25 years ago, exactly on that day, October 7, 1998, the American channel WB broadcast the first episode of Charmed. An opportunity for viewers to get to know Prue (Shannen Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs) and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) Halliwell, Sami and the powerful magical powers that created Sami’s power.
For 8 seasons, viewers were enthralled by the adventures of these wizards, who fought against evil forces with the help of Leo (Brian Krause), their creature of light.
At the beginning of Season 4, following the departure of Shannen Doherty, who disappeared from the series entirely, Piper and Phoebe discovered the existence of Paige, played by Rose McGowan, a hidden half-sister born from the union between Pete and his creature. light.
A revelation that thus made it possible for the Three to reform after Prue’s tragic death. After this casting change, the Charmed adventure would continue for 5 additional seasons, before the series closed in 2006 after 8 seasons.
And if today it’s hard to imagine that actors other than Shane Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, Alyssa Milano and Rose McGowan could play the witches, the original casting of Charmed underwent some changes after filming the pilot.
Alyssa Milano should not play Phoebe
In the hearts of all Charmed fans, Alyssa Milano was the perfect actress to play the character of Phoebe. And yet, the one who introduced himself to the appetite was not the first choice of the production.
In fact, it was actress Laurie Romy who was originally slated to play opposite Holly Marie Combs and Shannen Doherty. Although he filmed the first pilot, which never aired, he ultimately decided not to star in Charmed due to personal reasons.
Following this departure, producer Aaron Spelling contacted Alyssa Milano to reprise the role of Phoebe. Thus, the pilot was returned with the latter, and it was this episode that viewers were able to discover on October 7, 1998.
And in almost 25 years, no one has seen this alternate pilot…until today. Indeed, a video of the first scene of the series, in which the three sisters meet for the first time after months of separation, was uploaded by Bayreacts on Tiktok a few days ago.
In this excerpt, we see a scene performed by Laurie Rome, followed by the same passage by Alyssa Milano. If Laurie’s talent is undeniable, Alice still brings depth and credibility to the character of Phoebe.
Looking at these pictures, we can’t help but tell ourselves that Laurie Rome did well to step back and make way for Alyssa Milano. One thing’s for sure, if she had stayed, Charmed would have had a very different flavor and might not have featured the departure of Shannen Doherty, who left the series after falling out with Phoebe’s translator.
Charmed airs every evening from Monday to Friday from 4.20pm on 6T. The series is available in its entirety on Prime Video, and the first 6 seasons are on Paramount+.
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
