I just happened to see Elizabeth Berkley on TV 3x this week and remembered how promising her career looked at one point. One of the movies I caught was The Real Blonde, which I love, another one was Any Given Sunday, and the last one was a Hallmark Christmas movie of some kind.
I might be the minority here but I think that her doing Showgirls was such a good and ballsy move. It gave her an edge and proved she had drive. I've always liked the movie and I think she's excellent in it. The thing is, her character was extremely unlikable. That, added to the blatant (yet appropriate) vulgarity of the movie, didn't earn her the respect she deserved for making it.
Some indie directors seem to have taken a liking in her either way and she was in a bunch of interesting movies shortly after Showgirls (usually as part of an ensemble cast). She worked with Woody Allen, Stone, etc. Some actors can be forgettable in average movies and really shine in the hands of good directors and I beleive she's one of them. She has charisma and seems open to playing very different characters.
I guess being blacklisted by major movie studios ultimately took a toll on her career and she had to go back to focusing on TV. She kept a really good attitude about the whole Showgirls backlash though. I wish we'd see more of her on the big screen.
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