'Melrose Place' stars agreed to 'no tongue' rule in kissing scenes after 'tough' real-life breakup
"Melrose Place" stars Courtney Thorne-Smith and Andrew Shue revealed that they had a "no tongue" rule for kissing scenes after they broke up in real-life.
"Melrose Place" stars Andrew Shue and Courtney Thorne-Smith recalled how they navigated their on-screen kissing scenes in the iconic '90s show after their real-life breakup.
The 56-year-old actor and the 58-year-old's characters had an on-and-off romance throughout several seasons of the FOX prime time soap opera. Shue and Thorne-Smith started dating in real life shortly after they began filming the first season of the series in 1992, but later broke up.
During a Monday appearance on the "Still The Place" podcast, Shue and Thorne-Smith reflected on how they continued to play characters who were in a relationship after their split.
"It was shockingly not weird," Thorne-Smith said.
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"We handled it well," Shue said. "I remember there was a little bit — a little bit of time where it was tough."
After the two parted ways in real-life, Thorne-Smith recalled that she had a conversation with Shue to establish boundaries for their characters' love scenes.
"Do you remember me having to talk with you because the characters were still dating and you and I weren't dating?" the "Ally McBeal" alum said. "So we'd been broken up for two months and then we had to kiss. You remember me saying, 'OK, now we're professionals, no tongue, you know?'"
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"Because we were dating before we were dating on the show, then we were dating on the show after we broke up in real life," Thorne-Smith continued. "But you and I segued into friendship really well. I don't remember a lot of tension."
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Shue agreed with his former co-star and explained that the two supported each other when they suddenly skyrocketed to fame after "Melrose Place" became one of the highest-rated shows on FOX.
"Yeah, our relationship, we helped carry each other through a very intense time," Shue said. "The show got a lot of attention. I know you had already been fairly well known, but we were dealing with a lot of, we'll call it Fox celebrity craziness."
"And I remember just feeling safe knowing we were together guiding each other through it," "The Rainmaker" star added.
Shue was married to floral designer Jennifer Hageney, with whom he shares three sons, from 1994 to 2008. In 2010, the actor married "Good Morning America" co-anchor Amy Robach. The former couple separated in August 2022 after Robach reportedly had been having an affair with her "GMA" co-anchor T.J. Holmes.
Shue and Robach's divorce was finalized in March 2023. Holmes and his wife Marilee Fiebeg also reportedly separated in August 2022, and they finalized their divorce in October 2023.
Robach and Holmes went public with their romance in November 2022. Shue and Fiebig leaned on each other following their respective splits, and they started dating in December 2023.
Meanwhile, Thorne-Smith married geneticist Andrew Conrad in 2000, but they split a year later. The actress and author Roger Fishman, who share a son Jacob, 16, tied the knot in January 2007.