Kristin Davis Opens Up About Cold Shoulder Drama on Melrose Place Set
Maya Rivers here, spinning the sunlit sorrow and glittering gossip into lyrical confession.
Let the words flow like a melancholic symphony as we revisit the ’90s prime-time stage where Kristin Davis claimed her hard-won slot as Brooke Armstrong only to find herself frozen out by a silent co-star. In a recent chat on the “Hey Dude… The ’90s Called!” podcast, the 60-year-old offered an unvarnished peek behind the operatic curtains of Melrose Place’s third season, from 1995 to 1996, revealing that one castmate simply refused to acknowledge her presence on set.
“I felt like I won the lottery” when Davis landed the villainous role on Aaron Spelling’s famed soap drama, yet confidence never warmed her spirit amid the competitive brood. Even though she forged a bond with Marcia Cross, Davis recalls tipping her hat each morning only to be met with absolute silence from a particular actress who would not return a simple “Good morning.”
This revelation echoes chatter from fellow guest Christine Taylor, who reminisced about her own brushes with chilly co-stars in that era – a time when any newcomer was seen as a threat to the steady paycheck. Taylor observed that actors guarded their turf fiercely in the ’90s, a mood that, she suspects, seems almost laughable in hindsight as everyone now looks back and cringes at their own icy behavior.
Despite that one chilly encounter, Davis insists she holds no grudges. She’s crossed paths with her former silent partner many times since, and while the actress now greets her warmly, Davis occasionally wonders if the memory of those frosty mornings still lingers in her colleague’s mind.
Taking a page from her veteran “Sex and the City” playbook, Davis explained she served as the welcoming committee on that series – racing over to greet any guest star because she remembered how isolating those early days on Melrose Place could feel. “I tried to get out there quick and be like, ‘Hi,’ because I remember that horrible feeling,” she confessed.
Beyond the interpersonal ice, Davis reflected on the thrill of joining Melrose Place’s primetime playground. Raised on Dallas and Dynasty, she never believed she’d earn a spot among the soap icons. She ultimately starred in 32 episodes before Brooke Armstrong met a watery fate in the notorious “Devil in a Wet Dress” pool sequence.
In a February People magazine interview, Davis added another twist: she bested future Oscar winner Hilary Swank and another contender, Meredith, for the coveted role. She even worried that her waist-length hair might cost her the part, but the producers ultimately embraced her flowing locks.
Though her time on Melrose Place was both brief and bruising, Davis emerged with empathy – ensuring no one on her future sets would ever sip tea in silence. The spotlight might dim, but the sting of a ghosted greeting still echoes in Hollywood’s hallways.
And so, the tale concludes, drifting into memory with a ripple of regrets and triumphs that only late-night reruns can soothe.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, People Magazine
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
