Elizabeth Berkley Wasn’t Allowed to Audition for Two Years After Showgirls Bombed

Showgirls was supposed to be Elizabeth Berkley’s big movie break. Thirty years ago, the 21-year-old actress was set to move from small-screen success in the hit TV series Saved by the Bell to a new Paul Verhoeven joint that promised to explore the seedy side of Las Vegas. Having already struck box office gold with RoboCop, Total Recall, and Basic Instinct, Berkley found herself in the enviable position of being the lead in the Dutch director’s latest outing.

Unfortunately, Showgirls absolutely bombed. Met with harsh critical reviews and outright derision that largely focused on her performance, the movie quickly earned a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most spectacular turkeys. Though it would later find a devoted cult audience and be labeled a camp classic, its failure had major professional consequences for Berkley at the time.

In a new interview with THR, Berkley says the industry responded to the Showgirls fallout by shutting doors: agents dropped her and projects evaporated. “For a good two years, I wasn’t allowed to audition for things,” she admitted.

“A lot of things went on that wouldn’t be allowed now — someone could not be pummeled to that degree,” she said. “I couldn’t understand how people could be so cruel, but I’m tough. I had to separate out what they said from what I believed to be true.”

The years have been kind to Showgirls, though, and Berkley seems to have fully embraced its gradual but steady rise in popularity, embarking on a 30th-anniversary tour of the movie. 15 years after her last movie role, she’s also forging her way back on her own terms. After a clutch of notable TV appearances and a part in Max Minghella’s black comedy Shell, she’s starring in Ryan Murphy’s new legal drama series, All’s Fair. “[Murphy] has a gift for seeing what someone is actually capable of; maybe they haven’t been given the chance, but he can see beyond that,” Berkley observed.

All wasn’t fair when it came to the Showgirls blame game. Berkley certainly didn’t make the movie by herself and didn’t deserve to be treated so poorly after its release. Hopefully, she’s proven that setbacks can always lead to comebacks.