Shannen Doherty vs. Alyssa Milano

To be honest, I prefer Alyssa to Shannen and I don't think it's got anything to do with thinking with my below-the-waist-head on the matter. I respect that she posts on the internet, in her forum, to her fans. I also respect the abundence of charity work that she does and her urging young people to vote in the last Presidental Election.

Shannen Doherty, I can't admire. I'm sorry but I lose ALL respect for someone who drink-drives. People might brush this under the carpet or dismiss it but, IMHO, it's a huge deal. What if Shannen hit a child because her reaction times were slowed? When she did that, she put other people's lives at risk and that, to me, is disgusting. Yes, she has stated remorse for it but I honestly can't respect anyone who thinks it's a "good idea" to start with. Especially someone who obviously has the money to pay for a fricken cab.

As for acting.. I don't and never will think Shannen is a good actress. I may be proven wrong if she played parts that varied in any way but as a friend often said, Prue = Brenda with magic powers. Alyssa, honestly, is the same, so I'm not touting her as an exceptionally good actress by comparison but I certainly think she is just as capable of an actress as Shannen (despite both of them failing to win me over as accomplished).

Looks wise, I believe Alyssa is more attractive. This is because I go for faces over bodies. Shannen has a better body because it lacks Alyssa's gorilla hair. However, Alyssa has a face that doesn't look like her left eye is trying to escape. Yes, it's petty, but I like facial symetry.

Alyssa may be considered a "slut" for her raunchy outfits but I think the point is negated when you're using it as evidence for why she's better than a woman who has posed in Playboy.

And, honestly, I think using a "Shannen has been acting since she was a child" is really not a bonus over someone who has done the same.

All in all, I'm gonna lay it down the way I see it: Both of them are sub-grade actresses. Both of them aren't stunning beauties. Both of them could be equally bitchy behind the scenes for all I know.

However, what I do know is that Alyssa has actually done some charity work -- and continues to do so while Shannen is most famous these days for drink-driving and smearing lipstick on Paris Hilton's car.
 
ive stated this before, but in light of this recent slam against Shannen's acting ability, i MUST disagree.

firstly, while NEITHER actress has struck gold on the big screen, Shannen AT LEAST get's an "A" for effort for playing Kevin Smith's leading lady in "Mall Rats" in which she did receive generally good reviews and shannen DOES in fact have a larger body of work to critique than Alyssa, who to date is known mostly for her box office bomb "Poison Ivy2" and the silly mindless soft core porn flick "Embrace of the Vampire" AND a rather forgettable role in "Fear" as the screaming side kick to Resse Witherspoon. Shannen is not a "second choice" pick for SEQUELS the way Alyssa has been and she did this to keep her career afloat during a time when she was dangerously close to being type cast. She did ANYTHING she could to stay on television including a "work out" video :haha: and the ONLY thing that saved her was a brief stint on Melrose Place and by THAT time Shannen Doherty was STILL possesed of a higher q rating. Let us not forget who was immediately sought out for the lead role of Prue on Charmed and who was (again) SECOND CHOICE CASTING for the part of Phoebe?

POST "Charmed", Shannen Doherty has received critical acclaim for movies like "The Rendering", "Another Day", and "The Battle of Mary Kay" (in which she acted along side Parker Posey and Shirley Mcclain AND managed to not be eclipsed by them). She'll be appearing on "The View" soon as well.

Shannen is a stronger actress, she's more dedicated to her craft than Alyssa.

Shannen's antics (such as drunk driving) are NO WORSE than any male counterpart of her's (Jason Priestly for example) post 90210; or others like Lizzie Grubman who literally PLOWED into a crowd of people with her car because of careless driving AND just because Alyssa has people who KEEP HER dirty happenings under wraps (mainly her mother, who will just about sue ANYONE who publishes news on Alyssa's dirty deeds) doesnt mean she's an angel.

To dismiss Shannen as a "non talented bad girl" whose most famous act was attacking Paris Hilton is rather hasty IMO (besides..she also punched Paris in the face LOL) . She may not be an oscar award winning actress, but neither is Heather Locklear and yet she's still highly favored among her fans and generates good press. Shannen DOES have some pull in the television industry and she is respected AND she's prooven that she's a talented small screen actress...can we say the same for Alyssa?
 
Spellbinder said:
firstly, while NEITHER actress has struck gold on the big screen, Shannen AT LEAST get's an "A" for effort for playing Kevin Smith's leading lady in "Mall Rats" in which she did receive generally good reviews and shannen DOES in fact have a larger body of work to critique than Alyssa, who to date is known mostly for her box office bomb "Poison Ivy2" and the silly mindless soft core porn flick "Embrace of the Vampire" AND a rather forgettable role in "Fear" as the screaming side kick to Resse Witherspoon. Shannen is not a "second choice" pick for SEQUELS the way Alyssa has been and she did this to keep her career afloat during a time when she was dangerously close to being type cast. She did ANYTHING she could to stay on television including a "work out" video :haha: and the ONLY thing that saved her was a brief stint on Melrose Place and by THAT time Shannen Doherty was STILL possesed of a higher q rating. Let us not forget who was immediately sought out for the lead role of Prue on Charmed and who was (again) SECOND CHOICE CASTING for the part of Phoebe?
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Kevin Smith, I believe, is also by far an over-rated director/writer whose movies, aside from Dogma, are sub-par. Ben Affleck, for example, was tooted as being good in all of his movies and I disagree with that also. Shannen's movies weren't anything special, and she certainly, IMHO didn't bring anything to the roles which any B-rate actress could bring. :shrug:

I never said Alyssa had as an impressive resume as Shannen, however from my own observations, Shannen hasn't done anything to wow me or to seriously place her above Alyssa in the talent category.

And, as for the sheer volume of work.. it could be that Alyssa stays on jobs longer than Shannen does. Alyssa, to my knowledge, was never fired from an acting position so her "awayness" could have been a personal choice. Shannen, however, wanted to work but was forced off because of whatever reasons.

Spellbinder said:
POST "Charmed", Shannen Doherty has received critical acclaim for movies like "The Rendering", "Another Day", and "The Battle of Mary Kay" (in which she acted along side Parker Posey and Shirley Mcclain AND managed to not be eclipsed by them). She'll be appearing on "The View" soon as well.
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I have never heard of any of those movies, nor the acclaim she recieved for them. I'd have to see her acting alongside of Shirley McClain to truly know (for myself) if she has been eclipsed by her or not.

The View is a talk-show and not an acting job. Rosie O'Donnell has a place in the View and I sure as hell don't think she's a good actress.

Spellbinder said:
Shannen is a stronger actress, she's more dedicated to her craft than Alyssa.
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I don't think you can really say that. She has been fired from TWO shows now. Charmed, knowing the debacle, I could probably forgive, or believe that it was someone else's decision. But she also got fired from 90210. To me dedication to acting is playing a role, and doing it to be believable and upholding the integrety of the movie/show/play. Shannen was asked back for both 90210 and Charmed endings in order to give fans a throw-out. She denied them use even of her image.

Also, let's not forget her whole "Only 12 year old girls watch Charmed!" speech. That isn't the respect someone who is dedicated to acting should be giving to a paying job, in my humble opinion.


Spellbinder said:
Shannen's antics (such as drunk driving) are NO WORSE than any male counterpart of her's (Jason Priestly for example) post 90210; or others like Lizzie Grubman who literally PLOWED into a crowd of people with her car because of careless driving AND just because Alyssa has people who KEEP HER dirty happenings under wraps (mainly her mother, who will just about sue ANYONE who publishes news on Alyssa's dirty deeds) doesnt mean she's an angel.
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I so agree with the first part of this. I also have no respect for them two either and I would NEVER say what Shannen did was WORSE than either of them. I think the act is disgusting, whoever does it.

As for Alyssa.. you can only sue someone under certain conditions, such as things being false or unproven. Shannen, for example, tried to sue Star magazine for saying she had plastic surgury. I honestly can't believe that Lin Milano could sue someone unfairly and that Shannen couldn't or wouldn't.


Spellbinder said:
To dismiss Shannen as a "non talented bad girl" whose most famous act was attacking Paris Hilton is rather hasty IMO (besides..she also punched Paris in the face LOL) . She may not be an oscar award winning actress, but neither is Heather Locklear and yet she's still highly favored among her fans and generates good press. Shannen DOES have some pull in the television industry and she is respected AND she's prooven that she's a talented small screen actress...can we say the same for Alyssa?
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I don't dismiss Shannen. I don't have any particular dislike towards Shannen as a person. In interviews she seems to be fun but I still prefer Alyssa for my reasons stated above. I'm not a big fan (or even a fan) of either of them but I honestly think Alyssa's charity work really does eclipse any pull Shannen may have in the television industry which Alyssa doesn't have.
 
the only reason why i mentioned "The View" was to point out that Shannen continues to get cast and asked into high profile TV projects where as Alyssa will probably fade into obscurity AGAIN now that Charmed is over. Despite her being fired from 90210, Aaron Spelling came to her and personally asked her to take the role of Prue on Charmed. Alyssa wasnt even considered initially until her lackluster role on Melrose Place (which was the only reason people began to take her seriously as an adult and even SHE said that).

I also forgot to mention Shannen's role as "Heather Duke" in the cult classic movie The Heathers yet another step above Alyssa when it comes to movie roles. (again , neither one has really hit gold on the big screen but at least Shannen's roles aren't remembered for how ridiculous they LOL)

Alyssa spent the better part of her time on Charmed (from season 3 till the end) being a sex pot and that's what got her over...NOT her acting and while its not saying all that much (when compared to other shows and other actresses) Shannen and Holly WERE the talent on that show. Alyssa was JUST eye candy.

Looks fade. when you have talent or when you're even able to generate buzz by way of your reputation...that will go farther

Alyssa may be more "in touch" with her fans and do charity work and that's a plus to her indeed, but when it comes to TALENT and who is worth watching on a show or in a TV movie, I believe shannen takes it.
 
I have to say that my distaste for Shannen is related to her general bad disposition. Here is a sampling of her bad deeds.

* In 1997, Doherty was sentenced to an anger-management class after she broke a car window with a beer bottle, during a fight she had outside a Los Angeles nightclub.
* She did not appear in the finale of 90120 because she was asking for a lot of money, and producers refused to pay her. Cast and crew members didn't mind, since she managed to piss off all of them before she left the show.
* She once reportedly needed a limo to be transported 700 feet because she didn't want to walk, and she was going to explode if her demands weren't met. She was 21, and as far as we know, not suffering from arthritis.
* E!'s Ted Casablanca reported that Shannen was furious that her "chest cavity" was not as nice as Alyssa Milano's, and demanded producers pay for implants.
* Her character on 90210 was so hated, it inspired the creation of an I Hate Brenda newsletter.
* She has a police restraining order against her after trying to run down a boyfriend with her car.
* She got into a famous fist fight outside an LA that led to her arrest (yes another club).
* Recently got busted for drunken driving (she joins Jason Priestley as the other member of the former 90210 Walsh family to get busted for DUI), and is going to court claiming that the police alcohol tests were wrong, she was set-up.

That is an above-average screw-up line, and cannot be equated to a conspiracy theiory that tabloids are somehow frightened by Alyssa'a lawyers when you say in the same statement that she essentially has no talent OR pull.

I can agree that Shannen is a better actress, although in the same way Yugos are better than Trabants. Neither of them is beating down Academy doors for nominations, and Milano at least seems to pretty much keep her nose clean and not ATTACK people while actually doing some charity work here and there. Shannen in my opinion is WORSE because she thinks she's some super-great actress and should get top billing when she is at best a decent one who should try working more and bitching less. Alyssa at least seems to realize that she is only mediocre and therefore has done other things for which she is known, like being NICE to people and appreciating the hell out of the jobs she gets.That is why I like her, besides the nice bod and prettier face compared to Shannen.
 
but this is what gets me. No one talks about Jack Nicholson, Danny Bonaduce or any OTHER male celebrity that brawls, attacks people, spits in cameras or even SLAPS reporters (Burt Renyolds) or what not but Shannen Doherty is SUCH a villain for doing some of the same things?

I maintain that just because Alyssa "appears" to be innocent in the public eye, doesnt means she's squeaky clean. Shannen is more visible than Alyssa (for good OR bad), and she appears to be getting more work than Alyssa...and because shannen is an UNAPOLOGETIC "bad girl" (just like Madonna, Lil Kim and others that are well received) she's going to get scrutinized more than Alyssa.

and ultimately i DO think heather is correct about one thing. the men on this board (the ones that are straight) DO prefer Alyssa based on looks and can't even make a descision based on TALENT.because they dont know the body of work that EITHER actress has. the girls seem to know a little more about them in that regard.

if we were going to judge celebrities based on their behavior..then ALOT of people from all areas of the "industry" would get bad grades. there's no reason why Shannen should be so condemned when her male counterparts (on the same level and beyond) have done FAR WORSE.
 
It is not that ither celebs bad deeds are being ignored, it is that TWO SPECIFIC people are being compared. I could care less about how bad Bonaduce is when I am not discussing him. As for bringing up Burt Reynolds or Jack Nicholson, Shannen Doherty can't even SEE their level from where she is.
Which brings up my point. What most of the guys here are saying is that Doherty's repertiore, while above Milano's, is still lightweight, and definitely not far enough beyond to say that it should factor heavily in a compaison of the two. As for the guys here bringing up the looks, that was in part in response to some of the women here making that claim that Alyssa was not more attractive, which is about as ridiculous a claim as I have heard in a long time. Although I will admit Doherty is no dog, she is no Milano.
As for saying that Alyssa is not squeaky clean, that is probably true, but her rep is WAY better than Shannen's. It is not even close.
 
so a person's "level" excuses their behavior? :haha: i brought that up because you and sebastian are highlighting Shannen's deeds as if they are ANY WORSE than some male celebrity (or females that i mentioned in another post above) antics. I think that in regards to THESE TWO that we were discussing, its OBVIOUS that Shannen beats Alyssa in the talent department and that's what MANY women (and a few men) in this thread were saying so others, (mainly men) were focusing on Alyssa's looks and personality and suggesting that Shannen's attitude and actions dminish her talent.

Shannen and Alyssa are SMALL SCREEN actresses. Shannen has FAR MORE big screen success than Alyssa and while she's no Meryl Streep, she's further along than Alyssa in both the big and small screen..and in the talent department THAT does count for something.

Is there something wrong with being a "small screen" actress? there are other small screen actresses who have little or no success on the big screen.

when it comes to "looks" if you watch the show Charmed during the first three seasons, "Prue" had the stylish, classy, contemporary fashion sense. "Piper" was classic and wore things that were easily mixed and matched and "Phoebe", well it was obvious that she was about ADVERTISING and her wardrobe showed it.

OUTSIDE of Charmed, Shannen also has a nice sense of style and Some magazines like "In Style" actually praised Shannen or her sense of style where as Alyssa has actually made Blackwell's WORST DRESSED list as well as MSN's "biggest fashion blunders" photo album section more than once. so again, who "looks" better is still debatable because you can have a moderately attractive woman who knows how to dress vs. a physically VERY attractive woman who dresses like a slut...who do you pick?


The bottom line for me is: the INITIAL post of this thread asked "whose got better talent and is more successfull." the answer is Shannen.

it was a MAN (Zorcrow) who first began to argue "who looks better" and even after the LOOKS came into it..the general vibe was still that Shannen BEATS Alyssa for talent and overall success.
 
In terms of acting alone, Shannen edges her, although that is simply not saying much. The roles she has had are still pretty damn lightweight.

As far as a person (which I think goes into it since part of being a public person is reputation), Alyssa has her beat up and down.

So the question is this: do you prefer the slightly greater talent but bad attitude and bad behavior, or do you prefer the lower talent level but generally more exemplary person?

But if we ignore all else and look at acting only, it is Shannen by a nose. To be honest, I repeat that neither of them are particularly talented in terms of acting.
 
Spellbinder said:
i brought that up because you and sebastian are highlighting Shannen's deeds as if they are ANY WORSE than some male celebrity (or females that i mentioned in another post above) antics.
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No I wasn't. I even agreed with you in my apove post that they were no worse than anyone who you mentioned in your above post and highlighted that fact. However, what she publically has done is worse than Alyssa Milano, which is the comparison the first post makes.

If based on "dedication to the craft" (as you put it), I still can't agree Shannen is better considering that she had to be fired from two shows in the past and refused fans seeing her character, even in stock footage, in those two shows. Also the fact she called all her fans on Charmed "12 year old girls" really doesn't say much to me about her professionalism.

As for the movies and success.. I'll agree she has had more success in the sense of numbers than Alyssa Milano. However, Alyssa has been able to stay on shows in which she was contracted showing her to have, at least to me, an acceptable work ethic. Again, I'll say Shannen's success in this department is not too golden,

As for acting, I still can't compare Shannen to Alyssa in those terms. I actually do think they're equal. As for the argument that Shannen was chosen before Alyssa in Charmed actually, in my humble opinion, highlights Shannen's bad behaviour leading to her firing. WHY would you fire someone from a role which was orignally MEANT for her without good reason over a second choice.

Also, it must be noted that the choosing of Shannen as Prue over Alyssa as Phoebe does, in no way, emphasize that Shannen is a better actress -- just that she fit the role of Prue more than Alyssa fit the role of Phoebe (as she was originally meant to be). It would be like saying "Well Alyssa was chosen to be on Who's The Boss? and Shannen wasn't even considered.. obviously making Alyssa the better actress." -- The truth is, they don't vie for the same roles so that comparison can never be made.

Also, about Alyssa being the "slut" of the series. Phoebe wasn't any way more revealing than either Piper or Prue in the first three seasons. She even rarely dressed in a slutty maner in the later seasons -- no worse than Rose McGowan, for example (though whoever the stylist was on those later seasons needed to be shot!). In fact, I believe Rose/Paige was generally the more "sex-bombed" of the three sisters, especially in the later seasons when she was on her dating rampage.
 
I'm female, age 33. I'm not a regular watcher of Charmed. I saw maybe 9 episodes (total) from when Shannon was still around, and maybe 2 (total) from the time since Rose McGowan's been on.

My opinion about Alyssa vs. Shannen. I agree that neither is anything all that special in acting, but that Shannen is slightly better. At least, she just has a more deep and emotive presence than Alyssa, some how, some way. Again, this is not to say Shannen is a "great actress." Far from it. I did watch 90210 very reguarly when Shannen was on. Some, not all, but some of her dramatic scenes made me want to laugh.

Alyssa has a prettier face. Shannen is pretty, but Alyssa is simply prettier. Alyssa almost always looks pretty in pictures. Shannen pics have to be at a good angle or something; she does sometimes look "not that great". But she is a pretty woman.

Their bodies are about equal, really.

Overall, even though Alyssa is prettier...as a woman I'd be more envious of Shannen. She's got more overall balance in "good qualities". You get the sense of her being smart, pretty, strong, sexy, even a little mysterious, deep, etc. With Alyssa, it's all (or mostly) concentrated in pretty.
 
My opinion

I really like both actresses but I can't help but agree with what most people are saying on this topic. I believe that the reality of things on Charmed is that Shannen was the better actress out of her and Alyssa. I think the character of Phoebe had a good run seasons 1-3, but after that, especially beginning from season 5, her character was really bad. It would have been interesting to see how things would have turned out if Shannen had stayed and Alyssa had left... I think overall things would have probably been better. The thing that upsets me the most is that storyline wise, Phoebe was the character that was supposed to die. In season 2, on the episode Morality Bites I believe, the sisters traveled to the future where Phoebe was burnt at the stake for being evil. Seeing as her character succumbed to evil as the series progressed, you would have thought that Phoebe would have been the one to die, that's what I believe anyway. I agree also that Prue was the strongest of all the sisters, her character seemed to be going places more than the character of Phoebe's. I think things would have been more realistic and appropriate if Alyssa had left instead of Shannen, seeing as Prue's character still had a long way to go and Alyssa's character didn't. All I can say is TV is weird.

James
 
Shannen

OK, here is a little reply for this thread if anyone cares to read it. I recently bought the first 4 seasons of Charmed on DVD and am in the process of watching season 1. I really love the beginnings of Charmed but I actually noticed a very large reason why Shannen was probably kicked off of the show. I noticed that Shannen dominated most of the storylines in the first season and I also noticed that her character was extremely condescending to the Phoebe and Piper. I know Prue was supposed to be the oldest sister and the leader of the Charmed Ones, but I can't help but think that Charmed was a bit of a vanity project for Shannen. Whoops, better go to college... catch up with everyone later!
 
Like I was saying...

I think that Shannen in some ways dominated the show. Her character was very bitchy, especially to Phoebe and I imagine that had to change. The sad thing is that Phoebe in some ways took the Prue role and became like the "lead' sister, so to speak. I think overall thats Shannen should have stayed on the show. I think that as season 3 came along that the sisters were all coming into their own and it was kinda unnecessary to change things... I understand why it happened though. Ah well, what can I say, women when they are put together just find it hard to get along.

James
 
James said:
Ah well, what can I say, women when they are put together just find it hard to get along.
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you should be carefull when making generalized statements about women on a message board that is PREDOMINANTLY women.

and in the future, do not do double/tripple posts. simply go BACK and use the edit function on your last post if you have something to add and include something like "ETA" (edited to add) and then add on your additional thoughts.

thanks for participating on one of our ongoing debates :)
 
Archon said:
No in depth analysis here, but Alyssa Milano is way better look.
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Mind you, Ms Doherty was nice to look at at one point in time.
 
I used to have an infatuation with Alyssa Milano when I was young. She was so hot on those early episodes of "Who's the Boss," especially because she's around the same age as me, I think.
 
I don't like Shannen in any way shape or form, and Milano strikes me as a bit "horsey" but she was pretty cute when she was in 'My Name Is Earl'
 
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