Nothing but positive memories. Brian Austin Green defended the cast of Beverly Hills, 90210 after Jessica Alba claimed she had been told not to look any of them in the eye while guest-starring on the Fox teen drama in 1998.
“I’ve f–king heard that [she said that],” the actor, 47, said on Sirius XM’s The Jenny McCarthy Show on Thursday, October 8. “I never worked with Jessica. I never met her on set.”
Green insisted that the actress, 39, could not have “heard that from anyone reputable” because avoiding eye contact “wasn’t ever our policy” behind-the-scenes of the show.
“The one thing that we really were good about on our set was making people feel welcome and feel like they were a part of the family and what we were doing, and they were a part of the team,” he said. “So I can’t imagine that at all. And I can’t imagine that she heard that from somebody close enough to us that it was a direct reflection of any one of us.”
Alba, who played Leanne in two episodes of season 8, shared her side of the story during an October 1 appearance on Hot Ones, saying, “I couldn’t even make eye contact with any of the cast members, which was really strange when you’re, like, trying to do a scene with them. It was like, ‘You’re not allowed to make eye contact with any one of the cast members or you’ll be thrown off the set.’”
Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth were the first cast members to publicly react to the Fantastic Four star’s claim. The Stori Telling author, 47, said in a Sunday, October 4, clip of the former costars’ podcast, “9021OMG,” that she “was a little horrified” and “so upset” when she heard Alba’s story. Meanwhile, the What I Like About You alum, 48, worried that she may have said something wrong because she “had all the scenes with” the Honest Company cofounder.
“From the vague memories I have of working with her, I only remember her being super talented. She was very young, and she was really sweet,” she added. “It does not surprise me that she’s gone on to be so successful.”
Green acknowledged on Thursday that Garth “must have been bummed about” Alba’s comment, joking to Jenny McCarthy, “I’m sure Jennie was like, ‘I f–king wondered why she wouldn’t look me in the eye.’”
Jason Priestley and Ian Ziering were among the other castmates who expressed surprise, with the latter telling Access Hollywood that he “would have shot” down any negativity on set had he been aware.
