Rob Estes Eyes a Melrose Place Return and Opens Up About His New Prime Video Comedy
Rob Estes is talking about his latest project — and leaving the door wide open for a return to the show that made him a household name. In a conversation with Entertainment Tonight for its "Then and Now" series, the actor discussed The Italians, the family comedy now streaming on Prime Video, and revealed he would happily sign on if the Melrose Place reboot that some of his former castmates are trying to get off the ground actually moves forward. Estes even joked that he'd fabricated a headline announcement of the reboot on the spot before confirming he is genuinely interested, saying the original show hit at exactly the right time and that he'd love to work with that crew again.
In The Italians, Estes plays Vincenzo, the old-school patriarch of an Italian-American family whose world is shaken when his son brings home a girlfriend — played by Abigail Breslin — who doesn't fit the family's traditions. Estes said he was drawn to Vincenzo because the character leads with his heart, and he admitted the role hits close to home: in his own house, he said, he's the softer counterweight to his wife, who has their household running on a tighter schedule. He told ET that he hopes audiences take away a simple message from the film — that people with different beliefs and backgrounds can still speak honestly and remain a community. The project reunites him with the kind of warm, ensemble comedy that has punctuated a career spanning Silk Stalkings, And Suddenly Susan and Gilmore Girls.
The reboot talk is notable because Estes has deep roots in Melrose Place. He first appeared in two episodes opposite his then-wife, Josie Bissett, before returning full time as chef Kyle McBride in season 5, after Aaron Spelling personally recruited him away from Silk Stalkings. While he acknowledged he never fully understood the show's cultural footprint while he was living it — the cast was grinding through 12- to 15-hour days — he now counts some of his favorite television moments from that era, including the legendary pool fights between Laura Leighton's Sydney and Bissett's Jane. Several former castmates are now working on a reboot effort, and Estes made clear he'd be in.
Estes was equally candid about what he'd tell his younger self during those hectic years: take it less seriously and hold onto the joy, something he admitted he lost for a while before finding it again. He also looked back with good humor on his pre-fame days, from training as a stuntman and breakdancing in the Flashdance era to bombing an audition for Steven Spielberg's The Goonies. Now 62 and living in Southern California with his wife, teacher and surfer Erin Bolt, and their son, Estes said meeting her helped him grow up — a piece of personal growth that seems to inform his warm portrayal of Vincenzo. For now, fans can catch The Italians on Prime Video, and keep an eye out for whether a certain Melrose Place chef makes his way back to West Hollywood.
