SABRINA’S BACK AFTER A SPELL ON THE SIDELINES
Fifteen years since she was last on our screens, everyone’s favourite teenage witch is back. Stars of new Netflix series Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina, Kiernan Shipka and Ross Lynch, tell GEORGIA HUMPHREYS all about it
WHAT springs to mind when you think of Sabrina The Teenage Witch?
Perhaps it’s Salem the talking black cat, eccentric aunts Zelda and Hilda, or simply the fact the original hit US TV show had one seriously cool female lead.
Well, you can expect the new Netflix series, Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina, to feature all of the above.
But this time around, the teenager is already aware of her impressive magical powers, and as her 16th birthday approaches, she has to make a choice between the witch world of her family and the human world of her friends.
That’s not the only way the show is different to the 90s sitcom starring Melissa
Joan Hart – something
Kiernan Shipka, who plays Sabrina, is embracing.
“As long as it’s a fresh interpretation, there’s something really fun about reviving something,” says the Chicago-born star, who, at 18, is already famous for playing Sally Draper in Mad Men.
Here, Kiernan and her co-star, Ross Lynch, 22, reveal what we can expect from the series.
IT’S MUCH DARKER
EPISODES of the new show are based on the Archie Comics series The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina. But this coming-of-age story is actually pretty scary, violent and gory at times. Kiernan wasn’t fazed, however: “Some of those more horrific scenes are some of the more fun to shoot!” she enthuses.
THERE’S A GREAT LOVE STORY
ROSS – who plays Sabrina’s high school sweetheart, Harvey Kinkle – is known for his work in the world of Disney, having starred in shows such as Austin & Ally.
He reckons part of the reason he bagged the part of Harvey was his “essence”.
“I think Roberto (series creator Roberto AguirreSacasa) saw a bit of me in Harvey,” he says sincerely.
“I like Harvey a lot, I do. He’s very sweet. And he’s got good intentions.”
While Kiernan and Ross are understandably cagey about giving away where their characters’ relationship will end up after 20 episodes (a second series has already been commissioned), it’s clear they’re loving playing out the drama between them.
“Obviously they have a deep love for each other and I don’t think that’s ever going away, but I think that, just given the nature of the show, complications will arise between them, inevitably,” offers Ross.
WE MEET OLD AND NEW FACES
THROUGHOUT the series, which is from the same team that adapted the Archie comics into the dark and twisted Netflix hit Riverdale, we’ll see Sabrina struggling to juggle being half-witch, half-mortal.
Never mind having to deal with evil forces that threaten her and her family (and humans in general).
We already know her relatives include the much-loved Aunt Zelda (Miranda Otto) and Aunt Hilda (Lucy Davis), but a character we’ve not met before is Sabrina’s British cousin, Ambrose, played by Chance Perdomo.
THERE’S A STRONG FEMALE EMPOWERMENT MESSAGE
“BRAVE and fearless, with such a good heart,” is how Kiernan describes Sabrina.
“I love her because she takes action, and because she’s funny and witty,” the actress elaborates with a huge grin. “Besides being mature beyond her years, besides being powerful, she’s still a kid too, which I think is really important.
“I like that younger quality to her. Being an ‘old’ 18, I definitely find it fun to play someone that’s a little bit younger than me.”
■ Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina launches on Netflix on Friday.