Left out. Lark Voorhies, best known for portraying Lisa Turtle on Saved by the Bell, is opening up about her struggles and how she felt when she heard about the new revival that she wasn’t part of.
“I have to admit I did feel a bit slighted and hurt when I was not invited to be part of the Saved by the Bell reunion as well as other cast members events, yet of course, I also realized that having this puzzling disorder may have played a major part in that factual decision,” Voorhies, 45, tells Dr. Oz in a sneak peek of the Wednesday, February 19, episode of The Dr. Oz Show. “With that in mind, I am truly thankful for having had the chance to work on a show that has been so successful.”
She also adds that when she sees photos of her former costars together, the Tennessee native feels multiple emotions, including “empowered” by their friendship.
“They have the right to do that and they’re happy in their element and they can have it, certainly,” the Reciprocity author says. When Dr. Oz, 59, asks if she would like to be included in their reunions, she admits she does: “Yes, family isn’t kept complete without its lead.”
Voorhies was part of the original cast of Disney Channel’s Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which aired for one season from 1988 to 1989. The retooling of the series, Saved by the Bell, was then picked up by NBC. Voorhies starred alongside Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Dustin Diamond, Dennis Haskins, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez. She also appeared in the two TV movies, Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style in 1992 and Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas in 1994.
New streaming service Peacock recently announced a sequel series, starring original-series cast members Berkley, Lopez and Gosselaar as well as new leads Josie Totah and Dexter Darden. In the series, Zach, now the governor of California, gets in trouble after closing low-income high schools and suggesting sending students to the highest-performing schools in the state — including Bayside High. The new students and mixing of cultures gives the overprivileged kids at Bayside a serious dose of reality.
The actress opened up about her appearance on The Dr. Oz Show and her struggles in an emotional Instagram post on Monday, February 17.
“I want thank everybody who has been so supportive throughout my journey these last several years. It was very hard to find the right way to talk about some of the challenges that I go through on a daily basis,” she wrote. “Please tune in this Wednesday to the Dr Oz show to learn about living with a mental disorder that many people do not understand. I am very grateful to Dr. Oz, Dr. Modir, my mother and all of you that have supported me and wished me well through some difficult times. I hope to bring more mental health awareness to help others going through the same challenges. Thank you for sharing your stories to me over the years of how strong you all have been too! I look forward to a brighter future and seeing the great things that can be accomplished!”
She also added the hashtags, “#strengh,” “#love,” “#life” and “#fightthestigmaofmentalillness.”
