Beverly Hills, 90210 Actress Reveals How a Filming Incident Left Her Injured

by

Gabrielle Carteris, best known for playing Andrea Zuckerman on the popular TV show Beverly Hills, 90210, recently shared a difficult experience from her career that changed her life. In an interview on the Still Here Hollywood podcast with Steve Kmetko on February 23rd, the 65-year-old actress described a serious injury she suffered on a movie set in Canada in the early 2000s.

I remember hearing about this really scary situation Tori Carteris shared. Apparently, she was working with a guest actor – a huge guy, like 6’6” – who was supposed to play a home intruder. He got super into the scene, but she asked him to stop touching her neck during rehearsals. She said he kept lifting her up, and it ended up causing a serious physical injury that didn’t fully show up right away. It just sounds awful, and I feel so bad for her having to go through that.

Over the next few days, symptoms began to appear, starting with numbness in her face and severe headaches. Carteris recalled a frightening moment when she looked in the mirror and realized her face had become drastically distorted – she said she resembled The Joker.

This condition, a type of facial paralysis with body spasms, required her to urgently fly back to Los Angeles for treatment. The trip was difficult for the actress, who felt deeply humbled and self-conscious as people stared at her in the airport.

She couldn’t speak and felt completely unable to control her body. It took years of intense speech and physical therapy at the UCLA Movement Center to regain her ability to communicate and move normally.

Driven by a desire for justice, Carteris fought a nearly ten-year legal battle and ultimately won, which led to changes in Canadian laws protecting performers. This experience inspired her to become a strong voice for workers’ rights. She channeled her difficult experience into service, becoming president of SAG-AFTRA for five years – a way for her to give back. Today, she continues to champion actor rights and safety as president of the International Federation of Actors (FIA). Carteris remains a popular figure at industry events and fan gatherings, recently appearing with Jason Priestley at the FACTS convention in Ghent. She’s also stayed close with her 90210 co-stars, often reuniting with friends like Jennie Garth to celebrate the wonderful memories they share.

Though she’s become well-known for her leadership positions lately, Carteris hasn’t stopped acting completely. She recently appeared in the HBO miniseries We Own This City and the drama 9-1-1. In the future, she plans to continue voice acting and working on documentaries, while also remaining a strong advocate for performers’ rights and protections as artificial intelligence evolves in Hollywood.

Read More

2026-02-25 21:14