Melrose Place star Amy Locane has opened up about her unceremonious exit from the hit show after just 13 episodes.

The disgraced actress, 53, who was released from her second prison stint in December, played Sandy Louise Harling in the show’s first season in 1992 – but abruptly left the cast afterwards amid rumors of tension and ‘diva’ behavior on set

Discussing the upcoming reboot of Melrose Place with veterans Heather Locklear, Laura Leighton and Daphne Zuniga, she said: ‘It would be very exciting to bring it back. 

‘Our show was an automatic season and they sort of made the decision that I didn’t fit what they were going for after the 12 episodes had already aired. The southern accent was weird for some people. They didn’t like it. And perhaps I was a little younger than the rest of the cast.

‘A lot of people liked Sandy, but maybe I was a little too campy.’

She added she would rejoin the show ‘in a heartbeat’ despite her abrupt exit.

Melrose Place star Amy Locane has opened up about her unceremonious exit from the hit show after just 13 episodes

Convicted of second degree vehicular homicide and ᴀssault by automobile, Locane was first incarcerated from 2013 to 2015 before she was locked up again from 2020 to 2024 after her first sentence was deemed too lenient; pictured February 2013

Locane served about six and a half years behind bars for a DWI car crash in 2020 that took a 60-year-old woman’s life and severely injured her husband.

Convicted of second degree vehicular homicide and ᴀssault by automobile, Locane was first incarcerated from 2013 to 2015 before she was locked up again from 2020 to 2024 after her first sentence was deemed too lenient.

Locane said she thinks about the crash and the woman she killed ‘every day’ and has a ‘lot of remorse’.

She said: ‘When I’m praying or when I do daily devotionals every morning, I just try to keep her in mind. And that acknowledgement makes me feel like I am aware of her and my day.

The actress — who is also known for starring opposite Johnny Depp in the 1990 musical comedy Cry-Baby — also shared the first thing she did after her mom picked her up from the prison in December 2024, just a few days before Christmas.

She revealed the day she was released, her mother immediately took her to get food. 

‘My mom picked me up, and we went to Dunkin’ Donuts,’ she recalled. 

‘When you’re inside [prison], you are so deprived. To have coffee with a real creamer is a huge treat.’ 

The disgraced actress, 53, played Sandy Louise Harling in the show’s first season in 1992 – but abruptly left the cast afterwards amid rumors of tension and ‘diva’ behavior on set; pictured from left to right: Courtney Thorne-Smith, Doug Savant, Vanessa Williams, Grant Show, Amy Locane, Thomas Calabro and Josie Bissett in 1993 Melrose Place portrait

Our show was an automatic season and they sort of made the decision that I didn’t fit what they were going for after the 12 episodes had already aired; pictured June 1994

They also went grocery shopping shortly after her release, and Locane expressed shock by how much had changed during the time she was behind bars. ‘I was like, “How do I do this self-scanning stuff?”‘ 

Read More Melrose Place stars Daphne Zuniga, Laura Leighton and Courtney Thorne-Smith look overjoyed as they have a mini-reunion at lunch

About her life now after prison, she admitted: ‘It feels very raw to be back in society. I’m looking at the word with fresh eyes.’ 

She served her time behind bars at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women located in Union Township, New Jersey. 

During her time there, she said she worked what is ‘considered a high-paying job’ and made five dollars a day. 

She detailed her day-to-day life for the past few years. ‘This bright, fluorescent light gets you up at 6 or 7 a.m. So I’d get up at 5 a.m. to have my alone time.’ 

Locane said she thinks about the crash and the woman she killed ‘every day’ and has a ‘lot of remorse’ 

She discussed her past, present and what she hopes for next in the future — including a possible return to acting — in an interview published on Wednesday. She has been sober since 2010 and lives a low-key life with her family in New Jersey, but she said she hopes to act again one day

The actress also shared the first thing she did after her mom picked her up from the prison in December 2024, just a few days before Christmas; pictured March 2005

Then, she recalled working in the kitchen each day of the week from noon to 6 p.m. — cooking and cleaning for $5 a day. 

‘It was intense manual labor, [but] I liked having some outlet, some form of exercise,’ she said.

Read More Melrose Place star Amy Locane loses bid to slash eight-year prison sentence after she killed woman, 60, and injured her husband when she was speeding and three times over the alcohol limit 

She has been sober since 2010 and lives a low-key life with her family in New Jersey, but she said she hopes to act again one day. 

She reflected on how leaving Hollywood behind in 2006 affected her life. ‘There was a void in my life because I had [acted] for so long,’ she said. 

About a possible return to acting, she said: ‘I would do it in a heartbeat.’ 

She also mentioned the upcoming Melrose Place reboot starring Heather Locklear, Laura Leighton and Daphne Zuniga. ‘It would be very exciting to bring it back.’ 

Nowadays, she said she is trying to mend her relationship with her daughters, Paige 18, and Avery, 16, after being physically separated for so long. 

She shares the two teenagers with liquor store owner Mark Bovenizer — whom she was married to from 2008 to 2015. 

Locane — who is known for starring opposite Johnny Depp in the 1990 musical comedy Cry-Baby — said she now lives outside of Princeton, New Jersey now and spends her time working front desk at a doctor’s office and attending church; pictured in 1990 still

She also mentioned the upcoming Melrose Place reboot starring Heather Locklear, Laura Leighton and Daphne Zuniga. ‘It would be very exciting to bring it back’; pictured in the bottom right of June 1995 cast portrait

She said she lives outside of Princeton, New Jersey now and spends her time working front desk at a doctor’s office and attending a local Presbyterian church. 

She also said she is working on getting her ᴀssociate degree, which she began pursuing during her second sentence. 

‘When I went away, I was getting good feedback from my professors. I learned I’m smart.’ 

‘I see me and my family growing old together,’ she said about her future. ‘I want to be married again. If I do meet a guy now, I don’t have to worry about [telling them], “Oh, by the way, I might have to go away for a little bit,” so that’ll be exciting.’