Heather Locklear on Whether Her Melrose Place Character Was ‘Mean’

Melrose Place may have advertised the show with the tagline “Mondays are a bitch” when Heather Locklear’s character, Amanda Woodward, joined the show, but the actress isn’t sure her character was that mean after all.

“Amanda Woodward and I are similar in that we looked the same, but I could never be as mean to people as she was,” Locklear, 63, reveals exclusively in her 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me feature in the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now. “I do think a lot of the time, she wasn’t actively trying to be mean, she just didn’t care about how what she said made other people feel.”

Locklear, on the other hand, has much more empathetic qualities: “I care deeply about being kind,” she added.

Locklear appeared in 199 episodes of the Fox drama series from 1993 to 1999. So many episodes on one show may have burnt out a lot of actors, but she says she’s still open to revisiting the iconic series.

“I’d love to revisit Melrose Place,” she tells Us. “There was never really time to stop and smell the roses and really take in the experience. We all appreciated it, but it was a bit of a blur.”

Keep scrolling for more of Locklear’s personal reflections on her iconic career moments and fun facts from the actress:

Locklear’s new film, Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story, premieres on Lifetime on October 26 at 8 p.m. ET.

1. My first car was a sparkly, baby blue 1980 Mazda RX7.

2. My favorite way to spend the weekend is with my daughter, my mother and my dog, Mister, hanging out, watching TV and scrolling [on social media].

3. My most starstruck moment was in 1995 at The Late Show with David Letterman. I was going down the stairs and Bruce Willis was coming up. I was so floored because I loved him on Moonlighting that I tripped and being a true gentleman, he helped me up.

4. I never leave the house without my phone, wallet and reading glasses.

5. I loved The Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling. When the show was on, I was so busy doing Dynasty and T.J. Hooker that I barely had time to watch anything, but it was really fun seeing this modern take.

6. I just finished the advance edition of Tyler Merritt’s new book, This Changes Everything. It’s about his cancer journey but also about gratitude and making the most of every day. There’s no time to waste. It will be out in January 2025.

7. My alternate career would be a psychologist. I love talking to people and, even more so, listening to people and figuring out what makes them tick.

8. Hearing Led Zeppelin’s music always takes me back and makes me smile. In high school, I remember making out in my boyfriend’s car to [their songs]. We’d be in my driveway and my mom would turn the lights on and tell me to come in, which I usually wouldn’t do until she’d come out and bang on the window.

9. Goldie Hawn was my celebrity crush growing up. She’s just so funny and fun, and I love all of her work, especially Private Benjamin. I shot a couple of scenes, which were mostly cut, for The First Wives Club, and I used to watch her in awe from my trailer. I saw her at a Rules of Engagement party (that Oliver Hudson was in) and it was a big thrill.

10. I love a Big Mac and
dipping fries in my shake.

11. My favorite room in my house is my living/family room. It has beautiful skylights, and I can see birds flying above, clouds and rain splashing down. There’s something really magical and peaceful about it.

12. [My Melrose Place character], Amanda Woodward, and I are similar in that we looked the same, but I could never be as mean to people as she was. I do think a lot of the time, she wasn’t actively trying to be mean, she just didn’t care about how what she said made other people feel. I care deeply about being kind.

13. My best subject in school was physical education. I was always very into track and field.

14. I collect anything with [my dog] Mister on it — pajamas, sweatshirts, socks or shoes.

15. My first job was scooping ice cream at Clark’s Drugstore. The managers would watch from a window above the store and would come over the loudspeaker saying, “Heather, you’ve been cleaning that one spot for long enough.”

16. I’d love to revisit Melrose Place. The schedule was so intense. We shot 32 episodes a season, sometimes two episodes at a time. And we shot at an industrial complex out in the middle of nowhere, so there was a long commute. There was never really time to stop and smell the roses and really take in the experience. We all appreciated it, but it was a bit of a blur.

17. My favorite childhood memory is singing with my sister in our pajamas in front of our family at Christmas. I was shy performing, so I’d hold the sheet music in front of my face.

18. My favorite meal to cook is tacos, using my mom’s recipe. I fry the corn tortillas, so you get that nice juiciness, and they’re crunchy, but not dry and brittle like store-bought shells.

19. I decompress after a hectic day by being quiet and meditating.

20. I go to sleep listening to Matthew McConaughey on the Calm app. His voice is so soothing, it doesn’t matter what he’s saying.

21. The most famous person in my phone book is [my ex] Tommy Lee.

22. I’m binge-watching The Perfect Couple with Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber. The whole cast is so good and it’s juicy and fun and full of surprises.

23. My proudest career moment was hosting Saturday Night Live in 1994. It was such an amazing group of writers and performers who were funny and fun and kind and collaborative. I loved being in such a positive environment where the end goal was to make people laugh and smile and feel good.

24. For workouts, I do weights and walking because it’s good for me, but it’s not my idea of fun: I much prefer to play a sport like tennis than do anything where I have to count reps.

25. My favorite vacation spot is Hawaii. I keep going back because I love it so much. It’s beautiful and peaceful, and it always makes me feel relaxed and recharged when I come home. It really feeds my soul.