Key Points
Tiffani Thiessen shared that she was one of three actresses who made it to the final round of auditions for a James Bond film.
Thiessen said the rejection was “one of the hardest” she has ever faced.
She said the experience made her question her acting career.
Tiffani Thiessen was almost a Bond girl.
The 52-year-old shared that she made it to the final round of auditions for an undisclosed James Bond film. She said she was one of three actresses who made it to the end of the process, but she ultimately fell short. She described the rejection as “one of the hardest” she has faced in her career.
“I was very close to being a Bond girl,” she shared on the Tuesday episode of I’ve Never Said This Before With Tommy DiDario. “It was super, super hard because I also was a huge James Bond fan.”
Thiessen shared that the moment put her at a crossroads with her career. She recalls taking a trip to the beach after losing the role and contemplating how she wanted to approach her future.
“That was a really big moment in my life, a very hard sort of rejection that I had,” she said. “I remember questioning my career after that. Like, do I keep going and do I really want to do this? Can I handle rejection like that? I put everything into it.”
Luckily, the Saved by the Bell alum did not give up her acting career and viewed the experience as a “teachable moment.” She pushed forward and has continued to act, most recently appearing in the upcoming supernatural teen drama Coven Academy. She encouraged those facing rejection to “find the joy” in their craft.
“I think the drive that I had for it just goes to show you that I still wanted to continue doing it,” she said. “Like I loved the drive. I loved the opportunity. And so I never gave up. And I still enjoy it to this day.”
Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Tiffani Thiessen on ‘Saved by the Bell’
Credit: Courtesy Everett
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Thiessen, whose breakout role was as Kelly Kapowski on Saved by the Bell, shared that she wouldn’t be opposed to a role in any future James Bond films.
“Maybe if they’re looking for an older lady,” she said. “You never know.”
Watch the full episode of I’ve Never Said This Before With Tommy DiDario featuring Tiffani Thiessen below.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly