Summary
- Elizabeth Berkley gained fame as Jessie Spano in Saved by the Bell, but she had many other roles in TV shows and films after the series ended.
- Berkley auditioned for the role of Kelly Kapowski but ended up playing Jessie Spano, which became her big break.
- After Saved by the Bell, Berkley pursued a film career and starred in Showgirls, which received negative reviews but ultimately shaped her career and led to more suitable roles.
Elizabeth Berkley is most known for her series regular role as Jessie Spano in the late 1980s and early 1990s sitcom Saved by the Bell. But the actress has had a variety of parts in other television shows and films since the series ended in 1993. Before she became an actress, Berkley was a model for Elite Model Management as a teenager. But her first acting role came in 1986 when she starred as "Girl #1" in an episode of Gimme a Break!, a sitcom on NBC. Berkley continued to receive guest roles in television shows before she landed her big break when she auditioned for Saved by the Bell.
The actress initially tried out for the role of Kelly Kapowski, but the part ultimately went to Tiffani-Amber Thiesse. Thankfully for Berkley, though, the producers loved her so much that they offered her the role of Jessie Spano, which they also altered to fit the actress better. Berkley went on to appear as Jessie, a member of the friend group in Saved by the Bell, for four seasons, 75 episodes, and two television movies — Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style and Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas. Following the comedy series' ending, Berkley pursued a movie career and has been busy ever since.
Elizabeth Berkley's Biggest Movies & Shows After Saved By The Bell
After the Saved by the Bell series finale and Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas, Elizabeth Berkley decided to take a break from television and started auditioning for films. At the age of 23, she landed the starring role of Nomi Malone/Polly Ann Costello in Paul Verhoeven's 1995 movie Showgirls. Even though Showgirls became a source of controversy following its premiere, Berkley continued to act in films like The First Wives Club, The Real Blonde, Random Encounter, Any Given Sunday, Woody Allen's The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, Roger Dodger, Women in Trouble, and more. Her most recent film credit is the Donnie Darko sequel, S. Darko, in 2009.
Even though she wanted to pursue a movie career, Berkley still appeared in a plethora of television shows (mostly as a guest star) following Saved by the Bell. Her television credits include NYPD Blue, The Twilight Zone, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Without a Trace, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, CSI: Miami, The L Word, Melissa & Joey, New Girl, and many more.
How Showgirls Affected Elizabeth Berkley's Career
Elizabeth Berkley's biggest role following her success as Jessie Spano in Saved by the Bell was Nomi Malone/Polly Ann Costello in Showgirls in 1995. The erotic drama thriller was rated NC-17 and revolved around Berkley's character, an aspiring showgirl in Las Vegas who works at a strip club while pursuing her dream. After the premiere of Showgirls, the film received negative reviews from numerous critics, who believed it exploited women and contained a boring story. As for Berkley's character, many found her annoying and were unable to sympathize with her. Additionally, audiences critiqued Berkley's performance as Nomi.
The 1995 movie was a box office bomb and highly controversial due to its nudity and graphic scenes. Even though Showgirls received a cult following years after its premiere, the controversy surrounding it affected Berkley and the roles she chose afterward. She parted from her talent agency and signed on with a new one, which helped her pick more suitable parts. During an interview with People in 2020, Berkley shared how starring in Showgirls changed her career. She said:
"It was a life moment, and I cannot help but say I would be a different person had I not gone through the depths of what it taught me ... Of course, it was disappointing that it didn't do well, but there was so much cruelty around it. I was bullied. And I didn't understand why I was being blamed. The job as an actor is to fulfill the vision of the director. And I did everything I was supposed to do ... It felt right to make [her career] more about the people I was working with and doing different kinds of roles to bring it back."
Saved By The Bell: Who Elizabeth Berkley Almost Played (Before Jessie Spano)
Before landing the part of Jessie Spano, actress Elizabeth Berkley auditioned for and almost got cast in another major Saved by the Bell role.
Elizabeth Berkley Returned To Saved By The Bell In 2020
Elizabeth Berkley reprised her iconic role as Jessie Spano in the Saved by the Bell revival on Peacock in 2020. She was a series regular, along with her former Saved by the Bell costar, Mario Lopez, who played A.C. Slater, Jessie's main love interest in the original series. Sometime after graduating from college, Jessie returned to Bayside High School and became the guidance counselor, and Slater was the football and wrestling coach at the school. Jessie's son, Jamie, who Jessie had with a man named Rene, attended Bayside High.
In the years between the 1989 series and the 2020 revival, Jessie received a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, wrote bestselling parenting books, and gave TED Talks. So, it's safe to say that Berkley's character was successful following the Saved by the Bell series finale. Unfortunately, Peacock canceled the revival in May 2022 after two seasons.
Source: People