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Tiffani Thiessen reflected on how far her former costar Belmont Cameli has come since they worked together on the Saved by the Bell revival.
“It’s interesting to see these kids growing up,” Thiessen, 52, exclusively told Us while promoting her Disney+ series Coven Academy. “I have my own experience of [watching kids] grow up with my own children at home.”
While Thiessen “didn’t work a lot” with Cameli, 28, she has been thrilled to see his overnight success with Off Campus, adding, “It’s pretty incredible. It’s not surprising at all, though.”
Saved by the Bell, which originally aired four seasons from 1989 to 1993, followed a group of teens played by Thiessen, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley, Dustin Diamond and Lark Voorhies as they navigated the ups and downs of high school. Over the years, the show was revisited through movie specials, spinoffs and a short-lived revival with Cameli playing Jessie’s (Berkley) son.
After helping usher in a new generation of talent, Thiessen — who reprised her role as Kelly on the revival — was glad she got another opportunity to do the same with Coven Academy.
“The cast that we have, generally, they are anywhere in age from 18 to 23. They’re all young adults and they’re wonderful,” she gushed. “First of all, I admire them and I admire their work ethic. I admire how wonderfully they’ve really taken this new relationship with each other and they really have connected.”
Thiessen tried to provide advice and assistance to her younger costars if needed. “They definitely come to me and ask questions. They’re also very open to me giving them advice,” she added. “So it’s a very open relationship on both sides, and I actually learn a lot from them, as well. Being that I do have a teenager at home, I’m always asking them and learning new words. I enjoy being around that young energy.”
Set in New Orleans, Coven Academy is focused on “a trio of teenage witches-in-training [who] are destined to protect their city against dangerous and ancient forces,” according to the official synopsis. In addition to Thiessen, the show stars Malina Pauli Weissman, Malachi Barton, Louis Thresher, Jordan Leftwich and Ora Duplass.
“It’s just the progression of my career. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to do a couple of these shows that tend to be a little more YA-based,” Thiessen explained. “It’s exciting. It kind of feels great because I feel like I’m in that space with my own children. I have a tween and a teen. Also, these young adults that I’m working with keep me young.”
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Thiessen was also excited to take on a more supernatural role.
“The span of my long career had me in a lot of different roles in my life. I’ve been doing this for over 40 years. But I’ve never played a witch — not once,” she noted. “I actually did play [the] voice of a witch for a Disney Channel cartoon for a little bit, but it was a little role. This is like where I really get to become, like, an actual witch. It was kind of a bucket list moment where I was like, ‘I’ve not played this type of role yet.’”
She continued: “And I am a definite Halloween person. It is probably one of my most favorite holidays. I would say Christmas still is probably my top, but Halloween is a really close second, and so we are a family that always loves to dress up. We’ve always been a very big Halloween household.”
Coven Academy premieres on Freeform Thursday, October 1, at 8 p.m. ET and will be available to stream on the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.
