Tiffani Thiessen is back in the halls of a teen drama. This time, however, she’s not playing the role of the student everyone wants to take out – she’s running the school.
More than 35 years after becoming a defining face of ’90s television as Kelly Kapowski in Saved by the bell – and later shedding her good-girl image as Valerie Malone in Beverly Hills, 90210 — Thiessen plays Miss Graves, the fearsome and glamorous headmistress of a Disney magical school. Coven Academy. The show premieres October 1 on Freeform (streaming on Disney+ and Hulu the following day).
The role places Thiessen, 52, on the other side of the teenage experience in more ways than one. Having grown up in front of the camera herself, she’s now the veteran on a set full of young stars, including Disney heartthrob Malachi Barton, who are navigating their way to fame in the age of social media. At home, she raises two children, including a teenager who recently watched every episode of Saved by the Bell before formulating this criticism: “I don’t think this series would hold up today.” (Harper, 16, softened the shock: “But you were cute, Mom.”)
Thiessen was once touted as television’s all-American sweetheart, an image that drew intense attention to her appearance. She posed for magazines like FHM at a time when, as she recently joked on Instagram, she “thought a bra was a top.” Although she acknowledges that young actresses today are celebrated more for their “complete package” — including their intelligence, wit and humor — Thiessen doesn’t look back on these shoots with regret.
“I felt extremely confident,” she told Yahoo. “It was a body that was given to me, and I cherished it and took care of it.” The discrepancy, she explains, was between the way she looked at these images and the way others interpreted them.
Now in her fifties, Thiessen is learning to replace scrutiny with appreciation.
“I think I was hard on my body,” she says of her younger years. “I’ve really tried to accept it, but I think we’re always our own worst critics. Today, I give myself a lot more grace.”
This grace means celebrating all that she is still capable of – and the fact that she was able to have two children. She also accepts the laugh lines, physical changes, and occasional pains that come with aging. “That’s part of it,” she said. “That means I live.”
In the latest Yahoo Without any excuse In this conversation, Thiessen reflects on returning to teen television, navigating the “bombshell” era on his own terms, and learning about grace.
What has Coven Academy offered you that you hadn’t had the opportunity to do before?
I’ve never had the opportunity to do something very magical and mystical like this. I never got the chance to play a real witch. So it’s definitely an unmissable moment.
You know what it’s like to become famous playing a teenager. Did this experience make you feel particularly protective or connected to this young cast?
Yeah, sure. For some of them, it’s sort of their first big break. We have a few actors for whom this is really new. I can definitely see their eyes and minds turning to what this is actually going to be like, and I can give them a little preview.
But it’s still very different. I’ve been doing this for over 40 years, and being popular on a TV show 40 years ago is a lot different than being popular on a TV show right now, navigating social media and all those things that I’ve never had to navigate.
But these kids have this. They really have a good head on their shoulders. We have two veterans in this space with Malachi and Malina (Weissman). It’s a really tight cast. We got together very quickly; there were a lot of late nights.
When you’re shooting away from home — especially for Devon (Sawa, another ’90s teen icon on the show) and me, because we were away from our families and our kids — you really lean on each other. These kids have been great keeping us older guys in their young group.
We interviewed Malachi for our Generation Now series. He and Malina are truly rising stars. What qualities do you see in them that make you think, “You’ve got this”?
They have it. It really is.
Malachi is extremely close to his family. Same with Malina. Their families were often able to be on set with us, and it reminded me of how I was with my parents. My parents were very involved when I was young. They knew I needed that structure, and you can tell they have the same thing.
But they’re professional and they’re really, really grateful for where they are. I love that these kids are grounded in this idea. This is also how I was when I was a child. My parents always told me, “This could all disappear.” If it’s something you really want to do, don’t take it for granted. Truly cherish every moment and be there.
They really do. They make this trip and have unforgettable moments.
You mentioned how different it is to become famous today compared to when you first started. I recently spoke with Elisha Cuthbert about the sex symbol labels placed on young actresses in the ’90s and early ’90s. She said she’s glad that this generation doesn’t seem to handle the situation the same way. Do you agree?
I agree. I think it’s a little different. They’re looked at as a whole, right? For all of that: their brains, their wit, their humor – all those things. These girls definitely have it. It’s nice to see that things have changed a little.
I think the pressure is still there, that’s for sure. I think it will always be that way when you’re in front of the camera. But I guess I could use the word “healthier.” I think it’s a little healthier now than it was 40 years ago for me.
You recently reposted an FHM photoshoot on Instagram and joked, “That’s when I thought a bra was a top.” How do you view this attention now?
Yeah, that’s very true. It’s so funny. Here’s the thing: I celebrate my body, my brain, all that. I was never ashamed or embarrassed about doing these things.
I think it was more how others perceived it, not how I perceived it. I guess that was the difference.
How did you perceive it at the time?
I felt confident. I felt extremely confident. It was a body that was given to me, and I cherished it and took care of it. These are the things I looked at. That’s how I saw it.
I still look at things the same way as I get older, and I’m over 50 now. I embrace the body that still allows me to do all the things I love to do and has been able to give me and my husband two children. These are the things I celebrate. It’s just different now.
You talked about aging naturally. Why is this important to you?
I think it’s really about celebrating the different stages of your life in a healthy way. I have a teenage daughter, of course – not that it doesn’t happen the same way with my son – but I show that I approach each stage in the healthiest way possible, while being honest about it.
I have a hip problem and I have some aches and pains. Things look a little different and they feel a little different, but that’s okay. That’s part of it. That means I live. Laugh lines are acceptable. They are really acceptable.
Everyone is talking about health and wellness. What does this mean to you?
Really, I try not to sit still. My grandmother always told me, “If you sit too long, that’s when you get old.” » So I move all the time.
It’s been over 35 years since audiences met Kelly Kapowski, and people still have as much affection for her. What do you think about this character and “Saved by the Bell” that has endured through the generations?
I think it’s the show in general. Granted, I know my character has been described as America’s sweetheart, and I totally understand that. But I think it was the show itself.
We were the first live action show on Saturday morning, when most of our competition was animation. Our audience was geared towards teenagers who didn’t want to watch cartoons on Saturday mornings. There really wasn’t anything to watch that felt like it was for them.
I think that’s what really made the show popular. That’s what really blew us away. Then it became something else, of course, with our globalization and our popularity with teen magazines and all that sort of thing.
Almost a year ago, I went to the Backstreet Boys concert at the Sphere in Vegas. It took me back to that whole era and I got to see them. I hadn’t seen them in years. We kind of grew up in the same time period.
It’s funny when you get back there and it feels like it was yesterday. But at the same time, you look and you’re like, “But look what I’ve done since then.” » That’s pretty cool.
Have your kids watched “Saved by the Bell”?
My daughter watched the show (around) the start of COVID. She watched every episode and went through all the different specials. I glanced over every now and then as she looked at him.
She looked at me and said, “You know, I don’t think this show would hold up today.” It was his honest review. “But you were cute, Mom.”
I love his honest comments. Has she ever watched “Beverly Hills, 90210”?
She tried to do 90210. The things she watches now are much faster. It moves much faster. She tried to watch the beginning of 90210before I even started season 5, and it was too slow for her. She said to me, “When is something going to happen?” I’m like, “Look. Try.”
Now that you’re the school principal in “Coven Academy,” has that loop element made the role particularly fun?
That really made it very, very fun. This is probably my third young adult show that I’ve done in the last 10 or 15 years. It’s funny, I really like working with the youngest people. It keeps me young, that’s for sure.
I love their energy and enthusiasm. It’s really kind of an open door to learning on both sides. I know they look to me a lot just for my experience, where I’ve been, how it went for me and where I am now in my life. At the same time, I’m looking…
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