One of the most prolific television producers in recent history was Aaron Spelling. His shows were essentially nighttime soaps that viewers flocked to. Several of those shows became cult favorites about young adults in Los Angeles. The stars of those shows became Hollywood icons and worldwide heartthrobs. Some of those characters lived in a famous zip code. Others lived in a fictional apartment complex where all sorts of drama sprouted… This is Still Here Hollywood. I’m Steve Kmetko. Join me with today’s guest, Sydney Andrews from Melrose Place, actor Laura Leighton.
Laura Leighton's Melrose Place rewatch Podcast is:
STILL THE PLACE
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/still-the-place/id1754955354
Steve Kmetko:
I am Still Here Hollywood. And coming up on today's episode.
Laura Leighton:
We are very interested in doing a reboot. The cast is --you know-- we're all still in touch and we're all still friends. And, and we'd all sort of love the idea of if the, if all the pieces fit and all the parts come together.
I do think, especially as we age, I think our opportunities dwindle. And so, I think --you know-- just, I'm looking at what it is that sounds fun and what it is I can steer and control. It's like, oh, I can actually maybe steer this myself instead of just being along for the ride.
We have our first grandbaby and that is the most fun thing ever. And I know it's a cliche, everyone says that. Oh, it's so great to be a grandparent. It's really great. So that's fun.
Steve Kmetko:
One of the most prolific television producers in recent history was the late Aaron Spelling. His shows were essentially nighttime soaps. The viewers flock to several of those shows became cult favorites about young adults in Los Angeles. The stars of those shows became Hollywood Icons, worldwide Heartthrobs. Some of those characters lived in a famous zip code. Others lived in a fictional apartment complex where all sorts of drama sprouted. This is Still Here Hollywood. I'm Steve Kmetko. Join me with today's guest, Sidney Andrews from Melrose Place actor Laura Leighton.
If you'd like to be more involved with us at Still Here Hollywood, you definitely can just visit patreon.com/stillherehollywood. You can support us for as little as $3 a month. You can get our episodes a day before they post anywhere else. You can see what guests will be coming up and submit questions for them. You can even tell us what stars you want us to have on as guests. You'll see what goes on before and after the episode plus exclusive behind the scenes info picks video and more. Again, that's patreon.com/stillherehollywood.
Hello, Laura!
Laura Leighton:
Hello Steve!
Steve Kmetko:
Thanks for sitting down with us.
Laura Leighton:
So happy to be invited. Thank you.
Steve Kmetko:
I'm glad. Okay, let's start at the beginning. What you been up to?
Laura Leighton:
What have I been up to? Well, let's see, I'm doing a podcast of my own, so that's kind of what I've been up to most recently.
Steve Kmetko:
And it's related to Melrose Place.
Laura Leighton:
Yep. We started a rewatch podcast called Still the Place. And we're rewatching all the old episodes. We started with the pilot and we're working our way through season one right now. And there's a million episodes to get through. So, we're just having a blast. There's three of us co-hosting and we're just having fun.
Steve Kmetko:
And it can be found wherever people find their better podcasts.
Laura Leighton:
Exactly.
Steve Kmetko:
It's called Still a place.
Laura Leighton:
Still the place.
Steve Kmetko:
Still the Place.
Laura Leighton:
Yep. Melrose Place is still the place.
Steve Kmetko:
Well, It's probably very close to in alphabetical order “Still Here Hollywood” still--
Laura Leighton:
I think so. I think we're neighbors on that list of podcasts--
Steve Kmetko:
So, look for them next to each other. How are you liking it?
Laura Leighton:
I love it. I am loving the just sort of like the casualness of it and the ease. We're just enjoying being back together. The three of us, like --you know-- just it's, we've reconnected as friends to do this every week. And, but I just, I'm loving it.
Steve Kmetko:
It's you and Daphne and--
Laura Leighton:
Daphne Zuniga and Courtney Thorne-Smith. Yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
Is it different for you not having a script that you have to stick to?
Laura Leighton:
I love it. I mean, because we're really just chatting. We're chatting as friends and we're chatting about something we all know about and we get to go watch the old episodes and remind ourselves this thing that happened --you know-- more than 30 years ago. And we get to laugh about it in a different way and look at it in a different way. And it's just a shared experience and it's been a blast.
Steve Kmetko:
Have you ever had an ick attack when you're watching it?
Laura Leighton:
You know, it's so funny because my character didn't come in until midway through season one and everybody keeps warning me --you know-- you're going to hate it when you come on screen, Laura, you're going to hate it. And I'm about to come on screen finally for the first time, and I know I'm going to be just like covering my eyes and dreading it. But we're all just trying to have a good sense of humor about it and just appreciate it for like, we were in our early twenties and now we're not so.
Steve Kmetko:
Yes. Now we're not--
Laura Leighton:
We’re not--
Steve Kmetko:
Yes. I know that feeling myself. Now, when you were doing the show, you married one of your co-stars? Well, After the Show was over!
Laura Leighton:
After the Show was over!
Steve Kmetko:
You married one of your co-stars?
Laura Leighton:
Yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
And I read one of the things he said, Doug Savant was the best thing that came out of the show was you.
Laura Leighton:
That was a very lovely thing to say, wasn't it?
Steve Kmetko:
That was a very nice. Good husband.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. He's a very good husband.
Steve Kmetko:
And do you feel the same way?
Laura Leighton:
I absolutely do. I mean, "Who would've thunk" --you know? And we're 26 years of marriage.
Steve Kmetko:
Wow.
Laura Leighton:
And we've raised four children together and we're pretty proud of that. And still going. And it truly was the best thing to come out of the show.
Steve Kmetko:
When you look back at the show, it was such a cultural phenomenon. What do you attribute that to? Or can you, is there enough space now that you can look at it and say, oh, this is, we were, this was a touchstone and we were connecting with this with the audience?
Laura Leighton:
I think there were a lot of things that connected with the audience. I think it was such a specific time. It was a turning point. It was before the internet was really a thing, and it was television tapping into what people wanted to talk about the next day. And Darren Star and Aaron Spelling really had their finger on the pulse of telling those kinds of stories that were really like water cooler television talk. And then I also think, just personally, I just feel really lucky. Like, I just think lightning strikes and you just are in the right place at the right time and you get to be a part of something like that. But it, we all feel like really lucky that we were riding this thing that was so just such a cultural moment that we didn't expect. And then we just got on the train and went with it.
Steve Kmetko:
You know, I was interviewing James Lawrence Brooks once who was behind the Mary Tyler Moore show among many other shows. And I talked to him about that because that show was, was really a trailblazing pioneering show. And he said to me, a lot of people at home don't understand how it, what it's like to catch lightning in a bottle. You can't explain it away. You can't really figure it out that much. You don't want to apply too much thought to it. It's just magic.
Laura Leighton:
You can't plan for it. It is just magic. It just happens.
Steve Kmetko:
You told me on the phone yesterday, because I asked you they're thinking about doing a reboot. Is that true?
Laura Leighton:
We are very interested in doing a reboot. The cast is --you know-- we're all still in touch and we're all still friends and we'd all sort of love the idea of if all the pieces fit and all the parts come together that's what we're hoping. So, we're working on it.
Steve Kmetko:
And you still look great. If I may say so--
Laura Leighton:
Oh, thank you, thank you. You may, I'll take it--
Steve Kmetko:
Alright. You're welcome. Would Doug be involved in that your husband?
Laura Leighton:
Yes. Absolutely.
Steve Kmetko:
Absolutely.
Laura Leighton:
Yes.
Steve Kmetko:
Is everybody on board?
Laura Leighton:
We believe so, yes. And it's, you know-- we're really, we feel really lucky that our cast still has that relationship, that we still have a text thread and we've had everybody into the podcast and the people who haven't yet come are willing to come. And like, we have this feeling of like, still wanting to be friends and spend that time together. And so, the idea of revisiting that experience that we all shared, but you know, at this time in our lives is appealing. So, we're just trying to get all the pieces to align. But yeah, everyone's interested.
Steve Kmetko:
I was watching a documentary just today, this morning on Winston Churchill in preparation for this.
Laura Leighton:
Of course. I see how that you made that connection.
Steve Kmetko:
And I liked one of the things he said, if you want to make history, you have to write it yourself.
Laura Leighton:
Kind of?
Steve Kmetko:
That's kind of what you're doing with the podcast. It's like keeping your fingers in the pie, keeping yourself involved.
Laura Leighton:
Kind of, I mean, I do think, especially as we age, I think our opportunities dwindle. And so, I think you know, just, I'm looking at what it is that sounds fun and what it is I can steer and control. And there are sort of avenues broadening --you know-- when you look at it that way, way it's like, oh, I can actually maybe steer this myself instead of just being along for the ride. So, yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
Do you think that with all the real reality television programming has that impacted the kind of episodic television that you did? Is it harder for those kinds of shows to get up and running?
Laura Leighton:
I think that reality television certainly changed the business the way we knew it. And I remember that point where we were all just sort of like, what is this crap? You know? And it just felt like it really took a bite out of what writers were doing and what actors were doing and what directors were doing. And it was just, it really changed. And that if the audience wants it and if the networks can make money at it, I get it. That's where it went. But it just, there was I think a lot of annoyance and resentment from people who were like doing what they thought was a more creative approach to entertainment. So yeah, I think it definitely changed the business. And I remember that turning point, and I don't --you know-- I kept thinking, oh, there'll be a turnaround and that stuff will go away. It has not gone away.
Steve Kmetko:
No, it hasn't. In fact, it's gotten even more impactful.
Laura Leighton:
I think. Well, yeah. And like, I just think people are living that now with just selfie culture and, and everything. It's just --you know-- you've got this reality device in your hand and--
Steve Kmetko:
Tiktok?
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. It's not going away.
Steve Kmetko:
No. What do you think about that, about TikTok? And it seems to me --you know-- I am having worked so many red carpets in my time as an entertainment reporter now, it seems as though when I go online and I go to TikTok or Instagram or anything like that, everybody and their brother is having their picture taken with whatever celebrity is walking by. Have you had that experience where people grab you and say, can I do a selfie with you?
Laura Leighton:
Yeah, I mean, there's, because you have that phone in your pocket all the time, you’re at the mercy of like, you can't just go to the grocery store and have that -- you know-- and not on a red carpet, even just out and about. It's, you're at, you know, that may happen and whether you're ready for it or interested in it or dressed for it or not, you know? So, it's the selfie culture and the cell phone things there's, you know? It's like a bittersweet, it's a tool in your pocket for good, but it's also like very annoying.
Steve Kmetko:
It kind of promotes you--
Laura Leighton:
In a lot of other ways--
Steve Kmetko:
At the same time, you're reaching a broader audience that you might not have reached otherwise.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. And some people have figured out how to use that and they've really sort of leaned into it. And there are those of us who just don't have the energy as much to use it that way. But I realize it's a business tool that requires a whole other learning curve, I think.
Steve Kmetko:
How has the learning curve been for you doing a podcast? It's unlike anything you've done before. Correct?
Laura Leighton:
The podcast learning curve. I mean, we're so lucky because the rewatch format is really like, sort of laid out for us, so we don't have to do a lot of other figuring out. We we're there to tell the rewatch and the rest of the stuff comes really naturally. It's just the stories just spontaneously come up. And so, our format really serves us to make it super easy and super fun.
Steve Kmetko:
Back with more in a moment.
Laura Leighton:
No, I think, you know-- you're in your early twenties and you might have a day where you're like, when are we done or that sort of thing--
Steve Kmetko:
A day--
Laura Leighton:
You know, like, you do have those things, but I think in general it was just positive set. We've all been on sets that don't feel good. This one felt good, Melrose felt good. And so, it was the standard to which I sort of held everything after that, and not everything felt like that.
Steve Kmetko:
Doug aside what's your fondest memory of working on Melrose Place?
Laura Leighton:
Fondest memory. I mean, I think just in general, it felt like a family. We felt it was a wonderful place to go to work every day and for a number of years, and everyone just appreciated being there and for the most part.
Steve Kmetko:
Some didn't?
Laura Leighton:
No, I think, you know-- you're in your early twenties and you might have a day where you're like, when are we done or that sort of thing--
Steve Kmetko:
A day--
Laura Leighton:
You know, like, you do have those things. But I think in general it was just, it was a positive set. We've all been on sets that don't feel good. This one felt good, Melrose felt good. And so, it was the standard to which I sort of held everything after that. And not everything felt like that. You know, like really just good and like a family. And so, I think some of the appreciation comes in retrospect, once you've stepped away and you go do other things, you're like, oh, actually that one was really, really special.
Steve Kmetko:
You mean like, you don't know what you've got until it's gone?
Laura Leighton:
Kind of. Yeah. There is a bit of that. But we knew it then, but we knew it more even later.
Steve Kmetko:
I think that happens many times in many professions.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. With most things. With most things in life. Right?
Steve Kmetko:
Is there anything you you're looking forward to doing in the future? I mean, apart from rebooting, Melrose's place?
Laura Leighton:
I mean, I like the idea of being more producorial and just having ideas or, and seeing them through and managing the process of, of getting them done. I feel like I sort of have a natural, like that's I've managed and produced a family for years and --you know-- sort of managed a whole like, holistic thing instead of just being one part of it. And I like the idea of doing that moving forward, I have some other things I'm looking at and developing and I like the idea of moving in that way and not always having to be on camera.
Steve Kmetko:
What do you do for fun?
Laura Leighton:
For fun?
Steve Kmetko:
Yeah.
Laura Leighton:
Well, I have a grand baby now.
Steve Kmetko:
Ooh!
Laura Leighton:
Yes, we have our first grand baby, and that's really fun. We have a very big family, so we have --you know-- we're always busy, even though we're empty nesters, we're now circling our back around and having this grand baby in our lives. And that is the most fun thing ever. And I know it's a cliche, everyone says that. Oh, it's so great to be a grandparent. It's really great. So that's fun.
Steve Kmetko:
Do you feel the way that I've heard so many other people say it's nice because you can-- you have no responsibility? You take the baby, you have fun with it all day, and then you give it back.
Laura Leighton:
It's not even the giving her back, it's the, we just have such an appreciation for it. Again, like in retrospect, we've been through this thing and now we're watching it again. And watching your kid be a parent is really cool.
Steve Kmetko:
There a particular lesson you've seen.
Laura Leighton:
You just see certain things click. Like they we're finding that our daughter thinks about her childhood and us as parents differently now that she's a parent too. And just appreciating that is sort of, then you're relating with your kid on a different level. You know, once you're both parents, it's like you have that in common and that's a new level to your relationship.
Steve Kmetko:
Do you ever find yourself thinking, I told you so?
Laura Leighton:
Well, sure because I'm a mom, I'm always right. So, moms were always right.
Steve Kmetko:
See, I thought it was just my mom that was always right.
Laura Leighton:
No, all of them, all moms were always right.
Steve Kmetko:
And they'll tell you too.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. But it's true.
Steve Kmetko:
Are you looking forward to the holidays with the Grand Baby now?
Laura Leighton:
Holidays with the Grand baby is super cute. Super fun. And she's only in her ones, so she's probably not going to remember this particular holiday season, but it's really cute.
Steve Kmetko:
But sometime down the road in the future, she'll be able to look at the present, she got.
Laura Leighton:
The photos of it are fun. I think for anybody, when you look back and see, was I ever really that little?
Steve Kmetko:
Yep. Get her Baby Shoes Bronzed. I don't even know if they do that anymore.
Laura Leighton:
They're just, ah, there's so much cute stuff now.
Steve Kmetko:
Yeah. Do you spend a lot of time with a grand baby?
Laura Leighton:
We try to--
Steve Kmetko:
Is she your nearby?
Laura Leighton:
As best as we can. She's in the LA area and we're --you know-- it's a big town, so if you're on one side of town and she's on the other, it's not so easy to get there --you know-- just at the drop of a hat. But--
Steve Kmetko:
What, with traffic and all?
Laura Leighton:
We try what with traffic and yeah. So, we try and my daughter wants me to be the one to teach her how to play the piano, so that's, I'm the nana who plays piano with her, so here's hoping.
Steve Kmetko:
My mother tried to do that with me.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah, it's a tough spot.
Steve Kmetko:
Oh, you know-- I wanted to ask you about something that I read about a weird fan encounter shortly after you left the show in a hospital.
Laura Leighton:
Doug Savant had had surgery on his ankle and it was a huge deal. He had an ankle fusion, but he was coming out of, he was in his hospital room, they were getting him set up for recovery. And I was in the room and the nurse came in and she just sort of like stopped in her tracks and she was like, what is she doing in here? And he, she told him that she was afraid I was there to hurt him. Like she was so confused on reality versus the character that I played. And it was so funny to us, but people really bought it. People really bought me as Sydney, I guess.
Steve Kmetko:
Does that that must be kind of in a way gratifying, apart from being funny, it's gratifying?
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. I mean, it is gratifying at the, it's obviously what I set out to do is be convincing as that character. And I knew that I wasn't actually that character. And so being able to be so different and separate from it, that is something I feel proud of. But it's also something you end up having to fight for in a weird way. Like, I remember also on the other hand, after Melrose having like meetings with people who were interested in a project or whatever, and coming out of that meeting, I would hear from my agents that, that people were disappointed because I wasn't actually like a Wackadoo Lake Sydney. And they were like you know-- we were expecting Sydney and it was just like a normal person. And I thought, oh, that's weird. I don't know that I need to go into meetings and like act a certain way. Like this is who I am. I can play other characters, but some people don't have that imagination, I guess. Right.
Steve Kmetko:
And who knows as a story unfolds, what kind of the what the character, what the writers have planned for that character. You know, if you're auditioning and making it your own from the beginning.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. And it was weird to hear sort of like that people were disappointed to find out that I was like, normal. That's interesting. Yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
Whatever normal is. Do people still come up to you and talk to you about Melrose's Place?
Laura Leighton:
Melrose's Place is still top of mind when people go, I know who you are from Melrose and all of our castmates have the same experience. It's crazy because everybody's gone on and done other shows. I did Pretty Little Liars, I did Desperate Housewives. And still like, I mean, you can also sort of tell generationally like which show they might recognize you from. A younger person might-- I might --you know-- be recognized from Pretty Little Liars more than Melrose's Place, but Melrose Place still, people still enjoy it and still want to talk about it.
Steve Kmetko:
Do people ever link Melrose Place and 9 0 2 1 0?
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. And they get them confused. You know, they were sort of that same people watch them back-to-back during that time. And so, 30 years later, 35 years later --you know-- it's hard to remember which, which show and which storyline and which character. It all sort of blended together like--
Steve Kmetko:
And they were both from Aaron Spelling.
Laura Leighton:
Yep. Similar enough. We were a little bit older. We were the older version.
Steve Kmetko:
More sophisticated. More seasoned!
Laura Leighton:
Yes. Yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
Hey, can I ask you, I'd like to run off the names of some of your former co-stars. and just if you would give me one- or two-word observations. And if you don't feel like it, you can go. Mm. Next question.
Laura Leighton:
Okay!
Steve Kmetko:
Heather Locklear?
Laura Leighton:
Adorable. Hysterical.
Steve Kmetko:
Lisa Rinna.
Laura Leighton:
Lovely. Energetic. Wonderful. Sorry, that was three.
Steve Kmetko:
That's okay. There's no limit. You're not being penalized. Grant Show?
Laura Leighton:
Amazing. Terrific. He's great.
Steve Kmetko:
Yeah. And Andrew Shue?
Laura Leighton:
Really, I want to be thoughtful about the words so I get them. Right. So interesting. That's one word, just the one.
Steve Kmetko:
And.com--
Laura Leighton:
Smart.
Steve Kmetko:
Smart. Marcia Cross?
Laura Leighton:
Talented. Thoughtful Kind.
Steve Kmetko:
And Dafty (Daphne Zuniga)?
Laura Leighton:
Great friend.
Steve Kmetko:
Is she?
Laura Leighton:
Mm-Hmm.
Steve Kmetko:
You two are very friendly off, apart from the series.
Laura Leighton:
Yes. She was at my baby shower. And then here we are doing this podcast together so.
Steve Kmetko:
That’s a friend. Are you still friends with everyone from the cast? You must be if they're coming onto the show onto the bot cast.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. And Josie who played my sister on the show we still, you know, feel like, just like a warm and fuzzy relationship towards each other. Just like we just had such just nice time playing that relationship. It's hard to let that go.
Steve Kmetko:
Do you do you miss not having something like that to go to every week?
Laura Leighton:
There's something really special about a television show more than even a film. I think because it's so-- if you're lucky enough to get one that lasts as long as Melrose did, it becomes a family. And so having that place to go every week is something. There's nothing like it. And you miss it when it's gone.
Steve Kmetko:
I can't remember off the top of my head how long it ran, but eight years, nine years.
Laura Leighton:
It ran for seven. There was a kind of a turning point after season five. Because That was the original sort of, because contracts were five years at that time. And a number of the cast members left after five seasons, including myself. So, I did five, I did up to season five, and then it ran for two more. So, it ran for a total of seven.
Steve Kmetko:
And we'll be right back.
Laura Leighton:
I mean, it was a choice I made, but it was difficult. It was difficult to say goodbye to the people and to know that I was closing that chapter. And I remember I was very sad on the last scene, on the last day that I worked. I remember, I was like, I can't fall apart. Like, that would be so embarrassing.
Steve Kmetko:
I'd like also like to try with you because you seem so game. Something that I really not, I don't do this as a rule, but--
Laura Leighton:
We like to break the rules.
Steve Kmetko:
Do you?
Laura Leighton:
Let's break rules.
Steve Kmetko:
Okay. Good. First celebrity crush. Did you have what?
Laura Leighton:
Shaun Cassidy.
Steve Kmetko:
Oh, really? I think so. Have you met him?
Laura Leighton:
I think I met him, yes. I met him later. You know.
Steve Kmetko:
He's a nice guy.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. Super nice guy.
Steve Kmetko:
And his mother is wonderful. Shirley Jones. She's wonderful.
Laura Leighton:
Very sweet. Sweet. Yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
Left or right-handed?
Laura Leighton:
Right-Handed.
Steve Kmetko:
Last movie you watched.
Laura Leighton:
Wicked!
Steve Kmetko:
Oh, you've seen it already.
Laura Leighton:
I've seen it already in the theater.
Steve Kmetko:
Your review?
Laura Leighton:
Before that, I could not have told you which movie was the last movie I'd seen at theater. Because it had been kind of a long time. I'm guilty to admit, but amazing. It was incredible. Blew me away. I want to see it again. And we listened to the soundtrack. My daughter was just listening to the soundtrack, blasting the soundtrack on her way home from her wisdom teeth, extractions. She was like, yeah. All over it.
Steve Kmetko:
You can't get away from it right now. It's everywhere.
Laura Leighton:
I get it. I mean, have you seen it?
Steve Kmetko:
No.
Laura Leighton:
Okay. Are you going to?
Steve Kmetko:
Yes, I will at some point.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. Well, I think also--
Steve Kmetko:
I've been reluctant only because “The Wizard Of Oz” is my absolutely all-time favorite movie. And I realize that there's some relation, but it's different. And I'm trying to get past that so I don't hold anything against it when I go see it.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. Because it won't retell “The Wizard of Oz”. It honors it and it it's just like the other stories. It's not a retelling. And do you know the musical, have you-- had you ever--
Steve Kmetko:
I had not seen the musical either.
Laura Leighton:
Okay. So, we were--
Steve Kmetko:
I was avoiding that as well.
Laura Leighton:
Oh, all right.
Steve Kmetko:
Although I'm pretty familiar with the music.
Laura Leighton:
I want to hear what you think once you've seen it.
Steve Kmetko:
Okay. I'll give you a call.
Laura Leighton:
Please do.
Steve Kmetko:
What do you like on your pizza?
Laura Leighton:
I like Sausage. Our family makes Italian sausage, so I'm a little bit picky about that too.
Steve Kmetko:
See, I'm from Chicago, so I got a thinner or thick?
Laura Leighton:
Thin. I agree. Are you thick?
Steve Kmetko:
I like both of them --you know-- and the nice thing, although New Yorkers would disagree, the nice thing is you can go to just about any pizza place in Chicago and you get a good pizza. You know, it's like ingrained. Although I was watching CBS this morning was doing a report from Chicago during the Democratic Invention, and they kind of, all of those New Yorkers poo-pooed.
Laura Leighton:
Oh, did they?
Steve Kmetko:
Yes. poo-pooed--
Laura Leighton:
The products they made pizza. Political, huh?
Steve Kmetko:
Yes. Worst subject in school?
Laura Leighton:
Worst subject in school. Mm. I think Math.
Steve Kmetko:
Is it, has it gotten any better? Can you balance a checkbook?
Laura Leighton:
Oh, totally. I think I'm like completely competent at math and concepts now. So, it's very interesting that I didn't I think like, once you fall behind in math, forget it. And I think that's what happened. And I just gave up on myself.
Steve Kmetko:
You don't call yourself a math athlete?
Laura Leighton:
I don't, I don't.
Steve Kmetko:
I used to work with someone who called yourself a math athlete. I hate it.
Laura Leighton:
Well, that's an actual thing. Like, they actually compete--
Steve Kmetko:
Is it?
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. Yeah.
Laura Leighton:
We don't like her anyway.
Steve Kmetko:
No. I liked her a lot. Have you seen Mariah Carey?
Laura Leighton:
I haven't.
Steve Kmetko:
It's on Netflix.
Laura Leighton:
Have you seen it?
Steve Kmetko:
Yes.
Laura Leighton:
Okay.
Steve Kmetko:
Like three times.
Laura Leighton:
Okay.
Steve Kmetko:
I liked it that much.
Laura Leighton:
All right.
Steve Kmetko:
But you know, you kind of have to have a feel for the movie and for the person it's about and opera--
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. No, I'll see it. Yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
I thought it was interesting. And Conclave is the other one I'm wild about this year. It was quite a movie. And that's about Catholicism.
Laura Leighton:
All right. We'll see that one too.
Steve Kmetko:
Yes. I think that would be of a specific interest to you. Back in the Melrose heyday, out of curiosity, did you ever have to disguise yourself to go out?
Laura Leighton:
It was an easier time then because there were no cell phones. So, but it was also, we were very, very popular and young in the young --you know-- out and about sort of world. And so, it was harder to go out without being recognized for the role and for the show. And you know, Doug Savant and I had a honeymoon when we got married a couple years after Melrose finished. And that was hard. Like, we were not, like, it was hard. We were, it was, we couldn't not be recognized for.
Steve Kmetko:
Can I ask, where'd you go on your honeymoon?
Laura Leighton:
We were in France. We were all over France and smaller towns. It was a lot easier to not be recognized, but it was hard at that time, fresh off the show, and especially when we're together.
Steve Kmetko:
Hmm. I would think so.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. Even though people are still thrown for a loop, they're like, wait, Sydney and Matt, and what--
Steve Kmetko:
Did you ever check into hotels with different names? I mean, the hotels had different names, but you and Doug Savant?
Laura Leighton:
Yeah, I mean, I think like when during the height of the show, everyone had different names for when they would travel for business and stuff. And just even the, the network, when they, when we went to the upfronts and stuff, people were checked in and everybody had a different name--
Steve Kmetko:
Okay--
Laura Leighton:
Because it was a little bit wacky.
Steve Kmetko:
Do you remember what your different name was?
Laura Leighton:
Well, if I told you--
Steve Kmetko:
Oh, come on--
Laura Leighton:
I wouldn't be able to use it again.
Steve Kmetko:
It was Barack Obama.
Laura Leighton:
No, I didn't know that one yet.
Steve Kmetko:
What were your thoughts the morning after the show ended? Were you relieved upset, happy, sad?
Laura Leighton:
You know, it was a, it was definitely a difficult decision. After five years, it was like a natural, everybody should have the opportunity to renew their contract at renegotiate your contract and deciding that it was time to move on was a really tough choice. And so, I was really I mean, it was a choice I made, but it was difficult. It was difficult to say goodbye to the people and to know that I was closing that chapter. And I remember I was very sad on the last scene, on the last day that I worked. I was, I remember I was like, I can't fall apart. Like, that would be so embarrassing. But I definitely felt sad enough to be fighting tears and thinking, oh, I shouldn't let that out. You know? And so, I think it was just like coming to terms with, this is the decision I've made, and I feel strongly about this choice at this moment. But it was definitely tough and sad.
Steve Kmetko:
What was the most-- I hope you don't mind me asking this, but what was the most emotional event in your life? Do you have a hard time showing emotion?
Laura Leighton:
No, I'm a bit I don't think I'm-- I don't think I have a hard time showing emotion. The most emotional event in my life. I've had a few recently. I am not sure-- should start and talking about that. No, I think I'm an emotional person.
Steve Kmetko:
I think you kind of have to be to do what you do for a living. You have to be able to show it, don't you?
Laura Leighton:
Yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
I've had a number of emotional events in my life. When I was a kid, they used to call me cry baby.
Laura Leighton:
Well, hey, I think it's a beautiful thing to have the emotions and then people can relate. It's what humanity is, right?
Steve Kmetko:
Yeah. I have a favorite story. I was talking to Susan Sarandon once about crying in public, and she said to me-- you know, Steve, if you let a woman see you fly, cry, they'll be lined up around the block. And I said, yeah, but I'm gay, so sweet. But, yes, sweet but nice thought, but I don't think it's going to work for me. Does it help or ask, I'll ask you, does it help or hurt that you're married to another actor in the business who understands the business?
Laura Leighton:
I think it helps. We've never had an issue. Like we're not competing for the same roles, so we don't have any, like, there's no competition there. He recently just did a play and the possibility of us maybe doing a play together or something like that's really an appealing idea. Like, just that like I'm rooting for him. He's rooting for me. We're not competing against each other. So, I think it's been a better thing than a bad thing.
Steve Kmetko:
The character he played in Melrose's Place was gay.
Laura Leighton:
Mm-Hmm. Yep. It's something he's super proud of. The way he dealt with his experience. He had a lot of pressure at the time to come out as straight and say, well, I'm not really gay, you know? And he wasn't interested in making that sort of statement. He didn't think it was right. And so, he's really proud that he could have an impact on the gay community. And he hears it to this day that his place in television and just sort of also the way he handled it and not wanting to like disassociate himself from being gay. He was like, it's not important. And he still hears from people to this day that was meaningful and that is something that's really meaningful to him to this day.
Steve Kmetko:
And I think that's one of the nice changes about society that has come around. You don't have to be afraid as much anymore. Every once in a while, though, but not as much. Do you worry about aging in the business?
Laura Leighton:
Yeah, sure.
Steve Kmetko:
Do you really?
Laura Leighton:
Sure. I mean, you know-- it's a different business for middle aged women than it is for someone in their twenties. It's a different thing entirely. And my drive for a career is different too. You know, I had a lot of enthusiasm for being that actor when, when I was in my twenties and now, I'm sort of-- it's a little bit more like now I just want to make a living and have a nice life and support a family. You know, the just sort of the reasons for what I want have changed and how I look at things. But it's definitely, the opportunities are fewer and far between.
Steve Kmetko:
Isn't it funny how it changes your way of thinking?
Laura Leighton:
Yeah,
Steve Kmetko:
We'll be right back.
Laura Leighton:
I'm not, you know, getting tons of offers. So, like, if I want one, I'm going to have to audition for it. It's weird. It's hard. I think not connecting with somebody in person in the room is hard. It's hard for me to show them who I am. And it's hard for them to show.
Steve Kmetko:
If you want a part, do you audition for it?
Laura Leighton:
Well, right now it's all self-tapes.
Steve Kmetko:
I know. I was going to, that was my next question. Do you do self-tapes?
Laura Leighton:
It's weird. Yeah. I mean, it started in during Covid, right? The self-tape thing. And we all had to figure out how to do it if we wanted to audition at all. I have friends who don't do them. They just don't audition. They just hope for an offer. But I'm not getting tons offers. So, like, if I want one, I'm going to have to audition for it. It's weird. It's hard. I think not connecting with somebody in person in the room is hard. It's hard for me to show them who I am and it's hard for them to get.
Steve Kmetko:
And you don't get the feedback.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. I think it's hard for everybody to do their job well--
Steve Kmetko:
So, save self-tape, basically for folks at home who might not know, I'm not certain what it is, but you set up a camera, you record, or you memorize a scene or read a scene into the camera and then send off a tape, right?
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. You have to do it yourself. So, auditions used to be, you would go to the office of the casting director or the producers or whoever you were meeting with and you would meet them and you would do the scene. There was somebody to read the opposite side of the scene. And you would play the scene in the office with the people in the room that you were auditioning for. And they would give you feedback and they may ask you to try it again. Maybe another way, maybe give you a note. And there was an opportunity to chat and have a sense, they could get a sense of who you were and they could actually see you move and see you in person and you could interact. And none of that is possible with a self-tape you, we had during Covid.
We had to figure it out what kind of background are they expecting and what kind of, even just the format of the tape what they wanted out of that. And light it yourself. And I'm lucky because I have an actor who I live with and he can read the other side of the scene, but most people don't have that. They have to find somebody who can read the other side of the scene. And it's a whole thing. But we're mostly doing it as self-tapes now. Like not very many casting offices have gone back to in person. It's weird.
Steve Kmetko:
It's the same kind of thing for voiceovers. Most voiceover artists have studios set up in their homes. So, they can ship off auditions or record whatever they need to.
Laura Leighton:
I think is probably good. Right? That's probably a good thing for voiceover to be able to do that and not have to go somewhere and you must do voiceovers.
Steve Kmetko:
No, I don't.
Laura Leighton:
Why not?
Steve Kmetko:
I've tried but I always get, you sound too much like an announcer. Yeah, well.
Laura Leighton:
That's a good kind of voice. There's plenty of room for that. Well, you have a great voice.
Steve Kmetko:
See, that's my father of the Baptist Minister's Influence. I could give a hell of a speech, a hell of a sermon if I had had to.
Laura Leighton:
You can. All right.
Steve Kmetko:
I'm always preaching.
Laura Leighton:
What about being an actor?
Steve Kmetko:
You know, I think I wanted to do that at one time, but I didn't have the confidence or the support from home. I didn't have anybody pushing me and saying, go on, honey. No, that--
Laura Leighton:
What about now?
Steve Kmetko:
I'm 71. Come on.
Laura Leighton:
There's lots of?
Steve Kmetko:
Seniors?
Laura Leighton:
Well, I guess seniors still exist in--
Steve Kmetko:
Real life?
Laura Leighton:
In the roles. Yeah. And you have a great voice. A great look. You should do it.
Steve Kmetko:
Oh, thanks. I would love to do voiceovers. That's a dream I had for a long time. The idea of going into a studio in a pair of pajamas. Sounds very appealing to me.
Laura Leighton:
For a second, I thought that's what podcasting would be like. And then I was like, no, we're not actually wearing our pajamas. There's still a camera component, whatever.
Steve Kmetko:
A lot of podcasts are merely audio. But then you have people who set up cameras. Surprise. Yes. And you don't have wardrobe and makeup.
Laura Leighton:
Nope.
Steve Kmetko:
So, you left your own devices.
Laura Leighton:
Yep. We could wear pajamas if we chose.
Steve Kmetko:
I suppose we could if there were nice pajamas silk--
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. It's a way to go.
Steve Kmetko:
Laura, what haven't you done that you want to do?
Laura Leighton:
What haven't I done that I want to do? What didn't I do that I wish I'd done? Maybe what haven't I done?
Steve Kmetko:
Was there ever a role that you really wanted and didn't get?
Laura Leighton:
You know, it's so funny because I think this is-- I think it's out there somewhere. There was a role that I was doing that I had to drop out of. I was doing a movie that was a little musical and it was I was going to get to sing my own tracks. And it was singing and dancing and I ended up tearing my ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) my knee-- ligament in my knee. The night before we were to start shooting. I had already laid down the tracks. We'd done the vocals for this little movie that was set in the fifties. And it was a young girl in a girl group. And we were singing and dancing and I had to drop out of this movie and it broke my heart. And then years later, years later, the girl who replaced me was Renée Zellweger.
Steve Kmetko:
Oh yeah!
Laura Leighton:
And years later, she said something after she won her Oscar for Chicago, that her whole, like, entree into the singing and dancing world and television and movies was because some girl broke her leg in this little film called Shake, rattle and Rock while I was that some girl, and my leg wasn't broken, it was my ligament, but it was heartbreaking. And just that was like a happy, fun place and thing for me to do. And it was in between seasons of Melrose. And so, I went back to Melrose Place after having surgery, and I had like a knee brace on my leg. I was still recovering and stuff, but so that like, going into like the whole musical world is something I wish I had done when I had the chance. because It's a muscle --you know-- if you don't exercise it, that part goes away.
Steve Kmetko:
Yeah. But that really --you know-- when you look back at that and it's not like that became a huge picture or anything.
Laura Leighton:
No, it didn't. It was just that I wish I had done that sort of thing --you know-- like that the musical thing. I never really went back to it. I never really did it.
Steve Kmetko:
Well, you know, there's that fa well there's a couple of famous stories. Well, there's many famous stories, I suppose from Hollywood that --you know-- Shirley MaClaine got to go on when summit, was it Carol Haney, I forget who it was, but she got to go on, I forget the play that she was in-- come on Steve. And then I do know for a fact because she told me, but Bette Davis got the role in all about Eve because Claudette Colbert hurt her back or something. And that turned out to be a huge performance. A lot of people think of Bette Davis and think of all about Eve. I can't imagine anybody else doing that role. She was so perfect.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. And Renée Zellweger was great in Chicago --you know-- there's no question about that. It was just that I wish I had done that sort of thing when I had the chance.
Steve Kmetko:
Right.
Laura Leighton:
In general. Yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
Right. Well, next time you're doing a self-tape audition, you can--
Laura Leighton:
Just throw a little soccer dance every day.
Steve Kmetko:
Don't just sit there, sing something. Have you done a lot of TV movies? My memory isn't working so well. I'm aged, you know?
Laura Leighton:
Well, they were a thing of the past. They were a while ago. So, I did them for sure back in the night. It was a perfect thing for in between seasons of Melrose Place, like a TV movie would fit in. And they were you know, they were airing. They were like special event movies on television, two-hour movies. And you could shoot one in six weeks, which was or five weeks. And it fit perfectly in a short hiatus. We had short time off because we did so many episodes of the show that we just had a short window, but a TV movie was perfect and they paid really well at the time and yeah, we all would try to squeeze one in, in our hiatus. And that was, that was the other thing. I had an opportunity that I kick myself now. I had an opportunity to do to play Rizzo in Greece, on Broadway. And I also had an offer for a TV movie at the time, and I was an idiot. And I saw that --you know-- this job made me this much money and this job didn't, and I picked the one that I'm kicking myself over, but it was a TV movie and not the Broadway show.
Steve Kmetko:
Yeah. But you know, when you're that much younger. Your thoughts turn to--
Laura Leighton:
Yep. Maximizing the six weeks off that I have and you know-- and that was how I saw it at that time. And of course, now you look at things differently.
Steve Kmetko:
You can't be faulted for that though.
Laura Leighton:
Nope. In retrospect. Yeah. There's only so much we can do.
Steve Kmetko:
I hate retrospect.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. Yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
Thanks Laura. I really enjoyed talking to you.
Laura Leighton:
Thank you too.
Steve Kmetko:
This was fun.
Laura Leighton:
Thanks for having me.
Steve Kmetko:
Still Here. Hollywood is a production of the Still Here Network. All things technical run by Justin Zangerle. Theme music by Brian Sanyshyn and executive producer is Jim Lichtenstein.