The Untold Truth Of Elizabeth Berkley

Elizabeth Berkley remains a pivotal part of 1990s pop culture for two very different reasons. First, she played Jessie Spano, the slightly neurotic student, on/off girlfriend of Mario Lopez's A.C. Slater, and one-sixth of the Bayside High gang that made "Saved by the Bell" must-watch TV for a generation of Saturday morning viewers. Secondly, and far more notoriously, she bared all as stripper Nomi Malone in Paul Verhoeven's multiple Razzie-winning 1995 box office disaster, "Showgirls."

So how does the Michigan native now feel about the enduring teen sitcom that propelled her to fame? How does she now feel about the much-maligned erotic drama that propelled her to infamy? And what has she been up to since the decade that she helped to define came to an end? From dance floor meet cutes and acting near-misses to castmate hook-ups and celebrity mentors, here's a look at the Hollywood survivor's untold truth.

Loyalty and Hollywood often appear to be mutually exclusive terms. Just ask Elizabeth Berkley, who just weeks after "Showgirls" hit screens to scathing reviews and dismal box office figures was unceremoniously dropped by her agency.

The Michigan native had only just made the move from Metropolitan Talent Agency to Creative Artists Agency after bagging the part of Nomi Malone. But the latter firm wasted little time in distancing themselves from the flop, with an industry insider telling the Los Angeles Times that they and other agents immediately stopped taking Berkley's calls.

Her former agent, Mike Menchel, told the same newspaper that the split came about simply because they "didn't see eye to eye on the style and type of representation." Luckily, she was soon signed once again with United Talent Agency. "Showgirls" scriptwriter Joe Eszterhas was almost as relieved, telling Variety, "Elizabeth shouldn't be blamed for this. She was hostage to my characters and lines of dialogue and the performance that Paul [Verhoeven] elicited from her."

From her early beginnings in the world of ballet to her stint on TV's most famous ballroom competition, dancing has always been a major part of Elizabeth Berkley's life. In fact, it even inadvertently sparked a meet-cute with her future husband.

Yes, at the turn of the century, the "Saved by the Bell" favorite decided to attend a dance class with a pal for nothing more than moral support. But the actor got more than she bargained for when she fell head over heels for another attendee, Greg — nephew of fashion icon Ralph — Lauren.

In 2003, the two movers walked down the aisle at a Mexican ceremony, in which the art of dancing once again played a pivotal role. Not only did the newlyweds show off their skills in various choreographed routines, including one to "Grease" classic "You're the One That I Want." They also provided salsa lessons for any guests who wanted to impress on the dance floor, too. "Some people wore tuxedos with colored flip flops," Lauren told InStyle about the relaxed dress code. "It was very cool." Berkley concurred, adding, "Our joy came from making it personal. By the end it truly felt like we were all family."

Elizabeth Berkley did receive plenty of awards attention for her infamous performance as Nomi Malone in "Showgirls." Unfortunately, it was of the Razzie variety. Indeed, the "Saved by the Bell" alum picked up the worst actress award at the 1995 ceremony as well as worst new star. To add insult to injury, she was nominated for worst actress of the century and worst new star of the decade four years later, too.

Before Paul Verhoeven's cult classic hit cinemas, Berkley's mother believed that her daughter would soon be gracing the film industry's most prestigious night of the year instead. While attending a screening of the film in 2024 at the Academy Museum's David Geffen Theater in LA, the actor revealed that her mom, gift basket business owner Jere Berkley, had asked her agent whether an Oscar nod was just around the corner.

"Every girl in Hollywood had fought for this role," Berkley told the crowd in a bid to rationalize her mom's question (via The Hollywood Reporter). "So it was not a strange thing to ask." Proving that she now has a sense of humor about the whole debacle, the star then added, "So tonight I'd like to thank the Academy ... Museum."

What do Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, and Elizabeth Berkley all have in common? Well, according to reports, they all very nearly landed parts in one of the most bonkers sci-fi films of 1997, Luc Besson's "The Fifth Element."

Speaking to Movieline in 1998, Berkley revealed that she auditioned for Leeloo, the flame-haired humanoid who forms an unlikely bond with Bruce Willis' taxi driver. Sadly, for the "Saved by the Bell" graduate, the French director decided to cast Milla Jovovich instead. But Berkley revealed that she was especially grateful for the opportunity after her career became radioactive post-"Showgirls." "I got very close to getting cast on 'The Fifth Element,' and Luc Besson couldn't have been more supportive," she remembered.

"The Fifth Element" isn't the only genre pic that Berkley came agonizingly close to appearing in. She also tried out for the part of aquaphobe Rennie Wickham in 1989's "Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan." But director Rob Hedden went with another newcomer, future "Home Improvement" regular Jensen Daggett, instead.

So not everyone was swept up by the Leo-mania that followed in the wake of "Titanic." Shortly after James Cameron's blockbuster made the actor Hollywood's new golden boy, Leonardo DiCaprio found himself at the center of a lawsuit involving Elizabeth Berkley and her then-boyfriend.

In 2000, screenwriter Roger Wilson alleged that the future Oscar winner and serial dater of women half his age had goaded his pals to attack him in front of an eatery in the Upper East Side of Manhattan in 1998. It all stemmed from when Wilson had reportedly confronted DiCaprio about the repeated phone calls he made to his then-girlfriend, Berkley, with DiCaprio allegedly telling his friends to beat him up. According to reports, the superstar had first started pursuing the "Saved by the Bell" alum after they were introduced at the premiere of "The Man in the Iron Mask."

Wilson, who appeared in two instalments of the "Porky's" franchise, wanted $45 million as compensation for the alleged assault, which reportedly damaged both his larynx and subsequent musical theater prospects. But in 2003, Judge Paula Omansky dismissed his case. The judge did, however, agree that proceedings could continue against Todd Healy, a friend of DiCaprio's who claims he punched Wilson as a self-defense tactic after fearing that he was about to brandish a weapon.

Dustin Diamond famously burned his bridges with his old "Saved by the Bell" castmates in 2009 when he published a tell-all biography that didn't exactly paint them in the most flattering light. But during a 2020 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," Elizabeth Berkley revealed that she had already lost touch with her troubled former co-star long before all the trash talk.

"Honestly, I think since we finished the show is the last time I actually spoke to him," Berkley told host Andy Cohen, referring to the Saturday morning favorite which wrapped up way back in 1993. The "Showgirls" star was keen to point out, however, that she had no animosity toward the man best-known for playing curly-haired dweeb Screech Powers: "But not because of anything bad. I mean, he was always nice to me. And he's had his journey."

Berkley also had nothing but kind words to say following Diamond's tragic death from cancer in 2021. Discussing the "Saved by the Bell" reboot's tribute to her late co-star, the Michigan native told Yahoo! Entertainment, "It was tender and really moving to be in the Max, just the five of us. You could feel that something was obviously missing from this perfect puzzle, but it was definitely a way to honor Dustin and the legacy of his craft in creating such an iconic character that no one else could have done."

Elizabeth Berkley's role in "Showgirls" may have resulted in two Razzie Awards, a universal slating from the world's film critics, and essentially a complete derailment of her once-promising acting career. But the star doesn't regret signing up to Paul Verhoeven's oft-misunderstood box office bomb.

"I truly believe that everything we walk through and go through is a lesson," Berkley told Variety when asked about the reaction to her performance as Nomi Malone. "Was it difficult and did it hurt? Yes. I became more discerning about my choices and wanted to feel safe again. I had to open those doors back up myself."

Contrary to various reports, Berkley has never been afraid to talk about her "Showgirls" experience. "Maybe certain journalists or press wanted to create their own narrative around it, but that's not my narrative," she told Vanity Fair in 2021. Even in the "Saved by the Bell" reboot, Berkley wasn't afraid to poke fun at and reference the infamous role by doing Nomi's famous hand moves and wearing Versace ("ver-sayce") boots as a grown-up Jessie Spano. "We were trying to decide, like, how far do we go?" she added. "And we all decided if we're doing this, let's go for it. Let's be bold."

Imagine a world where Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Elizabeth Berkley didn't play good pals on Saturday morning television, but boyfriend and girlfriend. Well, that alternative reality very nearly happened back in the late 1980s. On two occasions, in fact.

Before landing the iconic role of straight-A student Jessie Spano in "Saved by the Bell," Berkley auditioned to play Zack Morris' love interest in its flop predecessor "Good Morning, Miss Bliss." But producers believed that by towering over Gosselaar, she was too tall for the role and decided to look elsewhere.

Tiffani Thiessen also lost out on the same part, but the rejection proved to be a blessing in disguise for both parties. Alongside future "Beverly Hills, 90210" star Jennie Garth, the pair would also go on to audition for the role of cheerleader Kelly Kapowski in its far more successful reboot. Thiessen, of course, was successful second time around. But NBC bosses were so impressed with Berkley that they retooled the character of Jessie specifically for her and the rest is history.

Elizabeth Berkley might not have locked lips with Mark-Paul Gosselaar on screen, but it has been unveiled that the two "Saved by the Bell" co-stars were romantically linked when the cameras stopped rolling. Indeed, in 2019, more than 25 years after the teen sitcom wrapped up, the man behind Zack Morris revealed that he once dated the woman behind Jessie Spano. But it's unlikely that the latter would have been particularly flattered by his reasoning.

"When you're working on a set, and we were young, there's no one around really," Gosselaar explained to "Mom" star Anna Faris on her podcast, "Unqualified." "I mean, you work and live in a bubble ... You're in LA, right. You're in your cars and you come to set and you do your work and you're with these beautiful women and then you go back in your car ... and you're not going to school." Just to hammer home the point that his relationship with Berkley was born out of convenience more than anything else, the actor added, "So you don't have a lot of choices."

Of course, Berkley wasn't the only "Saved by the Bell" castmate that Gosselaar dated during its four-season run. In 2009, he told People that he also went out with Tiffani Thiessen (aka cheerleader Kelly Kapowski) and Lark Voorhies (fashionista Lisa Turtle). "All of us dated at one point or another — it was incestuous," he added.

If you've ever wondered what aspiring dancer Nomi Malone is up to 30 years after she first began pole dancing and pushing rival dancers down the stairs, then sadly you'll have to keep wondering. The woman who played her has absolutely no interest in returning to the scene of this particular cinematic crime.

Yes, Elizabeth Berkley may now have come to terms with all the baggage of the 1995 erotic camp-fest, "Showgirls," even celebrating its rise to cult classic status at various screenings. But when asked by Out in 2011 about the possibility of a sequel, the "Saved by the Bell" alum made her feelings crystal clear about the subject.

"No, because to do 'Showgirls 2' would not make sense for a whole lot of reasons. You can't mess with what 'Showgirls' is. Why would you even try?" Berkley did reveal, however, that she'd be up for a "Saturday Night Live" parody to prove that she can laugh at herself: "I'm willing to be self-deprecating and send up my own image where I think a lot of people are really afraid to do that. I have a few roles in pop culture that would be fun to send up. Let's start a campaign."

It's not hard to see why Elizabeth Berkley felt a little underserved by the "Saved by the Bell" costume department. While co-stars Tiffani Thiessen and the slightly more reclusive Lark Voorhies got to wear all kinds of cute and glamorous outfits as Bayside High's resident head cheerleader and fashion queen, respectively, she had to traipse its halls looking like a dowdy middle-aged mom.

This was the early '90s, of course, when characters with more than a few brain cells weren't allowed to be stylish as well. And several decades later, Berkley was still feeling a little envious of her former castmates' wardrobe. While appearing on Bethenny Frankel's eponymous talk show in 2017, the actor bemoaned the fact that Jessie Spano was given short sartorial shrift.

"I didn't like it because I felt like as a young woman, just because you are a feminist, why can't you also dress in things that make you feel girly and empowered," Berkley told the host (via Us Weekly) before noting the contrast between herself and a regularly bikini-clad Thiessen. "They used to put me in a one piece. I'm sorry, but at 16 you don't want to be the girl in the one piece with baggy shorts."

After being subjected to a tirade of abuse for her performance of Nomi Malone in the much-maligned, "Showgirls," Elizabeth Berkley was understandably feeling a little fragile when she appeared on set for her next big movie project. Luckily, she had a member of Hollywood royalty to help give her some much-needed reassurance.

In 1996, Berkley bagged the role of aspiring teenage actor Phoebe LaVelle in "The First Wives Club," the big screen comedy starring Bette Midler, Diane Keaton, and Goldie Hawn. Sensing that she needed a pick-me-up, it was the latter — also a close friend of Princess Diana – who took the "Saved by the Bell" graduate under her wing during the filming process.

In a 2003 interview to promote indie film "Rodger Dodger," Berkley told BBC Movies how grateful she was for Hawn's kindness: "She told me, 'I don't like the way you were directed in that movie ['Showgirls'], but there's something there that you can't deny. So you just keep doing what you're doing and someone will get it, and someone will show the real you, and not just some idea of you.'"

In 2012, Elizabeth Berkley became a first-time mother when she and husband Greg Lauren welcomed son Sky into the world. But as a working parent, the actor had to get on the treadmill again pretty quickly, and within a year, she was strutting her stuff on the 17th season of "Dancing with the Stars." Since then, she's guested on "New Girl" and "Melissa and Joey," reprised her role as Jessie Spano on the "Saved by the Bell" reboot, and appeared alongside Kate Hudson in the horror flick, "Shell."

Speaking to Scary Mommy in 2021, Berkley admitted that, although she's proud of her strong work ethic, she still regularly deals with the issue of mom guilt. "It comes with the territory, right?" she related. "In our culture from a young age, we are taught to be good at so many things, we are taught that we must achieve. It's part of the culture. We then expect more of ourselves and it's so hard. We all have to work to earn a living."

Berkley went on to reveal that she has one particular coping mechanism: the idea that the joy that sparks from her career will also carry over into her home life. She also believes Sky, who often joins his mom on set, will benefit from having such a strong role model: "And I do hope that we get to inspire kids by them seeing that when parents work, we're able to then provide this or provide that."