When Elizabeth Berkley went from Saved By The Bell to Showgirls, it was meant to be her big leap. Instead, it ended up being a bit of a tumble with much derision being thrown at the NC-17 film from Paul Verhoeven. According to Entertainment Weekly, the film ended up being a sore subject for Berkley and the proof was in its “absence” from her book, Ask Elizabeth:
In so many words, sort of. In a section discussing bullies, Berkley does address the extreme criticism she received following the release of what was supposed to be her star-making movie. Though it is obvious what film she’s referring to, she never names it, leaving me to believe there is somewhat of a Lord Voldemort-type situation in the Berkley household.
Luckily that has changed, according to the folks over at Defamer. Berkley attended the first public screening of Showgirls in 20 years as part of Cinespia’s outdoor film screening at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It’s almost like John Waters wet dream of some sort, and Berkley embraced the entire experience, speaking to the crowd and calling the screening a “full circle moment”:
Such a special full circle moment tonight at a very special screening for 4,000 #showgirls fans!#hollywoodforever When it first came out years ago, the sweetness of a premiere eluded me since it had been met with such disdain and controversy. Amazing how life works in mysterious ways. Thank you for the love you showed me tonight…I’m #grateful it has served you as your guilty pleasure and as your anthem to go after your dreams. Thank you for writing a new chapter to this story….
It’s a nice moment and Berkley’s speech was captured by some in attendance. You can tell it’s pretty genuine and it reminds me of watching Best Worst Movie about Troll 2 and seeing how the folks who were involved in that film react and embraced to the cult status it has achieved.
She even shared a few clips herself, particularly the famous “Versayce” scene. Who doesn’t love a positive spin on an odd cinematic moment?
(Via Defamer / Entertainment Weekly / Elizabeth Berkley)
