Elizabeth Berkley Says ‘Saved by the Bell’ Wardrobe Was ‘Neutering’ for Her
Elizabeth Berkley might credit Saved by the Bell as her breakout role, and she enjoyed playing Jessie Spano enough to reprise the role in a now-defunct reboot. Still, she didn’t love everything about the job. Berkley recently appeared on a panel to discuss her time as a ’90s icon, and she revealed that she genuinely despised how she was forced to dress on the set of Saved by the Bell.
Elizabeth Berkley hated Jessie Spano’s wardrobe
Elizabeth Berkley and the cast of Saved by the Bell might have been sad to see the series end in 1993, but Berkley wasn’t sorry to leave Jessie Spano’s closet behind. In March, Berkley appeared with some of her former co-stars at 90s Con 2025 in Connecticut. At the event, Berkley revealed that she despised Jessie’s sense of style and felt the character’s wardrobe was “neutering” for her.
Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who portrayed Zack Morris in the beloved series, recalled just how much Berkley hated her character’s style and the style of the era. Berkley might have preferred a different look, but Jessie’s style didn’t misrepresent how teens dressed at the time.
Acid-wash jeans, bold prints and patterns, and oversized accessories characterized early 1990s style. While Jessie’s outfits weren’t as fashion-forward as Lisa Turtle’s, they fit for the time.
She even blames the wardrobe for a future career failure
It has been decades since Elizabeth Berkley’s portrayal of a straight-laced high school student with a bad sense of style. Still, she seems pretty bitter about it. In fact, she blames the character’s wardrobe for her most significant career misstep. Berkley quipped that it was “no wonder” she signed up to star in Showgirls after she was forced to dress frumpily as Jessie.
Showgirls is an NC-17 flick about exotic dancers. Berkley opted to star in the movie following the end of Saved by the Bell. The film, a flop in every regard back in the 1990s, negatively impacted Berkley’s career and altered her future. She has spoken about the experience and how she felt like a “pariah” following its release.
While the film was criticized for being poorly executed across the board, Berkley’s casting took the brunt of the blame. The role might have been too far in the other direction for fans who grew to know Berkley as the very straight-laced Jessie Spano. It made the entire movie a bit unbelievable.
Berkley told People she took the part because she wanted to “explore” as an artist. She’s been haunted by it ever since, telling the publication that she was especially upset that no one involved with the production spoke up for her.
