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 Place podcast.
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 wasnât as comfortable that he was playing someone who was gay."
"I wanted, in an effort to show that [Savantâs 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, âThatâs not in the script, weâre not doing that.â 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 characterâs 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, heâs 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.
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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.
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