All of the main actors were dedicated to the show, but none more than Lark Voorhies. While Lisa Marie Turtle was the fashionista daddy’s-girl on-screen, her actress worked hard on the set, going so far as to miss her own – real – high school prom, and even her actual graduation. The character probably wouldn’t have wanted to miss her graduation – and definitely wouldn’t have wanted to miss prom.
This is often seen as an “opportunity cost” for a lot of young actors, who trade possible fame and fortune for what a lot of people would call a more normal life.
Dennis Haskins as Principal Richard Belding
Dennis Haskins's first acting role was on the pilot of Dukes of Hazzard, where he plays a handsy bar patron. He auditioned for the role of Richard Belding, which first appeared on Good Morning, Miss Bliss, seven times. When the show was retooled into "Saved by the Bell," he was the show's only regular adult cast member.
Haskins continued in the role on the spinoff "Saved by the Bell: The New Class" until 2000 – he even followed the cast to college! During the scenes taking place inside Principal Belding's office, he has a number of diplomas on his wall, including one for “Kung Fu.”
The Baby of the Cast
As previously mentioned, the late Dustin Diamond was only eleven years old when he was cast, making him the youngest member by three whole years. Producer Peter Engel had no idea he was so young when he cast Diamond. Thankfully, Diamond grew up pretty quickly, becoming one of the taller members of the cast to distract from his age.
It also aided his character – he was able to easily play a less-mature or socially-able character thanks to his youthful appearance. On the other side of the spectrum was Elizabeth Berkely, who was seventeen when her character was introduced and was able to legally drink when the high school show ended.
Party Hardly
With fame came the chance to have fun. The cast of Saved by the Bell took the opportunity to party, but they – or their parents, or the producers – made sure they never took things too far. These teens still snuck their way into adult clubs long before they were legal. Yet, even in those heady environments, they kept themselves pretty clean.
At least, that's what Mark-Paul relates: “At 16, going to adult clubs. But I didn't abuse it, and neither did my co-workers. I can't stress how good we tried to be.” It's good to hear some kids escaped Hollywood burn-out.
Her First Drink
The cast members had plenty of parties, but nothing too scandalous – leave that to Beverly Hills. In fact, Tiffani Thiessen didn't have her first drink until she was doing a press tour with Mark-Paul, across the pond in Paris. This was while the show was filming, so Thiessen would have been a teenager at the time, but the drinking age in France was lower.
“We ate crepes, and my first sip,” Thiessen related in an interview. Thiessen and Gosselaar dated for a little while, and Thiessen relates: “It felt at times like we were Barbie and Ken.”