Amy Locane opened up about life after prison in a rare interview this week.
Nearly four months after her release, the Melrose Place star, 53, spoke up about how her second stint in prison changed her life and what she is doing now.
She discussed her past, present and what she hopes for next in the future — including a possible return to acting — in an Us Weekly interview published on Wednesday.
The actress — who is 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 had served a combined 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 assault 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.
Amy Locane opened up about life after prison in a rare interview this week
Nearly four months after her release, the Melrose Place star, 53, spoke up about how her second stint in prison changed her life and what she is doing now; 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
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.’
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?”‘
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.’
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.
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 had 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; pictured June 1994
Convicted of second degree vehicular homicide and assault 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
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 associate 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.’
In addition to re-entering society, she said she continues to face the pain she caused her loved ones and the family of the woman who died.
‘To this day, I have a lot of remorse. It’s a very, very, very heavy reality to live with,’ she said. ‘Every day when I’m praying, doing daily devotionals, I try to keep her in mind.’
She later added: ‘I don’t think something that shaped you and your world so much could be something that you don’t think about. They were hard lessons, but they say [lessons] have to be hard in order for you to grow. I can’t let this define me.’
