Rose McGowan recalls her 'weird' experience taking late Shannen Doherty's place on 'Charmed'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Rose McGowan reminisced on her friendship with Shannen Doherty one month after her death and remembered replacing the late actress on 'Charmed'.

Actress McGowan joined the show during its fourth season, playing Shannen Doherty's character Prue Halliwell's half-sister, Paige. McGowan accepted an offer to play the character after Doherty left the show in season three.

Rose McGowan explores replacing Shannen Doherty on 'Charmed'

The 'Scream' actress recently appeared on the 'Let's Be Clear' podcast, which was initially hosted by the late 'Beverly Hills' actress. Following Shannen Doherty's death, her mother Rosa Doherty assumed responsibility for carrying on the podcast's fan outreach.

McGowan was cast as Paige Matthews on 'Charmed' in 2001 and remained one of the show's main protagonists until the end of 2006.

She took over for Doherty, who left after Season 3 due to reports of difficulties between Doherty and co-star Alyssa Milano both on and off set, per People.

McGowan, 50, reflected on the bizarre experience of taking over after Doherty abruptly quit 'Charmed'. McGowan recalled that her late friend "was vulnerable on that show."

Recalling tales of their initial encounter and subsequent friendship, McGowan cherished her "brave" friend. She also remembered how "very weird" the set was "from the get-go" and how she declined to "start a war" with Doherty.

McGowan revealed in the podcast that she binge-watched the hit show and was unaware of its history when she joined the cast. "At the time I joined Charmed I did not understand the backstory," the actress revealed.

"I was just told she [Shannen] was fired and nobody talked about her," she continued. The 'Jawbreaker' actress continued by explaining how her career was aided by the 'Charmed' role.

McGowan explained: "I was very famous at that point, but I was persona non grata, non-hirable. I caused disruptions everywhere I went."

"This is something that Shannen [and I] later talked about that she related to the weight of what it's like to have the media machine lie about you."

McGowan remarked, "She was very vulnerable on that show. Knowing what I know now, that she had left 90210 in a kind of cataclysmic way."

Rose McGowan shares biggest regret about her friendship with Shannen Doherty

Rose McGowan and Shannen Doherty formed a strong friendship off-screen as well. They later gave each other insightful advice regarding their professions and the roles they had taken on in their careers.

Revealing her greatest regret in her friendship with the late actress, McGowan said she wished more people had known that she and her 'Charmed' co-star had been friendly for a long time.

"I do regret not doing the podcast with her, but at the same time, I think because so much of our relationship had played out publicly, that to have that period of time just for us was really special," McGowan expressed.

McGowan also expressed remorse about not spending more time with Doherty before her death in July, at the age of 53, after over ten years of fighting cancer.

She said, "I wish I could have gotten to know her sooner. I don't know how that would have happened, but I wish we could have."

"We both despised corporate feminism, as I call it, like slogans, and fake activists, and people that are just doing it for the clicks and the glory, but without actually putting in the work and the trauma that it takes to do that work."

Rose McGowan and Shannen Doherty refused to be pitted against each other

Rose McGowan claimed on the show that Shannen Doherty was an inspiration for her, even though they had had issues in the past.

She explained that she valued Doherty's candor regarding her experiences in the entertainment business and that she preferred directing to acting.

She remarked, "She really lived so many lives in one life, and that I certainly relate to. I know a lot of us can, but she lived life on a grand scale with gusto and just bad*** fun."

"One of the things we learned, I think, from each other by being outspoken was actually how much more similar we were than different."

McGowan further stated that she and Doherty refused to be pitted against each other by the press and filmmakers, per Entertainment Weekly.

She recounted, "From the get-go, every question was like, ‘Do you think Shannen Doherty hates you?’ ‘Do you think she's jealous of you?’ ‘What do you think?’"

"And I refused to take the bait. They wanted me to start a war with her, and I was like, absolutely not. And to her credit, she absolutely did not do that either," McGowan added.

Doherty passed away on July 13 from breast cancer. Her mother Rosa intends to carry on her daughter's podcast to respect her legacy.