Elizabeth Berkley Wore 1 ‘Good Luck Charm’ to Every ‘Showgirls’ Audition (Exclusive)

Now that’s some showgirl magic!

Elizabeth Berkley Lauren reflected on her audition process before landing the role of Nomi Malone in the 1995 movie Showgirls three decades ago and revealed to PEOPLE exclusively the “good luck charm” that turned her dreams into a reality. 

Since its release, the cult classic has become known for its over-the-top, maximalist style — rhinestones, feathers and sequins galore — which very fittingly aligns with what Berkley deems her good luck charm: a Betsey Johnson dress.  

Specifically, Berkley wore a Betsey Johnson floral-print dress with a black slip underneath it (and black heels with ribbons tied around the ankles!) to “every subsequent callback and the final screen test throughout the Showgirls audition process,” she told PEOPLE exclusively. 

A longtime fan of the designer, Berkley — who recently teamed up with Johnson for a “magical” holiday campaign in celebration of Showgirls’ 30th anniversary — revealed her obsession with the fashion icon dates back to her teenage years, specifically her Saved by the Bell days in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.  

“When I was 15 turning 16, and I had first moved to California. My dreams were first coming true, and I was working on Saved by the Bell,” the actress, 53, shared of the hit sitcom, where she starred opposite Mario Lopez, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and the late Dustin Diamond. 

Her “dream” even before landing Saved by the Bell? “To wear as much Betsey Johnson as possible,” Berkley said. 

“I was entering a really pivotal time in my life as a young teen, I was suddenly starting to feel a certain amount of independence, I was following my dreams and they were starting to become a reality, really carving out my own path, cultivating my individuality,” explained the actress.  

“At that young age, we were really in high school when we were on Saved by the Bell, so when I was playing a 10th grader or 11th grader, I was going through that same rite of passage,” she said, adding, “At that age, I was so drawn to wear Betsey.”

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Berkley was drawn to everything the designer embodied: “Just the free-spirited nature, the design, the whimsical aspect, the colorful aspect.” 

“And her clothing connected me to a sense of empowerment synonymous with just all that I was going through and embracing that,” she continued. “So for me, in many ways, her clothes were my cape. Putting it on, I felt like a superhero in a certain way.” 

So when her audition for Showgirls presented itself, you could only imagine what Berkley was grabbing from her closet for a fearless performance. 

“Betsey was the best friend that was always there for me to really be able to connect to myself and to start to express myself, going from a teen and then into my 20s,” she said, noting that “when it came down to what I was going to wear,” it was “of course” Johnson. 

(Not to mention, the actress revealed she spent her “first few paychecks from Saved by the Bell at the Betsey Johnson store on Melrose.)  

“Betsey was my go-to uniform every day,” she reminisced. “It was perfect. I’m a dancer, and a lot of her clothes lend themselves to being able to feel good within movement and rehearsal.” 

The Betsey Johnson holiday campaign honoring the 30th anniversary of Showgirls with Berkley as the star is a “another beautiful full circle moment,” the actress said. 

Not only is it a reflection on the true showgirl that Berkley has become herself as the star that she is today, but her desire to wear the designer as a kid to collaborating with the icon in this celebratory capacity is just another example of how her “dreams” have turned into reality.