Leah Remini Had ‘Such a Great Time’ Recalling ‘Chemistry’ With ‘Saved by the Bell’ Co-Star

Leah Remini had “such a great time” reuniting with Saved by the Bell star Mark-Paul Gosselaar when she appeared on his podcast about the beloved series. Gosselaar, who played Zack Morris on the original 1989-1993 show, recalled having “undeniable chemistry” with Remini. During Season 3, Remini played Stacey Carosi, Zack’s boss at the Malibu Sands Beach.

“I do remember you coming on the show and knowing your work, and knowing you. We had never met but I knew your presence. Like, ‘Oh Leah, she’s this fierce person from Brooklyn,’” Gosselaar, 47, told Remini, 51, during the latest episode of his Zack to the Future podcast. He was also intimidated by Remini, who is older than him. The nerves soon disappeared though, and the two stars even shared “real kisses” during their six episodes together.

“There is an undeniable chemistry between you and I,” Gosselaar said, reports Entertainment Tonight. “Those are real kisses because Tiffani [Thiessen] and I never had a kiss like we have on these six episodes. There’s not a single person that Zack comes into contact with, in my opinion, that has the chemistry that you and I had.” Gosselaar noted that the Saved by the Bell audience was really excited by the relationship too, even though Zack’s relationship with Tiffani Thiessen’s Kelly Kapowski was central to the show.

Remini agreed that they had great chemistry because they liked each other, although they never dated off-set. “We got along, we laughed, we had a good time. I don’t know if you remember that, but there was never any weirdness between us,” the former Kevin Can Wait star said. She also had fond memories of working on Saved by the Bell, even though she was a bit concerned about how she would compare to Thiessen.

“I was petrified,” Remini recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh, I’m not going to be this kid’s type. Is he going to be disappointed that they cast me? Tiffani-Amber Thiessen is so gorgeous.’ She was like the Little Mermaid to me. And I was just in awe of her face. In awe of her face! Every day showing up, I was like, ‘Agh! She’s a little mermaid. She’s a little mermaid.’ I felt like a fat-a— cow there. I just felt old and not pretty. Every time I put that skirt on, I was like, ‘Oh my God. I look so dorky.’ I was intimidated by you guys.”

Gosselaar recently returned to the role of Zack Morris in Peacock’s Saved by the Bell revival series. Zack is now the governor of California and his son, Mac Morris (Michell Hoog) is a main character on the show. Thiessen also returned as Kelly, who is still married to Zack. Thiessen and Gosselaar appeared in the first, seventh, and tenth episodes of the first season. Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez also star in the new Saved by the Bell, reprising their original roles. The show has already been renewed for a 10-episode second season.