Garth says the line has been “sort of a North Star” for her.
Little did Jennie Garth know that a scene from the fifth season of Beverly Hills, 90210 would have such an enduring afterlife.
In an interview with chef Curtis Stone from his Getting Grilled show, Garth reflects on how her “I choose me” line became an iconic moment and a guiding light in her life.
“The beautiful woman that wrote that line, Jessica Klein, nor myself had any idea of the real impact of that line, I don’t think — on just girls, women [and] people,” Garth tells Stone. “Even to this day, that line has sort of walked with me through life and and been sort of a North Star for me.”
In the 30th episode of the fifth season, “Hello Life, Goodbye Beverly Hills,” Garth’s Kelly Taylor is forced to choose between Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestley) an Dylan McKay (Luke Perry). Dylan has asked Kelly to take a trip around the world with him, and when Brandon finds out, he counters with a marriage proposal, because, okay.
Instead of being tied to one man or another, Kelly makes the you-go-girl decision to choose herself. The scene has been credited with creating a “full-blown trope” of female characters putting themselves first, to the point of cliche, but Garth takes a more holistic approach to it.
“When I say, ‘I choose me,’ it can perhaps be heard as a selfish sort of declaration, but in actuality, it’s just quite the opposite,” Garth explains. “In life, you have to know who you are, you have to listen to yourself, before you can show up for other people.”
