Yahoo Lifestyle Heather Locklear Thought She Was 'Too Old' to Be on “Melrose Place ”When She Joined the Cast in 1992
Locklear joined the hit Fox drama's 20-something cast midway through its first season
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Heather Locklear in 1992At the ripe old age of 30, Heather Locklear thought she was too old to be on Melrose Place.
On the most recent episode of Melrose rewatch podcast Still the Place, the actress joined costars Daphne Zuniga, Laura Leighton and Courtney Thorne-Smith to reminisce about her time on the hit ’90s primetime soap. Looking back on Locklear’s introduction midway through the show’s first season, the hosts wanted to know how that came about.
“I watched the show because there was so much press on it,” Locklear, who had already starred in Melrose Place executive producer Aaron Spelling’s shows Dynasty and T.J. Hooker, explained. “And I was going, ‘Oh my God, this show is gonna be great … and I wish I could be on it, but I'm too old.’ ”
“I was, like, 30. Or almost 30 or something like that,” Locklear, 63, continued. “And you guys were all 20, early 20s.”
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The cast of 'Melrose Place' in 1992: Thomas Calabro, Josie Bissett, Grant Show, Amy Locane, Andrew Shue, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Vanessa Williams and Doug SavantThe series, which premiered on Fox in July 1992, revolved around the lives of a group of 20-somethings living in a fictional West Hollywood apartment complex. The initial cast included Thorne-Smith, with Zuniga and Leighton appearing later in the season. But with ratings stagnating, Spelling turned to Locklear, whom he called his “lucky penny,” in an attempt to boost interest in Melrose Place.
Locklear remembered getting a call from her manager asking if she’d consider joining the show’s cast for what was then expected to be a four-episode guest arc.
“I go, 'Of course. Yeah. That'd be fun,' ” she recalled. “I just said, ‘I wanna be a businesswoman. I don't wanna be Sammy Jo from Dynasty. I don't wanna, like, be a quirky girl.’ ”
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Heather Locklear circa 1992Locklear’s character, advertising exec Amanda Woodward, first appeared in a January 1993 episode, and the show’s ratings improved enough that, Thorne-Smith recalled, Fox add another 10 episodes to Melrose Place’s first season order. Locklear was promoted to a main cast member for season 2 and her character quickly evolved into a scheming antagonist, making the actress one of the show’s breakout stars.
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While many fans tuned in each week to see what drama Amanda might cook up next, when asked about her favorite Melrose Place storylines, Locklear told Thorne-Smith, Zuniga and Leighton, “I’m not in them.”
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Marcia Cross and Kristin Davis in 'Melrose Place' promo photos in the 1990s“I love the one with Marcia [Cross],” she revealed. “The friggin’ head thing!”
Locklear was likely referring to a season 4 storyline in which it is revealed that Cross’s character, Kimberly Shaw, suffers from severe mental illness, including dissociative identity disorder. Kimberly later dies in season 5 of an inoperable brain tumor.
Locklear also cited the demise of Kristin Davis’s Brooke Armstrong as another standout moment. The character dies in a two-part season 4 episode after slipping near the apartment complex’s pool, hitting her head on its edge and drowning.
“Just hearing that noise,” Locklear recalled of the scene, “It was shocking.”
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