An Interview with Jessica Lucas (Riley, 'Melrose Place')

October 2009

One of my favorite series back in the '90s was the original Melrose Place, so imagine my excitement when I learned that the CW was bringing back one of my guiltiest pleasures of all time. The new Melrose Place has been deliciously scandalous -- everything I expected and hoped for in this spin-off series.

In every great drama series there must be that goodhearted, innocent character that balances out those vipers and Riley Richmond fits that description perfectly. As the resident sweetheart, Riley is the perfect friend, tenant, co-worker and fiancé. I had the opportunity to chat with Riley's alter ego, the equally lovely Jessica Lucas, who filled me in on how she got the role, where her character is headed in the coming months and what it’s like working with Heather Locklear...

Q: How did the role of Riley come to you?

Jessica: "I had done 4 episodes of 90210, and the CW was aware of me, so they asked me to audition. I came in and talked with Todd and Darren (executive producers) about what their compass for the character was for the show. I did a chemistry read, which they put on tape and sent to the network. That was it -- I had a very easy audition process."

Q: Did you watch the original show?

Jessica: "I didn't. I was too young. I did watch a few episodes after I got the role. That was an interesting thing because Todd and Darren told me the show was going to be very gritty and edgy and grounded in reality, so when I watched the original, it was very soapy and over the top. It was funny to see the difference."

Q: How would you best describe your character?

Jessica: "I would say that Riley is caring, compassionate, innocent and naive. She's a schoolteacher who recently came to L.A. with her fiancé and is trying to navigate her way through this crazy world she's been thrown into. They (Riley and Jonah) have a lot of integrity and moral fiber. They're kind of the show's grounding center, but I think they're going to be the ones most affected by all the things that are happening and getting pulled apart more and more as the series goes on. You're going to see them trying to work through their issues."

Q: We have yet to see any flashbacks of Riley and Sydney, do they share a troubled past?

Jessica: "I don't think so. I think Jonah and Riley probably only knew Sydney as their landlord. I can't imagine Jonah and Riley being friends or having any kind of interaction with her."

Q: You got to film scenes with former Melrose Place star Daphne Zuniga, was she excited to be back on the show?

Jessica: "Yeah, she was really excited. She told us funny stories about the first show and how they had such horrible ratings and then Heather came on and everything changed. She's a very cool, hip person, very honest and frank -- she's great."

Q: Are any of the old sets being used?

Jessica: "No. The courtyard is the only thing that is sort of similar to the original. When the old cast members come on, they're like, 'oh my god, this takes me back to the original.'"

Q: Have you filmed any scenes with Heather Locklear yet?

Jessica: "Yes, we shot a big group scene in the courtyard and she's been in the tail end of scenes I've been in. I've hung out with her on set -- she's great! She's the sweetest woman, so down to earth and cool. She was really nervous to come on the show, which is really funny because we were nervous to work with her. She's very happy to be on the show."

Q: What's ahead for Riley?

Jessica: "The next episode is a big turning point for Riley. She goes out to do her photo shoot for the denim line and she gets pushed into doing something she's not comfortable doing and ends up being humiliated. It's the first time we see her really standing up for herself. And then simultaneously, Jonah finds out about the kiss between her and Auggie. That causes a huge rift in their relationship, so the coming episodes are going to be about them coming back from that and whether they are going to stay together or not."

Q: Will we see a triangle between Riley, Auggie and Jonah?

Jessica: "Yes. Actually, it's a quadrangle because we've got Ella in there too. She's (Ella) going to play a big part in the coming episodes with Riley and Jonah being torn apart."

Q: There's a big murder coming to Melrose, do you know when it'll air?

Jessica: "We're shooting it now, so it'll probably be the first or second week of December."

Q: You've guest starred on several other TV shows, do you have a favorite?

Jessica: "I think my favorite was CSI, I remember being so nervous and I worked mainly with Jorja Fox. She was so welcoming to me and really took me under her wing. I learned so much from being on that show and working with those actors."

Q: If you could have played any role in TV or movie history, who would it be?

Jessica: "My two favorite shows to this day are Friends and Seinfeld, so probably Rachel on Friends and Elaine from Seinfeld."

Q: Anything to say to the fans?

Jessica: "Thanks for supporting us and watching us. Keep watching because it gets juicier and better. The characters gets much richer and more developed -- there's only good things ahead."