Riverdale isn’t the only show that’s putting an interesting spin on the Archie comics. In 2018, Netflix introduced The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina starring Kiernan Shipka. The show takes the lead character of Sabrina Spellman, who most millennials saw a good witch, and shows a darker side of her story. The show also brought back other characters, such as Sabrina’s aunts, Zelda and Hilda, while also adding new members to the story. Since its debut, the show has been a success, and most of the praise went to the show’s leading lady.
The actress is now the new Sabrina, but she is just as charismatic and charming as the other’s who played her in the past. Shipka gives fans a fresh and unexpected portrayal of the beloved teen witch. When auditioning, however, the young star had to add a twist after her first audition to land the part.
Kiernan Shipka is the chilling Sabrina Spellman
Shipka isn’t a stranger to working on television. The actress previously starred in AMC’s Mad Men and Nickelodeon’s The Legend of Korra. But when it comes to this particular role, it required a different process. The actress revealed during an interview with Collider what it was like auditioning for this part. Shipka explained that she knew she wanted the part after reading the script. “I think it was sort of a no-brainer sort of situation, especially after I read the script because I knew from the second that I read it that it was material that I liked and I knew it was good quality,” the actress told the outlet.
She then met with the show’s creator where she was able to discuss the role in more detail. “I got sort of a call that people were interested in […] Met with Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa] and we ended up having a pretty long meeting in which we talked about the show for probably all of two minutes because we just got along. We’re just very similar people,” Kiernan Shipka continued.
The actress explained that she did an audition tape, which was well-received, but it wasn’t enough to get her the part. There was one thing she had to change. It was the only thing separating her from Sabrina Spellman.
“I had long brown hair. I did the audition. They said it was amazing but, ‘You’ve got to come back and do it as a blonde,’ because that’s the only way that we’re going to really sell you as Sabrina. I dyed my hair blonde and did the thing all over again and then waited,” she elaborated.
The new Sabrina bewitched her co-stars
Kiernan Shipka also divulged that after she got the part, she was given the chance to do some scene readings with several other members of the cast. “I actually got a chance to do a lot of chemistry reads after I got the role, which was just so fun to play around with other actors. One of my last chemistry reads was with Ross. Roberto and I were actually then popping on a flight to go up to Vancouver for good. Ross was like, ‘Why are you guys leaving so early?’ We’re like, ‘We’re going to see you tomorrow. You just don’t know that yet. You’re going home and packing your bags, buddy, and moving tomorrow,'” the actress said.
And as for what she expects will happen to Sabrina as the show progresses? The actress emphasized the she wanted to “make sure I know anything I need to know to play the character as truthfully as I can at that moment.” While she has a few hopes for the character, she knows not to worry about it. “As long as it’s not applicable to what I’m doing at the moment then I’m not super … I try not to be too concerned about it.”
We’re excited to see where this show and Kiernan Shipka will take the iconic witch. We can only hope for a Riverdale/Sabrina crossover!