Heather Locklear found Tom Cruise's kindness too much for her 'rock and roll' era
Heather Locklear gave Tom Cruise a chance at the start of their careers, but his good manners didn't align with her "rock and roll" persona.
Over the weekend, Locklear was on the panel at 90s Con Florida and discussed a time when she and Cruise auditioned for the same film.
"We both did an audition for the film together — the two of us — and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I'm terrible,’" Locklear said, per People. She then joked, "'He's even worse!’"
Heather Locklear and Tom Cruise went on one date at the beginning of their careers. (Getty Images)
"So at that time he was just like this little baby boy that I feel like I was a little bit older, and he ended up coming over to my house with Sean Penn," the actress continued. "And they were just nice, but he was very, ‘yes ma'am’ to me, and I was like, ‘okay, sir.’"
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After initially meeting, Locklear felt Cruise's lifestyle wouldn't align with hers. Still, she decided to go on a date with the rising star.
Heather Locklear said Tom Cruise "didn't quite cut it" prior to their date. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
"He didn't quite cut it," Locklear shared. "We went out dancing to Club Lingerie at that time, and — and I've said this before — I mean, he was really cute."
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Locklear explained that she was one of the first people to see Cruise's famous dance move, where he slides to the ground on his knees, that was debuted in "Risky Business."
"He actually did that before [the movie], and I was dancing along like, ‘Do you stop dancing if they're down there?’" she said, referencing Cruise sliding on the ground. "I was like, ‘Yay!’ But he was very nice to me."
Tom Cruise and Heather Locklear in 1981. (Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images)
Locklear added, referring to their audition, "Neither of us got that part by the way."
Locklear went on to marry rocker Tommy Lee in 1986, but the couple divorced in 1993. She married her second husband, Richie Sambora, the following year. Richie and Heather split in 2007.
Cruise has been married three times. He wed his first wife, Mimi Rogers, in 1987 before divorcing in 1990. Cruise was married to Nicole Kidman for 11 years and then wed Katie Holmes in 2006. The couple split in 2012.
Heather Locklear and Tommy Lee were married from 1986 through 1993. (Ron Galella Collection)
As for her career, in 1992, Locklear joined "Melrose Place" which spanned seven seasons. In April, it was announced that a reboot was planned 30 years after the original show first aired.
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"Melrose Place" was created as a spin-off series of the iconic, "Beverly Hills, 90210." The show followed a group of people living in an apartment complex in West Hollywood, California.
Heather Locklear rose to fame on "Melrose Place." (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Locklear made her first guest appearance on the show as Amanda Woodward in Season 1. She served as a guest star on the remainder of the seasons.
Locklear took a break from acting and came back on the scene for the Lifetime biopic "Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: The Kristine Carlson Story" after a five-year hiatus. The project was released in 2021.
"I thought, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to work again,’" she told People at the time. "I don’t know if there’s going to be any offers. And then this came to me."
Janelle Ash is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
