Warning: The following contains spoilers fromSaved by the Bell’s entire second season.
Jessie immediately recalls the couple of months she spent in Las Vegas after college.
In recent years, however, the movie has been reevaluated and transformed into a cult favorite.
Elizabeth Berkley Lauren as Jessie Spano on Peacock’s ‘Saved by the Bell’.Peacock
DespiteShowgirls’complicated legacy, Berkley Lauren had no qualms about revisiting it onSaved by the Bell.
“It’s been embraced in such incredible ways that it has its own legacy.
That’s why right now is a really great time to have some fun with it.”
Elizabeth Berkley Lauren as Jessie Spano on Peacock’s ‘Saved by the Bell’.Peacock
In fact,Saved by the Bell’s homage doesn’t end with that one offhand reference.
“Different places,” Jessie responds, quoting one of Nomi’s most memorable lines.
This entire interaction leaves her friends wondering what happened exactly in Vegas?
Elizabeth Berkley Lauren as Jessie Spano on Peacock’s ‘Saved by the Bell’.Evans Vestal Ward/Peacock
“I shot this on my birthday, July 28,” Berkley Lauren recalls.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How was theShowgirlshomage initially pitched to you?
ELIZABETH BERKLEY LAUREN:[Tracey Wigfield] is an unbelievably collaborative showrunner and strong leader and woman.
But at the same time, she is extremely sensitive to all of us cast members.
She will often take a temperature check to see how does this feel creatively, personally, artistically.
She came to me and said, “Listen, we’ve tossed something around this season.
We have this concept.
We want to see how you feel about it.
If you obviously don’t want to do it, we’ll just kill it right here.”
Or what it meant to me.
Or where I stand with it, at this point in my life and career.
And my willingness with comedy, in general, is to go for it.
From the get-go, it was an invitation to collaborate in a beautiful way.
Because I really wanted to use this as a way to celebrate the two roles that I’ve played.
There are a million Easter eggs embedded in this new re-imagining ofSaved By the Bell.
Of course, in this moment, I could not let theShowgirlsfans down.
What Easter eggs and nods did you suggest?
First of all, the outfit had to be just right, just the physicality.
We start the season off where Jessie herself is in the middle of a life crisis and a divorce.
Her life is a bit of a mess.
She’s trying to find a sense of self again.
And so that, that is what birthed this moment.
Where would she find that fierceness?
Let’s say her Sasha Fierce, in a way.
Nomi is Jessie’s Sasha Fierce.
What other genius could come up with that?
Because you could do a skit onSNL, which would be really funny, like a send-up almost.
But this was such an interesting way to really bring them together.
The first way to do it was the physicality.
There are so many iconic looks to Nomi that we just said, “You know what?
And it’s an iconic look.
We ended up going with that tiger stripe, bustier, and cowboy hat.
The makeup and the hair were also really evoked the movie, too.
Again, we weren’t looking to just make a suggestion of it.
It’s like, if we’re going to go for it, we’re going for it.
It was really important to show the juxtaposition of those two.
You mentioned that you and Tracey have never discussed your feelings about the movie.
How do you feel about it at this point in your career?
You don’t get to experience that often.
That full-circle moment with it.
For me, the relationship to it is joyful.
Given this full-circle moment, do you view this as like your final statement on the movie?
No, no, no, no, it wasn’t anything like that.
No, it’s just a part of the moment that I recognized as special.
And really getting to use my sense of humor and owning the moment.
And celebrating the way in which we got there, this whole team.
Did you and Belmont Cameli discuss that moment beforehand?
You know what, Belmont and I didn’t discuss that part.
We had so many other wonderful scenes together that we [talked about].
But we had a laugh about it for sure.
He, of course, is aware of the now famous, “I’m so excited” moment.
I think he was excited to do it.
He’s so game for anything comedic.
He’s so talented.
And we had some great joy about it.
The season ends with Jessie and Slater making out in the parking lot.
How did you feel about that development?
Look, this is 30 years in the making.
Mario and I, it’s funny, we’re really super close friends.
He’ll say it’s like a brother-sister relationship.
We definitely had some giggles along the way.
And I love, for us personally, the scenes and things that we got to do this season.
They brought a certain depth to [their relationship].
It’s a single-camera comedy and there’s a certain tone to it all.
We’re very protective of the grown-up versions.
And I love that season 1, they were back in the same workplace and reconnecting in life.
I really love how the writers allowed it to play out, too.
Just really, you got to see some vulnerable aspects to Slater and, obviously, Jessie as well.
But using comedy, which is always the great healer.
Saved by the Bellseason 2 is available to stream on Peacock.
