The Reason You Don't Hear About Elizabeth Berkley Anymore
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Early '90s sitcoms introduced us to a plethora of stars who would stay in pop culture history forever. Not only did '90s TV characters have the most iconic fashion, but they were hilarious, funky, and cool — in short, they were everything we wanted to be. Among them was feminist tour de force Jessie Spano from "Saved by the Bell," played by rising star Elizabeth Berkley. Fans resonated with Jessie so much that it was almost a surefire bet that Berkley would become one of the biggest stars of her generation. She had everything it took to make it big; a hit TV show under her belt, talent, and stunning good looks.
However, when Berkley decided to strike out on her own, she fell at the first hurdle. A turn in the now infamous cult classic "Showgirls" practically put her on the Hollywood blacklist, though it was meant to be her debut as a serious actress. That was just the tip of the iceberg, with Berkley having her name mentioned in a lawsuit against one of the entertainment industry's most prominent stars, and run-ins with critics doing nothing for Berkley's attempts to salvage her career.
What should have been a glittering career ended up dwindling to the point where Berkley has all but disappeared from the public eye over the past couple of decades. So, where is she now, what exactly happened that she couldn't recover from, and will fans see more of her in the future? Let's find out.
Elizabeth Berkley voluntarily left a hit TV show
For many actors, getting a part in a hit TV show is a total game-changer. Not only is it a steady income, but it's exposure. Tons of major stars got their big break on sitcoms or soap operas, such as George Clooney or Jennifer Aniston. Back in the early '90s, "Saved by the Bell" was one of the most popular teen shows out there, spawning movies and a strong following. Most of the show's stars stayed until the bitter end, but Elizabeth Berkley decided to voluntarily leave before the last round of episodes were filmed. Although she wasn't the only one, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen also exited at the same time, Berkley's reluctance to see out the project could have had an impact on her reputation.
After all, casting directors may not look favorably upon actors who perhaps aren't viewed as team players. While the circumstances around Berkley's exit had more to do with the show production (the series finale had already been filmed when the network ordered an additional 11 episodes, according to Screen Rant) executives might not have understood that. Regardless, Berkley thought she was on to bigger and better things, and was setting her sights on other projects that could see her get ahead.
Little did she know that her career progression when she landed the lead role in a movie wasn't going to be exactly as she had envisioned it.
Her first leading role as Nomi in Showgirls was a critical disaster
For any young actor in Hollywood, getting cast in a movie where it's your name in lights is the absolute dream. Getting a leading role is even better — but what happens if it's a total disaster? What fans may never have known about Elizabeth Berkley is just how excited she was to land the role of Nomi in 1995's "Showgirls." The raunchy movie, in which Berkley plays a stripper-turned-showgirl trying to make it big in Las Vegas, was directed by "Basic Instinct" visionary Paul Verhoeven. Considering how much press Sharon Stone got on the back of her explicit leg-crossing scene, Berkley had every reason to think she might be the next big thing. She even told Esquire of her hopes for merchandise sales based on the movie after its release: "'Showgirls' coloring books. 'Showgirls' lunch boxes. A 'Showgirls' breakfast cereal. 'Showgirls' soap on a rope."
Though her comments were tongue in cheek, Berkley's excitement for this stage in her career was palpable. Unfortunately for her, her step away from a kid-friendly sitcom to a sexy, lingerie-clad feature film didn't go down well. In fact, her performance in the movie was ripped to shreds by critics, who seemingly took their dislike of the movie out on Berkley.
When talking about the backlash in 2020 to People, the actress admitted, "[T]here was so much cruelty around it. I was bullied. And I didn't understand why I was being blamed."
Hollywood's dismissal of her was sexist
Every actor has to be prepared for the odd bad review, but "Saved by the Bell" star Elizabeth Berkley wasn't just told she was terrible in a movie and left to move on. Hollywood was particularly harsh when it came to her role in "Showgirls." Even though she was just a 22-year-old star trying to move her career along, Berkley was chewed up and spit out — so much so that her agent dropped her and the offers for subsequent work amounted to zero. While one could argue that Berkley still got paid for doing the job, her salary was a paltry $100,000 of the movie's whopping $40 million budget.
A source told the Los Angeles Times at the time that the failure of the feature wasn't Berkley's fault. "[The criticism] all smells kind of foul to me. She's been getting the blame for this movie and it's so unfair. She is innocent. Paul Verhoeven ... said, 'Be this way.'"
For his part, Verhoeven also believed that the vitriol surrounding Berkley at the time wasn't warranted. "I think she did exactly what we wanted and what we thought would be good. And apparently, we failed," he told the Los Angeles Times. None of the male actors, directors, or writers were lambasted in the same way Berkley was.
Interestingly, Berkley was scouted by multiple agents during the production of the caper ... but when the reviews came out, they blanked her.
In 1999, she was involved in a lawsuit with one of the world's biggest stars
Leonardo DiCaprio may have never gotten married, but that hasn't stopped him from playing the field. The "Killers of the Flower Moon" actor may be as famous for his dating life as he is for his acting chops, but it's not exactly a modern occurrence. DiCaprio has been eyeing up the ladies ever since he became a Hollywood sensation, and at one point in time, Elizabeth Berkley piqued his interest. A few years after the disaster that was "Showgirls," Berkley dated actor Roger Wilson. During an outing in 1998, Wilson was involved in a scuffle with DiCaprio and his friends.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the incident is said to have occurred after DiCaprio showed an interest in Berkley after meeting her at the premiere of his movie, "The Man in the Iron Mask." Even though Berkley turned down his advances and told DiCaprio she had a boyfriend, Wilson held a grudge, and when he ran into the actor and his friends a couple of days later, he told DiCaprio to back off.
Wilson alleged that the Oscar winner then ordered his pals to beat him up, causing him physical damage and forcing him to file a lawsuit. Even though the lawsuit was dismissed some years later, Berkley's involvement in agitating a star of DiCaprio's magnitude likely wouldn't have gone down well in Hollywood — and word travels fast. Did this further impact her already ailing career?
She moved away from the screen and tried her hand at theater ... but it didn't really work out
Though Elizabeth Berkley was still a relatively young actress, she wasn't making the waves that she perhaps thought she would. By the late '90s, she turned to theater, but if she thought she would have more luck onstage, she was mistaken. When she was cast alongside British comedian Eddie Izzard in Julian Barry's "Lenny", a biography about the late American comedian Lenny Bruce, Berkley's performance was a mere footnote for critics. In a review for the The Independent, critic Robert Butler focused on tearing the play to shreds and only mentioned the former sitcom star once: "We watch in disbelief as Izzard takes his wife Rusty (an impressive Elizabeth Berkley) back to meet his mum." Though he praised her, it wasn't the kind of review that gets producers knocking down your door.
A few years later in early 2004, Berkley landed another part in a Broadway production titled "Sly Fox." Sadly, a critic reduced her to a footnote again, although this time in a less flattering light. Frank Rizzo, reporting for Variety, stated: "Less successful are Rachel York as a prostitute who wants to marry Sly and Elizabeth Berkley as Truckle's virginal wife. Berkley mostly fails to mine the comic gold lining the script. (An absurdly funny reference to "chastity shoes" misses its mark.)"
It seemed like Berkley just couldn't win, whether in front of a camera or a live audience.
A run-in with a respected critic could've cost Elizabeth Berkley future jobs
There's an unspoken rule in theater that prevents actors from reaching out to critics to argue with them, no matter how unfair they feel the write-up is. It's uncommon practice for stars to reach out and express their disagreement. In fact, it's generally looked down upon. That said, Elizabeth Berkley reached her limit in 2004 when her performance in "Sly Fox" was blasted by Charles Isherwood in Variety. In an article for The New York Times, Isherwood explained that he received a call from Berkley after she read his review because the actress had more than one bone to pick with him.
Isherwood said that the star had seen him mention her in a separate article, where he referred to her as the actor from a movie "famed for its breathtaking awfulness." Though he doesn't mention the project by name, it's clear he's talking about "Showgirls." Berkley proceeded to tell him that she had been working hard at rehabilitating her career and no longer wanted to be linked to this project. "I hung up feeling guilty and chastened — emotions commonly supposed to be alien to critics," Isherwood remarked.
While he went on to praise Berkley for her approach and even her performance in another play, some in the industry may have felt Berkley crossed a line because "the symbolic wall separating critics from actors they write about is rarely breached quite so forthrightly," as Isherwood put it.
In 2011, Elizabeth Berkley tried her hand at a different career altogether
Our favorite celebrities swear by different books, but not all of them actually get around to writing one themselves. In 2011, Elizabeth Berkley decided it was time to take a step away from acting and try her hand at another creative medium — writing. Fans were understandably nervous given Berkley's brush with critics in the past, but this project turned out well for the former "Saved by the Bell" star. "Ask Elizabeth: Real Answers to Everything You Secretly Wanted to Ask About Love, Friends, Your Body ... and Life in General" was an interesting concept in more ways than one. Written specifically for teenage girls (Jessie Spano would be proud) Berkley compiled the diary-style book after spending a lot of time visiting high schools and putting on "girls only" workshops, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Talking to the publication, the actor-turned-author said the concept was born after "Saved by the Bell" reached a new audience through syndication, and girls began to get recognize her in public more frequently: "I'd be talking to five girls, and it would turn into 10, 20, and it would end up being this kind of organic, shared dialogue."
Berkley soon became aware of a gap in the market that she could step into, offering advice and helping young girls with their everyday struggles. By all accounts, the book was a critical hit and still has a great rating on Amazon.
She played odd parts for decades
After the intense backlash of "Showgirls," many actors might have decided to give up for good. Despite the shadow the role cast over many of her future endeavors, Elizabeth Berkley never gave up her passion for acting. She continued to try and crack the TV code for decades but didn't get a major starring role. Instead, she appeared in multiple guest spots on shows like "Without a Trace," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "CSI: Miami," and was even cast on "Melissa & Joey."
Though these turns may have paid the bills for a brief moment, Berkley has yet (at the time of writing) to reach her true potential and hasn't been cast in a movie role since 2011's Hallmark movie "Lucky Christmas." Considering her dedication to her craft and willingness to keep going back to it despite her setbacks, fans can't help but wonder if she'll ever get another break at cracking the next level of Hollywood, or if her window of opportunity has truly closed.
Throughout the whole of the 2010s, Berkley starred in just five projects, according to her IMDb page. Any gigging actor will tell you that this isn't an incredibly lucrative rate, but perhaps Berkley is making enough money from "Saved by the Bell" residuals that it isn't about that anymore. After all, she has enough going on in her private life to keep her occupied — more on that next!
In 2011, she became a mom
There are plenty of stars who chose their family over fame, and maybe Elizabeth Berkley falls into that category. After all, raising kids while having to go away to shoot a TV show or movie can be incredibly difficult for a multitude of reasons. Back in 2012, Elizabeth Berkley became a mom, welcoming a son, Sky Cole Lauren, with her husband, Greg Lauren. The couple got hitched back in 2003, but Lauren isn't exactly your average Joe. He's the nephew of fashion designer and icon Ralph Lauren, meaning Berkley married into a very famous dynasty.
While she was expecting, Berkley opened up about this new chapter of her life to People: "As an actress sometimes you get cast in a job and you have to just go. I like how this has been its own journey [and] there is time for what is the role of a lifetime." She finished up by saying the thing she was most looking forward to about becoming a parent was the love.
Since then, Berkley has largely kept herself and her family out of the spotlight, very occasionally sharing little snippets of Sky on social media, as pictured above when she took a reflective look back on her son's school years. While fans would like to see more of Berkley, it seems she's simply been happy to be there for her son as he navigates his childhood.
In 2020, Elizabeth Berkley returned to Saved by the Bell for the revival
Back in 2020, we took a nostalgic look back at what the cast of "Saved by the Bell" looks like today. At the time, news had broken that the hit teen show was coming back — and most of its major cast members were coming back with it. Fans finally got to see the gang get back together again, with Elizabeth Berkley joining the likes of Mario Lopez and Mark-Paul Gosselaar to reprise their roles. At the time, Berkley (who also acted as a producer for the Peacock project) told Collider that the timing of the show's release was fortuitous, explaining, "We all need some fun and joy right now, more than ever."
Berkley went on to say that her close friendships with her castmates helped the reboot feel natural. Despite '90s fans wanting the reboot to succeed, it wasn't destined for longevity and got canceled after just two seasons. After news of the axing broke, Gosselaar took to X, formerly Twitter, to express his sadness (via People): "So disappointed by this news. So many talented individuals in all departments creating something original from a reboot. Respect and admiration to everyone involved and thanks to the viewers."
Berkley didn't make a public statement, but given her close association with the project, it's not a stretch to assume she was just as devastated as her co-star — and once again, without a job.