Elizabeth Berkley felt 'locked out' after Showgirls flop

Elizabeth Berkley was "locked out" of Hollywood following the release of Showgirls.

The actress had a starring role in the 1995 erotic drama film, which focused on a young woman who hitched a ride to Las Vegas to pursue her dreams of being a showgirl - but Elizabeth bore the brunt of much of the criticism, as the controversial movie flopped at the box office.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Elizabeth explained: "A lot of things went on that wouldn’t be allowed now — someone could not be pummelled to that degree.

"I couldn’t understand how people could be so cruel, but I’m tough. I had to separate out what they said from what I believed to be true."

Elizabeth still remembers feeling isolated amid the harsh criticism.

She said: "I believed in my work and in myself deeply. I’d hoped someone would stand up for me."

Elizabeth promoted the movie in ten different countries by herself. The actress now feels proud of the strength that she showed at a particularly difficult moment in her career.

She shared: "It didn’t feel good, but I’m proud that I did that. I’m not a quitter. I wanted to speak. I wanted to be heard. I had no other platform."

Showgirls was universally panned by critics upon its release, and the movie actually had a negative impact on Elizabeth's career.

The actress - who starred alongside the likes of Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon, Glenn Plummer, Robert Davi, Alan Rachins, and Gina Ravera in the film - explained: "For a good two years, I wasn’t allowed to audition for things.

"The hardest part was being literally locked out of something I loved so much."

Showgirls has actually come to be regarded as a cult film in recent years, and Elizabeth previously confessed to feeling proud of the project.

The movie star admitted to feeling amazed by the film's transformation, having been panned upon its release.

She told Good Morning America: "It's such an amazing moment to think that this movie that in the '90s you thought maybe would die on a video shelf at Blockbuster is now this massive cult classic with audiences who have embraced it, love it, revisit it time and time again, and draw inspiration from it as well."

Elizabeth has been surprised to see how a new audience has decided to embrace the film.

The actress recalled meeting a group of women from Spain who had recently seen Showgirls for the first time.

She said: "They had seen the movie at the Academy Museum and they didn't realise there was a whole other story behind the movie. They just thought it was always embraced and celebrated. I saw them at a hotel, and they came up to me to tell me what it meant to them."