Jennie Garth negotiated the right to approve actors cast as Kelly Taylor’s love interests on Beverly Hills, 90210. Her longtime manager, Randy James, says she used that authority when producers were searching for a new romantic partner for her character.
James recounted the negotiations during the November 6 episode of 90210MG. Guest Daniel Cosgrove, who eventually landed the part, heard how much discussion had taken place before he joined the cast.
According to James, Garth’s dissatisfaction with previous choices prompted the request during a contract renewal. He characterized her objections as a pattern, although she corrected his suggestion that she had disliked everyone: It was “not every single one.”
Cosgrove joined the Fox drama in 1998 as Matt Durning, an attorney who became involved with Kelly. He remained for the show’s final two seasons, working alongside an ensemble Garth had been part of since 1990.
Spelling Called After Garth Rejected Candidates for Matt Durning
James remembered sending Garth several possible choices for the role and receiving rejections. That prompted a call from executive producer Aaron Spelling, who demanded that he stop interfering with the show. James said it was the only time the producer had shouted at him during their years of knowing each other.
Garth asked whether Spelling’s anger had been directed at her manager or at her. “I think he was talking to you through me,” James replied, in the exchange also covered by Entertainment Weekly.
Cosgrove’s tape received a different response. “I love this guy,” James recalled Garth saying. “Please tell them to cast him.” The manager said Spelling was pleased with the eventual choice, too.
James had intervened in Garth’s own casting years earlier. During a December 2024 appearance on <a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-sibling-revelry-with-kate-52209768/episode/revel-in-it-what-i-like-249761759/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>Sibling Revelry, she recalled being turned down after her initial reading for Kelly. Her manager asked a casting contact to give her another chance and get her in front of Spelling. That second opportunity led to the job.
Cosgrove Went to California for a Melrose Place Audition
Cosgrove had been working on All My Children in New York when Spelling’s company expressed interest in him. His agent sent footage, followed by several weeks without news. The invitation that eventually arrived was to screen-test for Melrose Place.
Two days before his flight, another possibility appeared: a new character on Beverly Hills, 90210. He traveled west with both auditions ahead of him, arriving at the appointment 45 minutes early in a gray Calvin Klein outfit and navy blazer.
After rehearsing in a bathroom mirror, he stepped into the hallway and saw Spelling approaching with two other men. The encounter made an already unfamiliar situation feel even more daunting. Inside the audition room were representatives from the production company, Fox and casting.
During his reading for Matt, a casting assistant playing Donna’s part accidentally delivered one of his lines. Cosgrove stayed in character and improvised a response that brought the scene back on track. When the assistant apologized afterward, an executive asked what had happened. Cosgrove believed getting through the mistake without stopping had helped his chances.
He returned to New York without the Melrose Place job, which went to the other actor auditioning. Of the two opportunities, he told Garth, 90210 had been the one he wanted more.
Garth Initially Found Her New Costar Too Quiet
On the new podcast, Cosgrove remembered arriving at the studio in his Volvo and parking near Corvettes and Aston Martins. His colleagues had spent years working together, and he was cautious about overstepping before he understood the atmosphere on set.
Garth remembered that reserve. The actor she had liked on tape initially said so little that she wondered where his personality had gone. Once he relaxed and his humor emerged, she and Tori Spelling enjoyed having him around.
Matt’s relationship with Kelly eventually included an engagement. By Season 10, the couple were considering a move to Seattle, a storyline included in Paramount+‘s episode guide.
They did not marry. In the May 17, 2000, series finale, Kelly reunited with Luke Perry’s Dylan McKay during Donna Martin and David Silver’s wedding celebration.
