ENTERTAINMENT'Saved by the Bell' Star Tiffani Thiessen Says 'Hundreds of Girls' Auditioned to Play Kelly Kapowski: 'I Was Terrible'
Tiffani Thiessen revealed on a podcast that she competed against over 400 actresses to land her breakout role as Kelly.
Oct. 8 2026, Published 7:55 a.m. ET
Tiffani Thiessen remembers facing a massive field of actresses when she auditioned for Saved by the Bell, the role that would make her a television star.
"I want to say from what I remember, I mean, in my mind, it looked like hundreds of girls, but I think there was like over 400 girls had auditioned for Kelly," Thiessen recalled.
The actress discussed her career during a September appearance on Barstool Sports' "Chicks in the Office" podcast with hosts Ria Ciuffo and Francesca Mariano.
The Role Was Highly Coveted
Tiffani Thiessen recalled a grueling, multi-stage audition process for the television role, admitting she performed poorly.
The casting phase stretched beyond a single audition, with Thiessen recalling several stages before the role was decided.
"That's kind of how the audition process was," she shared. "It was a long process. You had multiple auditions, chemistry reads."
"And it was my very first, like, real TV show job," shared the 52-year-old performer. "And I was terrible. I was terrible. I was so bad."
Chemistry Reads Followed Thiessen Beyond 'Saved by the Bell'
Tiffani Thiessen noted that even after widespread success, she still had to do chemistry reads for 'White Collar.'
The grueling process did not disappear once Thiessen became an established actress.
"I had that all the way up until even White Collar, I had to do a chemistry read, even though I had a lot of success below me," she recalled.
She specifically remembered the other actor involved in that test.
"But they still wanted a chemistry read with me and Tim DeKay," added the former Miss Junior America.
Her experience with some roles was notably less demanding. "It just depends on the project, like Alexa and Katie was an offer, which was lovely," she noted. "And I enjoyed doing that show so much."
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The Audition Process Changed With Self-Tapes and Zoom
Tiffani Thiessen observed that current casting processes have completely shifted, with many actors now submitting self-tapes or using Zoom.
Thiessen also reflected on how dramatically casting has changed since the early days of her career.
"But the audition process now you don't even, you don't even go in," she observed. "You put yourself on tape, or you Zoom with the director, right? That's all you get."
Thiessen Said She Misses the In-Person Casting Process
Tiffani Thiessen admitted she prefers traditional in-person auditions, noting most actors her age struggle with the shift to remote casting.
The contrast between her early auditions and today's process left the Beverly Hills, 90210 star nostalgic for the experience she once knew.
"I sadly miss it," she admitted. "Most people my age can't stand how it's changed."
She recalled having to repeatedly show up, audition and test her chemistry with other performers rather than handling much of the process remotely.
"Every, every opportunity has been very, very different," Thiessen reflected.
