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Elizabeth Berkley has been on tour with “Showgirls<\/a>” to commemorate its 30th anniversary \u2014 but 30 years ago there was nothing to celebrate.<\/p>\n As the former “Saved by the Bell” star told the Hollywood Reporter<\/a> in an interview published Monday, the reception to the 1995 film was so brutal<\/a> that she was unable to land any acting jobs in the aftermath.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/b> Commentary: With ‘All’s Fair,’ Ryan Murphy gives us the ultimate Trump-era TV show<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cFor a good two years, I wasn\u2019t allowed to audition for things,\u201d Berkley said. \u201cThe hardest part was being literally locked out of something I loved so much.\u201d<\/p>\n This meant the actor had to fight her way back into Hollywood’s good graces \u2014 and she has. One of her most recent roles is a guest spot on the star-studded (but similarly panned) campy legal drama “All’s Fair<\/a>.”<\/p>\n Directed by Paul Verhoeven from a script by his \u201cBasic Instinct<\/a>\u201d collaborator Joe Eszterhas, “Showgirls” was Berkley’s first starring film role as well as her first big project after her time on the teen TV breakout “Saved by the Bell.” But the movie was mired in controversy, from its NC-17 rating<\/a> to the hostile reviews<\/a> and cratering at the box office.<\/p>\n “I took a beating, guys,” Berkley reportedly<\/a> said during a fan Q&A before a recent screening. “It was not fun for a little while. I’m not going to lie. It was painful. I was isolated. I felt abandoned by the very people I collaborated with.”<\/p>\n The Times reported in 1995<\/a> that Berkley was “unfairly” taking most of the heat for how “Showgirls” was received, noting at the time that she had been dropped by her agent and had yet to line up her next job.<\/p>\n Read more:<\/b> Ex-\u2018Smallville’ star Allison Mack details her time in ‘sex cult’: ‘I was … abusive’<\/a><\/p>\n The latest Hollywood Reporter interview recounts how at the time Berkley was left to fend for herself on the film’s press tour and that preparation involved publicists showing her clips of reviews that insulted her looks and acting ability.<\/p>\n “A lot of things went on that wouldn\u2019t be allowed now \u2014 someone could not be pummeled to that degree,\u201d Berkley said to the outlet. \u201cI couldn\u2019t understand how people could be so cruel, but I\u2019m tough. I had to separate out what they said from what I believed to be true.\u201d<\/p>\n “Showgirls,” of course, has since been reevaluated and embraced by audiences and academics, elevating it beyond even its cult status. It’s a redemption arc that Berkley especially deserves to celebrate.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had some obstacles,” she said, “but I\u2019ve never given up.\u201d<\/p>\n