Jessie before Nomi! Elizabeth Berkley poked fun of her risque 1995 film Showgirls while posting a much more squeaky-clean scene from her Saved by the Bell days via Instagram on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
“Perhaps this was the moment that pushed it over the edge and led me to do #showgirls?!” the 42-year-old quipped. “#life #oy #whatareyougonnado #gottalaugh cc: my love @tathiessen.”
The throwback photo showed Jessie Spano (Berkley), Lisa Turtle (Lark Voorhies), and Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Thiessen) appearing to get ready for a cheerleading competition. The high school BFFs donned tea-length maroon and white skirts and collar tops with “B” lettering for Bayside High — and white sneakers and socks to boot!
The walk down memory lane (friends forever!), as Berkley suggested, is a far cry from her Showgirls stint. Two years after saying goodbye to Bayside, the actress traded in her scrunchies and mom jeans for, well, nothing. Her portrayal as a Vegas stripper earned Berkley brutal backlash from critics, but she’s clearly moved on from it all. In fact, she laughed about the camp classic during the epic Saved by the Bell reunion on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon on Feb. 4.
After Berkley recreated her famous “I’m so excited!” quote, Mark-Paul Gosselaar (as Zack Morris) referred to Showgirls while chatting with Fallon. “Jimmy going on a date with Nicole Kidman? It’s like Jessie becoming a stripper!” he said. (Last month, Fallon was shocked to learn that he once unknowingly went on a date with Kidman.)
Berkley’s remained great friends with her Saved by the Bell costars, and has since posted several photos from the must-see reunion. “No matter how much time goes by, this connection is lasting…you can’t #fake magic,” she captioned an Instagram pic of Mario Lopez, who played her TV boyfriend A.C. Slater.
“Life can have ups and downs, but I love that this childhood memory made you guys smile — grateful for everyone’s support and joy,” she added. “It’s the best feeling to connect on something meant for nothing but FUN.”
