By Joe Puccio

It’s not uncommon for classic television shows to shake up the dynamic every so often in order to keep the figurative magic alive. This is accomplished in a variety of ways, from plot resets to location changes to behind-the-scenes creative adjustments. But perhaps the most common method comes down to switching up the players involved – sometimes spearheaded by management and other times by the on-screen talent themselves.

Top crime drama Charlie’s Angels had little choice but to replace 1970s sex symbol Farrah Fawcett with another beauty in Cheryl Ladd when the former departed after its first season while producers were forced to do the same thing a couple of years later, substituting Tanya Roberts for the exiting Kate Jackson. When Suzanne Somers of Three’s Company publicly demanded a pay raise in 1980 for her portrayal of ditzy blonde Chrissy Snow, she was subsequently ousted and was basically exchanged for Jenilee Harrison and eventually, Priscilla Barnes. And even one of the most popular situation comedies ever, Cheers, was not immune to several restructurings throughout its 11-season run, its most notable being Kirstie Alley stepping in to fill the pumps of Shelley Long in 1988.

For Uruguayan actress Natalia Cigliuti, lightning struck twice, as the talented performer landed not one, but two pivotal parts in a pair of the most influential ‘90s programs of all time, Saved by the Bell and Beverly Hills, 90210, both in their respective advanced years. When NBC’s Saved by the Bell (originally titled Good Morning, Miss Bliss), in its initial incarnation, ended its run in 1993, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Mario Lopez, Dustin Diamond, and Tiffani Thiessen went on to star in its short-lived primetime sequel Saved by the Bell: The College Years. With a void left on Saturday mornings, which were otherwise filled with cartoons and little else, Saved by the Bell: The New Class was created, airing for a quite impressive seven seasons, until 2000.

“It’s been decades since I’ve been on Saved by the Bell and people still recognize me today from it all the time. It always makes me wonder just how many people watched this friggin’ show?!,” Cigliuti chuckled, during a recent conversation with Generation X Wire. “Times were different since there wasn’t streaming or anything, of course, but it was incredible to be a part of it. I was a child actor and I learned so much. What an amazing experience.”

Cigliuti played Lindsay Warner, the lead female role, in the series’ first three seasons, essentially the counterpart to Thiessen’s Kelly Kapowski on the original. Although only 15 when nabbing the coveted gig, she thankfully didn’t feel an overwhelming amount of pressure, despite being a teenager. “We were all really kids, playing our age, which is what Peter Engel (executive producer) wanted. Because of that, I always felt like it was an ensemble and we shared the responsibility,” Cigliuti explained. “We all got along beautifully, and we were in an adult world. It was still a business, of course, but being kids, we definitely got a bit rambunctious at times. We also had Dennis Haskins (Principal Richard Belding), who is such a lovely person, there as the veteran and then Dustin came back when The College Years didn’t continue so we all felt the same way. Plus, we were all hired really quickly so we didn’t even have a lot of time to be intimidated.

Beverly Hills, 90210, the venerable teen drama produced by Aaron Spelling that became a pop culture phenomenon, differed in tone, of course, from the lighthearted Saved by the Bell, tackling topical issues like date rape, homophobia, suicide, and AIDS. It was therefore much more age appropriate for the then 19-year-old Cigliuti to be cast as Chloe Davis, a singer in a band who made a play for Brian Austin Green’s David Silver in its seventh season. Her journey from one iconic show to another resulted from her undeniable gift as a thespian combined with a touch of fate. “I met Aaron about a year or two before getting the part. And he literally told me that I was going to be on 90210 at some point,” she recalled. “It was unbelievable to be a part of it, especially since I grew up watching it, like everyone else. What’s funny is that many years later, I did one episode of the 90210 reboot, which Aaron didn’t have anything to do with.”

Cigliuti has nothing but fond memories of her castmates on both programs and while Thiessen technically never appeared on The New Class, they shared a Saved by the Bell bond while working together on 90210. Coincidentally, she and Gosselaar simultaneously starred in Steven Bochco’s late 2000s TNT legal drama Raising the Bar, a job she calls one of her favorites. “Besides being an incredibly talented actor, Mark-Paul is one of the kindest and most generous individuals that I’ve ever met. He’s so gracious and respectful to the other actors and the crew,” she affirmed. “We’d all go out on Friday nights after we finished wrapping and do karaoke and all kinds of fun stuff. He’s just a cool guy.”

In 1997, Cigliuti worked on another Spelling production in Pacific Palisades, a soap opera with a lot of potential that, unfortunately, failed to maintain an audience and was cancelled after thirteen episodes. She then went on to appear in a plethora of projects, including ABC sitcom Odd Man Out, That ‘70s Show, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and CSI: Miami. Then in 2004, her previous melodrama experience came in handy when she joined the cast of All My Children, the long-running daytime serial, as series regular Anita Santos Warner. “I lived in New York City while I was on All My Children, and I got to work alongside some of the most talented people I’ve ever come across. Susan Lucci, Michael B. Jordan, you name it,” she stated. “So many classically trained actors.”

Cigliuti also makes it clear that working on a soap opera is some of the best training that actors can get to calibrate their craft. “It’s like a masterclass of acting. You’ve got new pages of dialogue every single day and you’re basically filming a new episode each day,” she clarified. “It’s a lot to memorize and really fast paced. I’m sad that they really don’t make them anymore. I absolutely loved it.”

In a true full circle development, Cigliuti will once again be seen with a former colleague in the upcoming Great American Media holiday feature titled Christmas at The Starlight, starring Lopez and Tony Danza. “We just filmed it in Buffalo, and it’s scheduled to be released the day after Thanksgiving and on Hulu a week later,” she revealed. “Mario, of course, is still a dear friend and getting to work with Tony Danza was incredible. He’s an absolute legend.”

Cigliuti has little downtime between work, which also includes doing voiceovers for video games and cartoons, marriage (her husband is fellow actor Matt Passmore of The Glades and 13 Reasons Why), and being a mother to two sons, Cashel, still a toddler, and Kaden (from a previous marriage), currently in college. “When Kaden was younger, he did a Land Rover commercial with Mike Trout (Los Angeles Dodgers), which was very exciting for him. He also got to do a month-long live cinema experience that was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola,” she added. “Matt and I joked at the time that we’re out there working so hard to get booked and our son easily gets a job working with someone like Francis Ford Coppola for an entire month! He might pursue an acting career. We’ll see.”

Besides the aforementioned Christmas at The Starlight, Cigliuti has a number of other ventures on the horizon, including The Gucci Diaries, a coming-of-age story set in the ‘70s, and possibly directing. “I’ve always been a creative person. This is the only business I’ve ever known since I started so young,” she acknowledged “I just love it.”