The late ’80s and early ’90s television stations were packing their line ups with teen sitcoms. Thanks to the rise of Nickelodeon, kids could look forward to sitcoms that were aimed towards them. The networks didn’t slouch on this either. They saw the market opportunity and pounced.
That’s why in 1989, NBC gave audiences Saved by the Bell. One of the breakout stars was Elizabeth Berkley in her role as Jessie Spano. After the show ended, she infamously appeared in the 1995 movie, Showgirls. It flopped. Hard. So whatever happened to Elizabeth Berkley after that?
The “Showgirls” Dilemma
To understand Berkley’s career, one has to know the difficulties of moving from teen star to leading actor. This transition is not easy for anyone to make. There are more stories of failure than there are successes. Back in the ’80s and ’90s it was even harder to make the jump from television to film. It’s easier today with how huge television productions have become. Back then, there was a VERY distinct difference between a television actor and a film actor. Berkley’s move into film was done in a big way. Enter Showgirls.
If there was anything that was going to break the image of being a teen starlet, this was going to be it. Showgirls was being directed by Paul Verhoeven. His previous work included movies like Total Recall and Robocop. It was the first NC-17 film to get a wide release. This was it! Or, it would have been, except that the film was ravaged by critics. Berkley’s performance was in the crosshairs.
Showgirls is an oddity because it doesn’t seem to understand what it wants to be. Verhoeven could be a very serious director but he often employed an undercurrent of satire in his works. Showgirls seemed to want to be serious but came across as ridiculous, but not in a satirical way. Berkley’s performance was no where close to serious but Verhoeven was not the kind of director to let a bad performance stand. She was giving to the role exactly what the director asked. This wasn’t a grace that Berkley was afforded at the time. it colored the perception of her acting abilities.
Post “Showgirls”
Her film career never recovered. She appeared in small films in the ’90s and ’00s like Tail Lights Fade and Meet Market. The higher profile films she was in only offered smaller parts. Like in The First Wives Club and Any Given Sunday. Most of her work was done in television guest roles. In the 2000’s she appeared in NYPD Blue, The Twilight Zone, CSI: Miami, and Without a Trace, amongst other network fare. In 2013 she was a a competitor on Dancing with the Stars. As the 2010’s moved into the current decade, she revisited the role of Jessie on the revival of Saved by the Bell. Most recently she was in the final season ofCobra Kai and had a guest spot on the Ryan Murphy series, All’s Fair.
Outside of acting, Berkley has consistently been an activist for animal rights and empowering young women. She seems like a legitimately solid and down to Earth person. You can debate the merits of her acting, and her performance in Showgirls remains divisive to this day. Still, Elizabeth Berkley is an icon to many a child of the ’80s and ’90s. The fact that she still pops up in various projects to this day is a testament to her eduring popularity.
