'Saved By the Bell' reboot to star trans actress Josie Totah

"I realised over the past few years that hiding my true self is not healthy. I know now, more than ever, that I'm finally ready to take this step toward becoming myself. I'm ready to be free."

Josie Totah

Josie Totah will star in an upcoming reboot of 'Saved By the Bell'. Source: Getty Images

Trans actress Josie Totah has landed one of the lead roles in an upcoming reboot of sitcom Saved By the Bell, which originally aired on NBC from 1989 to 1993.

According to , Totah, known for her role in the Mindy Kaling produced show Champions, will play Lexi, the most popular girl at Bayside High.

Two members of the popular show's original cast will also star in the new version, with both Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez believed to be reprising their characters Jessie Spano and A.C. Slater.

The reboot will screen on NBCUniversal's yet-to-be-launched streaming platform, Peacock, even though a release date hasn't been announced yet. 
Totah, who rose to fame on the Mindy Kaling-produced show "Champions," came out as transgender in a 2018 essay for .

"I was afraid I wouldn't be accepted, that I would be embarrassed, that the fans who knew me from the time when I acted in a Disney show would be confused," .

"But I realised over the past few years that hiding my true self is not healthy. I know now, more than ever, that I'm finally ready to take this step toward becoming myself. I'm ready to be free."

Sharing news of her upcoming role on social media, Totah described the gig as "a dream come true".

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Published 8 January 2020 12:55pm
By Samuel Leighton-Dore


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