Mark-Paul Gosselaar (famous for his role as Zack on Saved by the Bell and the short-lived FOX series Hyperion Bay) and Marisol Nichols (from Resurrection Blvd.) star as young lovers from two different worlds whose forbidden romance made international headlines.

The Princess and the Marine is a two-hour TV-movie based on the true love story of U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Jason Johnson and Bahraini princess Meriam Al-Khalifa.

On November 1, 1999, 19-year-old Meriam Al-Khalifa , a member of the Bahraini royal family, sneaked out of her family’s mansion to meet the man she loved -- 25-year-old U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Jason Johnson (Gosselaar).

Johnson gave her a forged military I.D. and fake orders, along with baggy men’s clothing.

She hid her long, dark hair under a New York Yankees baseball cap – and together the couple boarded a commercial flight to snuck into the United States.

The lovers, who had met nearly a year before at a Bahrain shopping mall and had exchanged hundreds of love letters and one kiss during their courtship, got as far as Chicago.

In the Windy City, Al-Khalifa was taken into custody and forced to spend three days in jail.

She was released after announcing her intention to seek asylum, and the couple quickly eloped to Las Vegas.

For helping Al-Khalifa enter the country falsely, Johnson was subsequently court-martialed, and demoted from his rank as Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps.

Al-Khalifa has beenshunned by his family and country. "I did the worst thing I could do: I have married a white man, an American and a Christian. All are forbidden to me," the princess says.

The lovers fear for Al-Khalifa’s safety if she were to be forced to return to her homeland.

Today, this modern day Romeo and Juliet -- who have risked everything for love -- are preparing for Al-Khalifa’s fifth INS asylum hearing.

This hearing may, or may not, determine her ultimate fate.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar was featured on The Haircut Site last week becauseThe Princess and the Marine was originally scheduled for an earlier date. NBC has announced that the two-hour movie will air Sunday, February 18, 2001 on NBC-TV.

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