Engel and the other producers did not want to lose Berkley, however, as she was the strongest actress they'd seen during casting. Berkley originally auditioned for the role of Karen, a love-interest of Zack's on "Good Morning, Miss Bliss", but lost the role because she was so much taller than Gosselaar at the time. Engel believed that, now that her height was more even with the rest of the cast, she could be perfect. They were not having much luck in casting the third new character, Jessie Spano, who was conceived as a strong, feminist activist and a straight-A student, so Engel suggested offering the role to Berkley, who gladly accepted it.