We all remember that rousing "Shoot your dreams!" pep talk Mr. Belding used to hype up the Bayside basketball team for the big game (you know, right before he hit Zack's knee with the locker room door and knocked the lad out of the game?) but it turns out, the real-life man behind the iconic persona has just as much to say about young people's pursuit of personal fulfillment.
In a Lecture Series presentation entitled, "An Evening With Dennis Haskins," the man most of us know from the popular '90s teen sitcom "Saved by the Bell" talked about living for your dreams, taking risks - and Screech.
Co-hosted by Tufts sophomore and Lecture Series Co-Chair Ben Moskowitz, the presentation began with an informal interview, wherein Haskins led Moskowitz through the story of that part of his life before Zack, Kelly and the gang.
This story began in Haskins' hometown of Chattanooga, Tenn., where the soon-to-be-Mr.-B had his eyes set on a different role from the one he would play years later.
"I had two dreams in my life, two things I really wanted to do: I ate, drank, slept basketball," Haskins said. "The acting thing was kind of there, too, but basketball was really what I wanted to do."
Haskins soon learned that he didn't have what it took to go pro, and his interests turned elsewhere.
He dabbled in local and school theater, concert promoted and road-managed Greg Allman's act until the Allman Brothers band reunited.
From there, Haskins scored several smaller parts on television shows like "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "Magnum, P.I."
Of his experiences, Haskins said, "There isn't just one break, you guys; it is connect-the-dots: One thing leads to another thing, leads to another thing, and eventually, it all adds up in some form."
Haskins prided himself on being commander of his own destiny and advocated that each audience member strive to do the same.
Haskins credits his self-motivation with getting him the role as Mr. Belding, a role that was initially intended for a "50-year-old black man," Haskins said.
As it turns out, Haskins had a whole lot more to share about the behind-the-scenes action of "Saved by the Bell," much of which came out in the question and answer session later in the program:
First of all, yes, Mark-Paul Gosselaar did date all of his female co-stars.
And, no, Elizabeth Berkley did not think "Showgirls" (1995) was a good career move - in fact, she said the backlash she received from that was akin to "having the schoolyard bully putting his foot on her throat and not letting up," Haskins said.
The so-called "Tory shows" (wherein Leanna Creel inexplicably replaced Tiffani-Amber Thiessen and Berkley for 10 episodes in the gangs' final year at Bayside) were the result of Thiessen and Berkley's desire to pursue other televisioin pilots when "SBTB" producers wanted to schedule extra filming to push their show's episode total over the magic 100 mark.
And as for the most recent "SBTB" alum scandal to hit the blogosphere, no, Haskins hasn't seen Screech's sex tape.
In fact, though Haskins hasn't worked with Dustin Diamond in years, he says "it's still hard" to see his friend go through a rough patch like this.
The program was not entirely discussion-based, however, as six students were selected to participate in a battle of "SBTB"-related trivia.
The contest winner was junior Andrew Drucker who cinched the first-place spot on the question, "What was Zack's Indian name?" (Correct answer: Running Zack.)
Haskins seemed to enjoy the evening as well. Of his visit to Tufts, Haskins told the Daily he was "thrilled" to learn of the university's P.T. Barnum-infused backstory.
When asked what he hoped students took away from his presentation, Haskins said, "I want everybody to follow their dreams. I want them to at least try it, and if they don't try it, they'll never know ... It may not work out - but it also might work out, and wouldn't it be great to do what your passion is?"
- Kelly Rizzetta
