Still the Place with Laura Layton, Courtney Thorne Smith.
And Daphne's Aniga and iHeartRadio podcast.
Hey everybody, welcome back to Still the Place. You're back with the parts of the Amazing Heather lack cler Well, she's got silly because the storylines got so crazy and silly that to argue Minutia, it's like, that's your problem, right, like, and you have your phone and I go where it's my phone?
It's in your boot, yeah, as I normally keep it there.
My thing was Amanda Woodlake like, can you walk from here to hear? Do you need motivation? I feel like, does it get me home sooner?
It's like Josie said she if she had her last her close up, She's in her sweats to get out.
She wore her clothes home. She literally ran to her car just in the back of the door.
My version of that was never sign out, I go sign out for me by because it was late.
I just remember that sign out for me.
Yeah I did that too. Ye.
So Heather Avo has she ever seen.
Does she do it? Their kids say, we know you were big in the nineties.
Oh no, she never says that. She's so cute when she's going to go for her interviews for schools for a doctorate. She says, oh, I'm just like, go are you okay? She's well, I've got a little anxiety, so this is what I do. And so she crochetes and stuff for toys. That's so sweet. She's so sweet, And I go, well, remember I said, you know, pick an actress you like and just act like them, like Lively. And she's not getting the best. So she goes, I'm just going to pretend i'm you.
Oh to labor.
That's nice. My kid doesn't like to watch it because it's not me, so it's confusing. Like I remember watching Two and a half Men, So he's like, well, oh, I want to see an episode. So we're watching. He starts looking comfortable and I was like, do not like seeing mommy as a drunken horse. Not watch this? But it's it's confusing, right right, So she probably would watch you on Melrose this bitchy horror. I was a drunken horror. You were a bitchy horse. Very nice? Uh and not
like it? Well, she likes you're her lovely mom.
Normally, she likes that she's different. Apparently calms her down guys.
She know an, that's my mom, so proud. Who are you going out with? No, she's she's I don't think she's interested, No interesting archite. She loves her, that's you. Yeah, she loves every episode that I should say, like her be a little too serious.
But it's consistent with all of our experience, Like none of our kids are interested in watching it just feels.
Weird, it's dated. But what's interesting about rewatching it is the fashion is back, like it would have been weird, but now it's some of it's really back in style. Like I'm wearing these ridiculous pleated pants. I want to say, let me tell you from my experience, those pictures aren't going to age well. But you wore, Amanda, wore really tailored stuff. I think you had a better sense because
you've been working longer. What was flattering on you? Like your first episode and I've got on pleated pants and a big sweater. I think they were trying to make me look west and virginal and we were in this power suit.
That's what I meant in West and virginal.
I don't think like I would never let anyone put me in that now because it's kind of top heavy. You don't put bottom heavy and top bavy, Like I would never let that happen now, But I think at the time I was like, is it good?
Okay, me too, like this, this is the story, Okay, do it whatever, Heather, When the show was really huge, do you have any memories of like fan interactions, some crazy stuff or anything.
People were really nice and they called me head of Lockwood.
That's cool.
I always in the airports of Wood. No, people were really nice. I remember not really being in the moment. I think we worked so much and I wasn't really taking it in and so like if now, if anything happened like that, I think I really enjoy it more. Yeah, I think we worked too much. I think when we'd all go to the upfronts and stuff like that, that was fun. We'd be together that that was fun. Then you get to see how many people like loved the show. That was crazy. It was crazy and fun.
You have a memory of when you first noticed it was a hit, because to that point we were working so much out in Santa Clarita.
Yeah, we didn't far away. Yeah, no, I don't.
Until I didn't we do like Planet Hollywood, or hard Rick. We didn't do stuff like that, like we did a big appearance things that was fun that to me was out.
Just yeah that was I.
Mean it was before cell phone, so we didn't have that sort of regular exposure. But when we were together and we had those appearances like whatever.
That that felt like huge.
Did it feel a huge I mean it felt huge to me because I was like it was all new to me.
Yea, yeah, did it?
It felt huge too?
Did I did something like that with Dynasty where I wasn't. It was Joan Collins and then Evans and John Forstyth got all the acknowledgments and we were just like on the outskirts. So I wasn't really a part of it, but I watched it and that it was like Melose's place, but I wasn't really in it.
But was that your first show or first acting ever?
Riot? Little things, little things like eight is enough and I don't know.
Enough kind of remember that.
Yeah, yeah, so no, I mean to be a part of and this was the first thing. Kay, you can't have perspective when you're in it that We talk about that a lot, especially now that we're all friends and it's like we were so overworked. We were so tired that you can't step back and say this is a special time. You're like, well, this is what I'm doing now.
Like I look back and I wish i'd known that, how specially it was to fly on a private jet to the super Bowl, because I guess this is what I do now, And it's like, no, it was like this crazy moment in time I wish. But it all happens at once. You don't get to sort of parse it out, like I like something like that once a month, but we were so once a month, I like to go everything right, and we were so tired, and we were together fourteen hours today like you the friends guys
go got together and watch the show. It's like we were working one Rice was working at all times right right like we were. There was never a time we all develops. It was even crazy.
Yeah, oh it is crazy that meanwhile everyone's having the Melrose parties and you know remember those.
It was huge everyone.
I went to some I think it was I don't even know, someplace in like Hemrosa Beach or something like that, and they had a thing that had Melrose place this and on each table and I'm like what it was. It was like during the day, I went with my friend and I was, really, you guys have these I had no idea, and.
Then they looked at you, and they look at the coaster and they look at you and they're like, wait, is right.
Fresh fry.
Everyone who's in here we've all said the same thing, like we wish we had sort of better perspective and stuff at the time, Like it was just it was so hard.
To I wonder if I could have handled it though, you know.
Yeah, you can't really process what's happening. There was a Halloween and we were leaving work, and it was we were shooting in October and it was Halloween. Somebody from work, I think their costume was going to be Sydney for Halloween. Costume from work from art, I think like somebody from the crew or something like, they were going to Halloween and they were going to be Sidney. I just remembered feeling like that was so I didn't understand understand.
It felt really strange. They went in the wardrobe tailer. You're saying, right, something they.
Or just like I don't know, just it was just not being able to grasp that that.
Was big, big, enough to be a costume.
You know, it just felt like that's not even enough to be a costume, Like people wouldn't know what you are or who.
You are whatever, but you had no idea.
Yeah, like not having that we really.
Were in a bubble bubble really in Santa Clara. Yeah, And I think that kept us, like, for how big a hit it was, we stayed really sane. I think the combination that what I said about you coming in is like the star of the show and being so down to earth. You set such a good tone because that was as at the start of the show, I
walked in as a guest star. But honestly, I think if you hadn't come in, I'm thinking what a lucky break that was that it was you all of uspt for all of us, but that it was you because your attitude, You're so grounded and so lovely, And I think maybe that was a time when egos were starting to sort of tip over, and if we'd become a hit and hadn't had that example of how to be I think there were a couple of people who really would have spun off the rails, but you look like
an idiot spinning off the rail of the showroom. But I'm thinking there were some people who probably would have spun off. But you just look ridiculous. Like they say that about NYPD Blue, that Dennis France was so lovely and grounded like you, but he was so amazing that he sort of kept a lid on everybody. And it's true I didn't. But he's another person people talk about like they talk about you, which is just this grounded, lovely,
generous person. He really I got to work with him, that's exact did well.
The two of you must have been like a total balance.
Nice, just little hearts rainbows. Well, and I worked with Peter Strauss, it was oh yeah in this movie. It was a what did they call him at that time? It was a movie the Week, but it was a mini series mini series. Yeah, yeah, Priscilla, I don't have the name just thrown out there. Era she was she was lived in Dallas and she Yeah.
Any storylines that were like crazy out of this, like this is ridiculous kind of thing, or you just went with.
It a lot of them. Okay, this is what this is so funny. I mean to me, when Michael was looking to hire me for Spin City, this is what he says. He says, you know what we were talking about? I go and he said, how about Heather Locklear? And they go, oh, can she do comedy?
Yeah, and the answer is yes, Michael D.
Fox. Yeah, it's like the blowing up of the building and we're all surviving. I thought it was outrageous. Yeah, I love the phone in the boot.
That's where's in your boot?
Of course, how much might am I coming out with my phone when something's going on? Yeah, because I go, I didn't come out of the door because then the next thing, but also, how would your phone work? Do we have cell phones?
Then cordless phone and it wasn't even a cell phone or was it a self.
Cordless phone was connected to the phone that blew up.
It's all rair.
We have to reshoot the scene.
To rewatch the scene, do it a castaic For some reason, I think I was going around trying to warn people because Kimberly had tied me up in the laundry room or something like all this stuff so whatever can. But then and then she comes out and she pushes the button and we're all in various states of y. I just remember when they had to go around and shoot close ups like you're on the stairs and we're on
the ground and whatever. And they had crew members like throwing rubble at us, so it looked like.
It was like kind of like cardboard rubble. It was, you know, it wasn't like but it was like followers.
My god, I think. But I got the shoe, the phone in the shoe, I think because it was maybe the next season. So they ended with it blowing up ah, and I go, I didn't have a phone in my hand, it's in your boots.
When we started to right convenient, maybe that's.
When the phones came out, I got.
Do you guys remember that purses were annoyings.
Were an issue of where we're going to set it. Yeah, they give you anything. Didn't weigh.
This one or this one.
You know, you know you won't be carrying sunglasses because we don't own some glasses place.
Super Blinding came on as Sydney a few a couple of weeks ago. She comes on chewing them, smoking a cigarette, chain smoking a cigarette, hats what else?
You broke all the rules.
And we were in sunglasses.
No one else smoked in the damn show.
And when we had our photo shoot for the podcast and we're out at a pool and dap peoples sunglasses are like no sunglasses, Like even now, people are wearing sunglasses throughout the whole.
I mean we're here in La. This is like sunglass city.
You know. I do see a lot of shows with sunglasses.
They were through I think more now you know they were just plus there were Aaron spelling rules.
Did you ever come up against that word?
Couldn't say yes nothing. Yeah. Yeah.
And then you notice your skirts getting shorter because you got some pretty short skirts.
Yeah. I can almost feel my crack while you're sitting down because it goes exposed. Yeah, I got you're exposed.
So did they see your old granny underwear?
I don't know. There's a reason hose then, No, I don't think you wore panty hose, did you? We didn't wear panty I don't remember. I was trying to remember for that actolutely not. No, you didn't. I'm just telling you you did not dynasty.
Pantyhose.
Nylons, But you were nylons.
You were nominated like for a Golden Globe a couple of times for.
Time Place, and that's how high the standards were, right, really got times place.
Really, yeah, she did it, and then you got to for Spin City.
Yeah, and also for Spin City. I'm like, You've had so many wonderful things happen, and.
Like noamis I think we got a People's Choice Award as something, Yeah, like a server for the people.
There was a surfboard for that.
Is that a surfboard is in the People's Choice of surfboard.
I don't know. We didn't.
Relate to us for some bizarre reason because there was a young show.
Remember when they had thirty something, Yeah, so differently written, yes, but this was a twenty something yeah, so nice.
What about Darren? Did he ever talk to you, come to set, talk to you about story things?
I'll tell you. Darren and Grant and I we're in New York. I'm wonder if someone else is with this. I think it was just felt like it was just the three of us, and somehow I heard about the Vault, which is like a sex place, and so I'm like, we.
Got it where I was going, and so you went there.
The three of you got to go, and so we go and that's I mean, there's it's like bankers and stuff like that, who get paddled. They go on a stage like where a model would walk, and the guy walks and a dominatrix spank him on the ass as they bend over, deep deep, and there's one guy who's like no pants on but a jacket, and he's you know when dogs scrape their butt because there's poopy on him. The guy's doing that, like scraping. That's stage. I was
just across the room. Yeah, and then Grant and I are walking around, not sure where Darren is at this time, maybe he's got but so Grand and I are looking because there's this people having sex behind this window and we're like this, and then people are coming up around Grant and I staring at us and we're looking. We're like, we're not We're not doing that. Start taking off our clothes and this is so bid. Yeah, this is New York,
but now it's in a different place. When I moved there, when you looked at up, you're like, I want to go back. No, my friends always pretty cellphone camera right, Like we're lucky because we were I mean, I feel very lucky that I was famous in a time when you weren't watched all the time, right, Like Andrew and I when we were dating, We could go, we could put on a baseball cap and go out. It wasn't the sense of being on camera all the time. That's really crazy. Yeah, but it was a pretty mild time
there to have something like this compared to today. There was no social media, Like we were really private out there. We didn't really like you said, we didn't really know. You'd kind of come into town. People would recognize me, like, oh, I guess this little thing I'm doing out in Santa Clarita, something's happening with it.
Yeah, that trip to the Vault would have definitely made that.
Would have been all over.
Yeah, that would have gotten some pressed.
I remember to that not at all. I'm not comparing this to at all the Vault story.
Because, like.
Told you what the next week, Okay, I just remember during.
Milros I was an acting class, or maybe just after just.
Before anyway, I was doing this scene and so I went into do you remember that circus circus bookstore in Hollywood.
West Hollywood, Yes, and in the back and it.
Was like this wasn't like sex books or something, or a sex shop or some anyway.
There's an Unsanta Monica boulevard.
Yeah, I was doing research for a scene in a very sure just acting class is what I'm trying to get to do.
But I was recognized at like twelve, right after my class. I got over twelve.
I go in there and I was so excited to do some research and I'm like in there and someone like recognizes me, Oh, aren't you Daphning.
I'm like, oh, it's one in the morning and.
I'm here at the sex store thing.
It was just a it was you guys, don't remember circus Circus, I remember the.
Marquis, I don't. I never knew what it was.
I never went in No right, Laura.
Very observant.
They were interesting anyway, sex toy, sex show people are over there, so it was it was like a.
Videos or something.
Yeah, that's a sex store, but you're noticed. But the videos did the most awkward time.
And I was trying in this class.
You got the video that I'm doing a sing from playing Marilyn.
I have to whatever it was getting recognized.
It's a very Daphne's my twin sister.
There's one of our fan questions. I love this question. Did you feel pressure to rescue the show from cancelation? Can you imagine if they said that to you show. It's all on you. Yeah, yeah, I have nothing to do with I.
Thought you were there before.
That's what That's what I was there for. Did you even know that the show was kind of limping along or you thought they didn't even nobody they didn't tell you except for audience, I wouldn't have done it. Yeah, I did not know you totally.
Now we know right now, we know very well.
Go down. It's because you brought her on and we cands well, I'm the way it's moving so fast in your first two episodes. I can't imagine how quickly you turn from But it's probably something about you and Billy, because I keep telling Billy I don't want you guys to date, and you keep asking me if I'm telling you, oh yeah, it's fine, and then I go home and yell at him for doing it. It's very very confused there a little, it was a little it was a
little confused manipulation. But you're still Amanda is still so lovely.
I thought you were very Yeah.
I don't think I ever watched the show that much or obvious clearly because we didn't have time. Yeah, yeah, we're studying.
So you don't remember kind of going these like the scripts that you started to get to, like we're wow, and now I'm causing a fight.
Now I'm being.
Really and did you ever like go Jesus, I have to say this, like some of your one liners are you know?
I was so scared to be in front of people, like when I have to give speeches for about a D and D or whatever? A D and D? What about D and D? And there's people there at that and it's like weird speak. It's not normal, like normal people talking.
And you have to be such an authority. Yes, yeah, that was made me crazy. So not in your like regular or no.
Who you want to keep all all do it again?
Yeah, don't get that and do that.
I want to keep keep keep keep by one take one, take twenty times.
Yeah, yeah, it seems was it hard to be mean constantly to everyone to say these sharp things like to Alice that wasn't hard.
That was fun?
Yeah, that was fun.
And then we've talked about like wishing that while we were on the show we all had sort of better perspective or whatever. But was is there any that you might say to your younger self? Does it bring you back to how old you were and what your mindset was than at thirty.
I should have known better. I don't know, Like what's wrong with me?
Well, you look like a young twenty something beautiful, you know, we're all just so youthful and whatever, just like it feels like another version of ourselves right right.
But to her point, is there anything that you would say to your younger self, regardless of how old you were, knowing what you know now and being the age that you are, and.
Like this stuff of just being so nervous or I'd go back to my room and study the lines, like I couldn't make a mistake or something like that, like having.
That Oh, that's a question I want to ask you. Was it hard to have not only that kind of pressure, but just the pressure of being Amanda, of being Heather of none of that was too much for you or uncomfortable.
I just wanted to be good, and I just wanted to be good the next day and the next day, I just and I was grateful. I was really grateful. I just wish I had paid attention to what was going on around and like you know, with like caring about what you're going through, you're going through, you're you know, not just being so I hope it's okay, or I hope I'm good or whatever like that, hope I know
my lines. I just like to be more personable with everybody and know their lives rather than just to give memorize your lives, go home and do this and then rather than just thinking about my lilf. So there was so much to do, thirty three episodes a year, like, it was long, very intense, and we noticed, like as we watch it. So I was on the first episodes and I was beating myself up, and they're like, be kinder to yourself. I like, I can't wait till you're
on camera. Then Daphne beats herself up and Laura beats herself up. Really did you see? Because I look at everyone, everyone else is doing such a good job, and then I'm so hard on myself. Even thirty years later, I'm beating myself up for choices I made in the scene. Thirty years later, I'm like, wait, find some layers in this, right, And it's fascinating to see that I've still got that inner critic for that very young woman. It was a really big job, right, Yeah, that felt like my first
big job. You know, because I wasn't ever like, did it feel different?
Did Melroe's place feel different from your other shows?
Oh?
Absolutely it did. Yeah, there wasn't as much pressure, you know, that's their job up there. Oh yeah, because it was really on you, yeah this one. Yeah, I mean on all of us. Yeah, but you were on the poster. It was a lot of pressure on you.
Don't make her anxious now because.
It's next questions relaxed. Yeah, I guess we all felt that way, but just I guess there was no time to really form friendships.
Yes, there was no time.
Well, and that's what's so sweet about there was honestly like that that we've gotten so close to we get to bring people in and have these moments and really spend the time. It's been the sweetest, biggest surprise about this podcast. Yeah, they're reconnecting. Yeah, it's so sweet and soorry to see it.
Florida, Florida.
Yeah, that was like so nice talk. Everyone's just so normal now, Yeah, exactly, Like we're not rushing, like this is the thing we're doing, Like this is what I'm doing on Wednesday. This is it And if I had time before, I have time after your friend's parents do, what does daddy do now? And like if we don't have a regular job, well, daddy he kind of does the same thing as you, like eats, exercises and watches to be sched Like all my friend's parents do that.
An interesting life, isn't it.
Yeah, well, we adore you so much. We were so excited for you to be coming in, and we know our listeners on the podcast could not wait for this episode to have you. We would love to have you come back. Would you like to come and do a recap with us? Would you like to recap? We were like when we go watch an episode, we watch an episode and then we talked about the episode, like going through we go And that's what's been so fun for us to revisit the episodes.
We pick an episode or something crazy happens, it'll be fun if it was among us, something crazy and fighting fun. Yeah, it's super fun.
You know.
So it's got to be in between the nap, right, your very busy scheduled. Doesn't we work around your busy schedule?
Yes, I would love to, but we realized, you know, we used to be referred to as the Bod Squad and we're just the pod squad.
Yeah, it doesn't bother me at all.
It's a lot less pressure, less pressure. Often we're at home on zoom with our dogs. It's a lot less pressure. Father, Thank you so much, Thank you so good to see you. What are we going to do that? When's the pod squad going to do a Daytona squad?
We should do that again for a girls weekend. Yeah, yeah, let's do that. Let's go to the place in Castaic. We'll put Courtney in the water. Yeah, that'll just burns. By the way. Maybe we'll go somewhere