Denise Richards explains why she was 'so embarrassed' shooting Saved by the Bell

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Getting saved from drowning by A.C. Slater isn't all it's cracked up to be. Or at least it wasn't for Denise Richards.

The actress recalled her early-career experience shooting Saved by the Bell on PeopleTV's Couch Surfing, saying she was "so embarrassed" filming the show, on which she played a girl who pretends to drown so Mario Lopez's heartthrob will save her.

"It's very daunting when you go on a show with actors that have been working together for a long time, and you only have a couple of lines," Richards says. "It's my second acting job in my entire life, and I have to get into a bikini, and go in the ocean, pretend like I'm drowning, and have him carry me out in front of all those people. I was so embarrassed."

"They say you should never work with children and animals, should we add waves to that list as well?" host Lola Ogunnaike quips.

"Unless it's with Mario Lopez, of course," says Richards.

Fans can expect more Saved by the Bell fairly soon, as a revival series is underway for NBCUniversal's streaming service Peacock. Lopez and his costars Elizabeth Berkley and Mark-Paul Gosselaar will reprise their roles for the revival, which sees Zack Morris (Gosselaar), now California Governor, under fire for closing too many low-income high schools. He proposes the affected students be sent to the highest-performing schools in the state — including Bayside High. The influx of new students gives the overprivileged Bayside kids a much-needed and hilarious dose of reality.

Watch the video above for more from Richards.

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