10 Actors Who Tried To Play Against Type (And Failed)
1. Elizabeth Berkley - Showgirls
At present, Saved By The Bell is but an ironic blip in the fast-moving tides of pop-culture, so it is hard to put context into just how sensational the casting of Elizabeth Berkely in a stripper movie initially was.
Berkely played the studious, impossibly straight-edged student Jesse Spano in the popular 90s kid's show. Then with her landing the lead, in a new raunchy blockbuster by the Basic Instinct duo, it was a casting against-type move that sent ripples across Hollywood.
Unfortunately, Berkely utterly failed as a lead actress...sure, she could pull some impressive strip movies but had about as much acting depth as a shallow pond.
Ironically though, Showgirls has become a tongue-in-cheek camp classic and much of that earned status is helped by Berkeley's dumpster fire performance. A role that goes for broke, but goes up in flames.