What happened to ...?

Mysterious “Beverly Hills, 90210” mystery solved

The clique from "Beverly Hills, 90210"(Bild: Everett Collection / picturedesk.com)

For many die-hard fans of "Beverly Hills, 90210", it was the biggest unsolved mystery of the cult series. In the seventh season, Jennie Garth aka Kelly Taylor seemed to have found the love of her life. Except that the beau Mark, played by Dalton James, suddenly disappeared permanently after 12 episodes. Now, after almost three decades, the actor learned from Garth why he was fired overnight in 1997: because of her.

James was a guest on Garth and colleague Tori Spelling's "90210MG" podcast. He revealed that he had been personally offered the role by star producer Aaron Spelling (Tori's father): "He knew me from a few TV pilot episodes and asked: 'Would you like to be in '90210'?"

"Very dejected"
The then 26-year-old immediately said yes, even though he was "terrified at the thought of suddenly being part of this iconic show". Nevertheless, he quickly found his feet and "really enjoyed" his role as Mark.

Which is why he was blindsided when a co-producer called him into the office: "He told me that I was no longer needed. I was honestly very depressed because I had thought that me and Jennie were really good together and that I would have the role for a long time."

When he asked for an explanation for the sacking, the producer was evasive: "He just said that they had decided to go in a different direction with Kelly's story. I took it particularly hard because I had just become a father at the time and was also suffering from depression."

"Young and not very objective"
At this point, Garth could no longer remain silent: "Let's be completely open now. I'm very sorry about what happened back then and that it had a negative effect on your life." The 52-year-old then admitted that James' summary dismissal was probably her fault: "I was young and not very objective. For me, the chemistry between our characters just wasn't right."

Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth chat about old "Beverly Hills, 90210" times in their podcast.(Bild: APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/David Becker)

She underestimated how much influence and "weird power" she had back then and that a comment from her "negatively affected your future".

Apology after 30 years
James didn't react angrily - on the contrary: "Of course I was disappointed, but in hindsight I saw the role as a great job and a great opportunity." The 53-year-old even thanked Jennie for inviting him and coming clean: "I think that's very cool of you!"

Garth seemed to have taken a load off his mind: "I've wanted to talk to you for so long and tell you how sorry I am. When I look back now, 30 years later, I wonder how it could have happened back then."