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Laura Leighton "Melrose Place" Encore
Laura Leighton takes us back inside the Melrose Place phenomenon and what it was really like to ride that wave before social media and smartphones changed everything. In this episode of Still Here Hollywood, Laura talks about launching the Melrose Place rewatch podcast Still the Place with Daphne Zuniga and Courtney Thorne Smith, why it feels so freeing to show up without a script, and the surprising emotional impact of revisiting a time that happened more than 30 years ago.
Laura opens up about the cast bond that never went away, the real conversations happening around a potential Melrose Place reboot, and why creating your own opportunities matters more as Hollywood changes and roles for women narrow with age. She also shares the best thing that came out of Melrose Place, her 26 year marriage to co star Doug Savant, and what it means to raise a big family and now become a grandmother.
You will also hear Laura on the shift from water cooler television to reality TV and TikTok culture, the strange new normal of being photographed everywhere, and why self tape auditions can feel harder than walking into a room. Plus, Laura tells two unforgettable stories from her career, a fan encounter so intense a nurse thought her villain character was real, and the heartbreak moment she had to drop out of a musical film role that later went to Renee Zellweger. She also reveals a major career decision she still regrets, turning down the chance to play Rizzo on Broadway.
If you love Melrose Place, Aaron Spelling era television, 90s nostalgia, Hollywood behind the scenes stories, and honest conversations about career, fame, aging, and reinvention, this one is for you.
00:00 Reboot Buzz and Grandma Life Tease
00:56 Intro: Aaron Spelling, Nighttime Soaps, and Melrose Mania
02:21 Laura’s Rewatch Podcast: Still the Place
03:04 Why Podcasting Feels Easier Than Acting
03:34 Rewatching Your 20s on Camera and the “Ick Attack”
04:21 Melrose Love Story: Meeting Doug Savant
04:52 26 Years Married and Raising Four Kids
05:10 Why Melrose Was a Cultural Phenomenon
05:27 Pre-Internet “Water Cooler TV” and Perfect Timing
06:17 Lightning in a Bottle: You Can’t Manufacture It
06:53 The Reboot: Is It Really Happening?
06:59 Who’s In and Why the Cast Still Feels Like Family
07:20 The Group Text, The Podcast Guests, The Real Bond
08:12 Churchill Quote: If You Want History, Write It
08:34 Aging in Hollywood and Steering Your Own Opportunities
09:03 Reality TV Changed Everything
09:19 The Early Reaction: “What Is This Crap?”
10:10 TikTok and Selfie Culture Is Not Going Away
10:28 Being Photographed Everywhere, Even at the Grocery Store
10:59 Social Media as a Tool, But Also Exhausting
11:59 Podcast Learning Curve: Why Rewatch Makes It Easy
12:33 Sets That Feel Good vs Sets That Don’t
13:03 Fondest Melrose Memory: It Felt Like a Family
14:13 You Don’t Fully Appreciate It Until Later
14:34 What’s Next: Producing and Building Projects
15:30 The Joy of Becoming a Grandparent
16:13 Watching Your Kid Become a Parent
17:07 “I Told You So” and Moms Always Being Right
17:28 Holidays With a Grandbaby and the Photos
18:05 Nana Duties: Teaching Piano, LA Traffic Included
18:37 The Weird Fan Encounter: Nurse Thought Sydney Was Real
19:32 Being Too Convincing Can Backfire in Meetings
20:59 Which Show People Recognize You From Now
21:35 Melrose vs 90210 and Why People Mix Them Up
22:05 One-Word Cast Shoutouts: Heather, Rinna, Grant, Marcia
23:19 Cast Friendships That Stayed Warm and Real
23:43 Missing the Weekly “TV Family” Feeling
24:18 Leaving After Five Seasons: The Contract Turning Point
24:42 The Last Day: Fighting Tears
25:02 Rapid Fire: First Crush, Movies, Pizza, Worst Subject
29:09 Fame Before Cell Phones: Honeymoon Recognition
30:14 Fake Names at Hotels During Peak Fame
30:42 The Morning After Leaving: Relief vs Grief
33:34 Being Married to an Actor: Teamwork, Not Competition
34:10 Doug’s Groundbreaking Gay Character and Pride
35:13 Aging in Hollywood and Fewer Opportunities
36:34 Self-Tapes: Why Auditioning Feels Harder Now
37:54 What Self-Tapes Took Away: Feedback and Connection
39:53 Steve’s Acting Dream and the “Pajamas Job” Idea
41:15 The Role She Lost: Torn ACL, Renee Zellweger Replacement
43:12 The Musical Muscle She Wishes She’d Kept
44:36 TV Movies in Hiatus: The 90s Career Strategy
45:30 The Big Regret: Turning Down Rizzo on Broadway
46:14 Closing Thanks
Laura Leighton's Melrose Place rewatch Podcast is:
STILL THE PLACE
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/still-the-place/id1754955354
Show Credits
Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko
All things technical: Justin Zangerle
Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein
Music by: Brian Sanyshyn
Transcription: Mushtaq Hussain
https://stillherehollywood.com
http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood
Suggest Guests at: [email protected]
Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: [email protected]
Publicist: Maggie Perlich: [email protected]
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
View all episodes
By Steve Kmetko, Still Here Network
4.9
181181 ratings
Laura Leighton takes us back inside the Melrose Place phenomenon and what it was really like to ride that wave before social media and smartphones changed everything. In this episode of Still Here Hollywood, Laura talks about launching the Melrose Place rewatch podcast Still the Place with Daphne Zuniga and Courtney Thorne Smith, why it feels so freeing to show up without a script, and the surprising emotional impact of revisiting a time that happened more than 30 years ago.
Laura opens up about the cast bond that never went away, the real conversations happening around a potential Melrose Place reboot, and why creating your own opportunities matters more as Hollywood changes and roles for women narrow with age. She also shares the best thing that came out of Melrose Place, her 26 year marriage to co star Doug Savant, and what it means to raise a big family and now become a grandmother.
You will also hear Laura on the shift from water cooler television to reality TV and TikTok culture, the strange new normal of being photographed everywhere, and why self tape auditions can feel harder than walking into a room. Plus, Laura tells two unforgettable stories from her career, a fan encounter so intense a nurse thought her villain character was real, and the heartbreak moment she had to drop out of a musical film role that later went to Renee Zellweger. She also reveals a major career decision she still regrets, turning down the chance to play Rizzo on Broadway.
If you love Melrose Place, Aaron Spelling era television, 90s nostalgia, Hollywood behind the scenes stories, and honest conversations about career, fame, aging, and reinvention, this one is for you.
00:00 Reboot Buzz and Grandma Life Tease
00:56 Intro: Aaron Spelling, Nighttime Soaps, and Melrose Mania
02:21 Laura’s Rewatch Podcast: Still the Place
03:04 Why Podcasting Feels Easier Than Acting
03:34 Rewatching Your 20s on Camera and the “Ick Attack”
04:21 Melrose Love Story: Meeting Doug Savant
04:52 26 Years Married and Raising Four Kids
05:10 Why Melrose Was a Cultural Phenomenon
05:27 Pre-Internet “Water Cooler TV” and Perfect Timing
06:17 Lightning in a Bottle: You Can’t Manufacture It
06:53 The Reboot: Is It Really Happening?
06:59 Who’s In and Why the Cast Still Feels Like Family
07:20 The Group Text, The Podcast Guests, The Real Bond
08:12 Churchill Quote: If You Want History, Write It
08:34 Aging in Hollywood and Steering Your Own Opportunities
09:03 Reality TV Changed Everything
09:19 The Early Reaction: “What Is This Crap?”
10:10 TikTok and Selfie Culture Is Not Going Away
10:28 Being Photographed Everywhere, Even at the Grocery Store
10:59 Social Media as a Tool, But Also Exhausting
11:59 Podcast Learning Curve: Why Rewatch Makes It Easy
12:33 Sets That Feel Good vs Sets That Don’t
13:03 Fondest Melrose Memory: It Felt Like a Family
14:13 You Don’t Fully Appreciate It Until Later
14:34 What’s Next: Producing and Building Projects
15:30 The Joy of Becoming a Grandparent
16:13 Watching Your Kid Become a Parent
17:07 “I Told You So” and Moms Always Being Right
17:28 Holidays With a Grandbaby and the Photos
18:05 Nana Duties: Teaching Piano, LA Traffic Included
18:37 The Weird Fan Encounter: Nurse Thought Sydney Was Real
19:32 Being Too Convincing Can Backfire in Meetings
20:59 Which Show People Recognize You From Now
21:35 Melrose vs 90210 and Why People Mix Them Up
22:05 One-Word Cast Shoutouts: Heather, Rinna, Grant, Marcia
23:19 Cast Friendships That Stayed Warm and Real
23:43 Missing the Weekly “TV Family” Feeling
24:18 Leaving After Five Seasons: The Contract Turning Point
24:42 The Last Day: Fighting Tears
25:02 Rapid Fire: First Crush, Movies, Pizza, Worst Subject
29:09 Fame Before Cell Phones: Honeymoon Recognition
30:14 Fake Names at Hotels During Peak Fame
30:42 The Morning After Leaving: Relief vs Grief
33:34 Being Married to an Actor: Teamwork, Not Competition
34:10 Doug’s Groundbreaking Gay Character and Pride
35:13 Aging in Hollywood and Fewer Opportunities
36:34 Self-Tapes: Why Auditioning Feels Harder Now
37:54 What Self-Tapes Took Away: Feedback and Connection
39:53 Steve’s Acting Dream and the “Pajamas Job” Idea
41:15 The Role She Lost: Torn ACL, Renee Zellweger Replacement
43:12 The Musical Muscle She Wishes She’d Kept
44:36 TV Movies in Hiatus: The 90s Career Strategy
45:30 The Big Regret: Turning Down Rizzo on Broadway
46:14 Closing Thanks
Laura Leighton's Melrose Place rewatch Podcast is:
STILL THE PLACE
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/still-the-place/id1754955354
Show Credits
Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko
All things technical: Justin Zangerle
Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein
Music by: Brian Sanyshyn
Transcription: Mushtaq Hussain
https://stillherehollywood.com
http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood
Suggest Guests at: [email protected]
Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: [email protected]
Publicist: Maggie Perlich: [email protected]
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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