Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

'Melrose Place' Star Reveals Why His Gay Character Wasn't Allowed To Show Affection On Show

Doug Savant on 'Melrose Place'
FOX

Actor Doug Savant opened up to his former costars on their Still the Place podcast about how his character, Matt Fielding, wasn't allowed to be sexual because the network wanted him to be "palatable."

With the plethora of LGBTQ+ characters and storylines being normalized on various TV shows and streaming platforms, it might be difficult for younger generations to fathom that it wasn't always like this.

The cast of the popular '90s drama Melrose Place had a poignant discussion on the Still The Placepodcast.


On the November 20 episode, castmates, Doug Savant, Laura Leighton, Courtney Thorne-Smith, and Daphne Zuniga reminisced about being on the Beverly Hills 90210 spinoff and recalled how progressive Melrose Place was at the time, particularly in featuring one of the first openly gay lead characters on primetime television.

Their discussion of how the show tackled taboo topics and serious subject matter, albeit in campy ways, demonstrated how things were different thirty years ago.

It also showed how far we've come, despite still-existing roadblocks preventing further progress with LGBTQ+ representation and inclusivity.

In 1994, a much-hyped same-sex kiss with Savant, who played gay character Matt Fielding, wound up getting edited at the last minute, indicating the network was still apprehensive about pushing the envelope.

Here is a clip of the infamous scene from the season two finale where a gay kiss between Savant and guest star Ty Miller was left to the viewer's imagination.

That wasn't the only instance of the network scaling back on queer storylines even though Matt was written as gay.

Savant, 60, recalled a situation with his castmates where a scene partner wasn't entirely on board with him during a shoot.

The Desperate Housewives actor, who is married to his former Melrose co-star, Laura Leighton, recalled:

"There was an actor I was working with who wasn’t as comfortable that he was playing someone who was gay."
"I wanted, in an effort to show that [Savant’s character Matt Fielding] was behaving with this character in a way that was against his better judgment, I wanted him to steal a kiss at work. Like look around, make sure no one was looking, but kiss this guy on the cheek, just a peck on the cheek."
This other actor was so uncomfortable. He was like, ‘That’s not in the script, we’re not doing that.’ He was so uncomfortable with it. I sort of found that shocking."

Savant explained there was only so far the network could go when the series was pushing scenes that were perceived as controversial back then.

"There were very limited storylines that the network would be comfortable with [about the character’s sexuality] because the advertisers were only comfortable touching on certain things," said Savant, and he cited examples.

"One of them was the gay bashing, and the other was a kid coming out to his parents."
"[As far as showing affection] No, no, no, no, no, never."

Savant explained that the network "wanted the character to be palatable. And so if they could say that, well, the actor is really straight, he’s just acting, then it became less real to them."

The actor famously refused to come out as straight while actively filming six out of the seven seasons he starred in Melrose Place as his attempt to dignify the character when queer representation in '90s television shows was rare.

When confronted by the show's producers as to why he wouldn't declare he wasn't gay in real life in interviews, Savant stood firm in his conviction that "I was not going to make my living playing a gay man, but then say, 'Oh, I would never be associated with that.'"

Since the show completed its seventh season in 1999, Savant said male fans of the show still periodically approach him to this day with heartfelt comments and letters telling him, "Thank you. You're, at that time, all I had."

For Savant, those interactions are a testament to the power of visibility and for him, "the great privilege of ever playing the role."



Savant's dedication to the role despite its challenges at the time was not lost on fans.


@stilltheplace/Instagram

@stilltheplace/Instagram

@stilltheplace/Instagram

@stilltheplace/Instagram

@stilltheplace/Instagram

@stilltheplace/Instagram

@stilltheplace/Instagram

@stilltheplace/Instagram

@stilltheplace/Instagram

@stilltheplace/Instagram

A continuation of the campy nighttime soap opera, also called Melrose Place, premiered on September 8, 2009, on the CW network but was canceled after the first season due to dismal ratings.

However, fans will be delighted to hear that CBS is resurrecting Melrose Place once again in a new reboot series featuring returning original cast members Heather Locklear (who was always billed as "guest star"), Laura Leighton, and Daphne Zuniga.

More from News/lgbtq

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less