressack recalled a specific scene where she struggled with a speech about beauty while looking at herself in the mirror, attributing the difficulty to the medication.

Doherty, portraying Susan in the film, shared her struggles in trying to concentrate and perform amidst the recent cancer diagnosis. The mirror scene, in particular, posed a significant challenge as her mind grappled with the weight of her diagnosis, causing her to forget lines—a rare occurrence for the actress known for her impeccable memory.

After a thoughtful discussion, Doherty and Bressack opted to approach the scene without words, drawing inspiration from Robert De Niro’s silent intensity in The 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 expressed pride in that moment as an actor, stating, “I believe it’s much more challenging to convey everything solely through expression; words can often be a crutch.”

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