‘Heathers’ Producer Recalls Young Shannen Doherty as ‘Spitfire’ On Set

Shannen Doherty’s passing summoned a cascade of tributes and memories from co-stars, friends, family, and colleagues. Denise Di Novi, the producer of Heathers, had particularly poignant remarks about the late actress, who portrayed Heather Duke in the film.

Denise reminisced about Shannen’s impressive script delivery—a stark contrast to the roles she had previously undertaken and her position as a broadcast TV personality at that time. Shannen’s performance left no room for doubt; she was the perfect choice for the role.

Shannen was in her mid-teens when she took on the character of Heather Duke in the 1988 movie. Denise recounted Shannen’s commanding presence, describing her as a “little bulldozer” and “tiny spitfire.”

It’s no surprise she grew into an iconic actress, though she was often mistakenly deemed difficult to work with. Shannen encountered fallouts with some colleagues, including Jennie Garth from Beverly Hills, 90210 and Alyssa Milano from Charmed. These tensions were significant enough that Shannen specifically excluded them from her funeral.

It has been nearly a month since Shannen’s death from breast cancer, and the news ushered in numerous tributes from loved ones and fellow celebrities like Viola Davis, Katie Couric, Olivia Munn, and Lisanne Falk. Lisanne, who also starred in Heathers, shared a heartfelt Instagram post featuring a photo from the film’s set.

While Lisanne admitted that she and Shannen were not close—having not interacted since their days on the Heathers set nearly four decades ago—she spoke of being inspired by Shannen’s bravery and sincerity, particularly illustrated through her podcast. “May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest, Shannen. You always had the balls, didn’t you?” she wrote.