Elizabeth Berkley: Then
Elizabeth Berkley also auditioned for the role of Kelly Kapowski, but she was instead cast as Jessie Spano, the overachieving class president who served as an inspiration for young girls with her philosophy of female empowerment, and whose unlikely relationship with Slater was a font of odd couple entertainment. Berkley was absent from several Season 4 episodes, as well as “The College Years,” since Jessie attended Columbia instead of Cal U like many of her Bayside friends, but she did return for the “Wedding in Las Vegas” series finale special.