Elizabeth Berkley on “Showgirls” Criticism (1996)

I thought it was smart you were doing like a TV show all right and nobody really thought of you from movies or knew of you stuff didn't think you as an adult even by being in Show Girls whether it was a good movie or a bad movie everybody was talking about you that's true and you know and for all the criticism at the time like here we are a year later and they still talk about it and you probably thought they hated it so much and what did they say show girls and Elizabeth bur you have total name recogn and I thought at the time I said man it was a Paul verhoven movie who's like a real well-known director and RoboCop right didn't he do RoboCop recall I mean so to not have taken that type of opportunity you got to be nuts I find it remarkable that he didn't get blamed for the movie you did I find that remarkable well considering I didn't write it or direct it or produce it you know but you see like there were some good actors in that movie but anyone who's in a bad movie you think they can act and unfortunately it's not like let's say I had 10 other movies that you could compare and say oh she's that and that that and that so people thought oh she's that character but the bottom line is everybody knows the name Elizabeth Berkeley now sometimes you wonder with you know all that Talent going for it and you know that kind of reputation on the director and everything did it looked that it was going to be that bad in the midst of filming while you were shooting did you think it was this is the weirdest thing there was no indication until literally the day before really I'm telling you I went to the can film festival I what you say what about like when in dailies people going hey this is great no they were so inspired and loving it and the actual process of making the film was amazing I mean there was this this whole kind of thing that was developing as far as the heat on the movie and there was just no indication until I think it was like it was the day before it was released and then the reviews came out and and I went yeah that's the best way I can describe when I went you can't be good in a bad movie well and the thing is you know what look you you have to take risks I mean smart I was one of the things is you know you take risks and with that comes sometimes a beating when you were getting blamed for that movie I didn't blame you for that movie you were in the movie big deal I blame the director the guy who wrote the script it's nobody's fault they did did the best they could I'm sure no they didn't so anyway but you did you were a young actress wanting to make it and you got your own starring vehicle yes which I mean in it in it of itself was pretty amazing especially after the show you know I had made a decision okay I don't want to do television anymore and I had audition it took like almost three years it was it was tough there for a while so when you went to audition for First Wives Club they like oh you can't be in the movies you were in the show Girls well I think the hardest thing is you know people have a lot of preconceived notions so they think I'm going to be one specific thing when in fact I'm not KNN as one specific you know so I am but I'm very shallow go ahead

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