Although Melissa Joan Hart said goodbye to Sabrina Spellman of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” in 2003, she’s still connected to the fictional character in more ways than one. In a new interview, the esteemed actress opened up about what she believes the witch would be doing today if the show were still on the air.
Recently, the cast of “Sabrina” gathered in Chicago for a reunion show celebrating the program’s 30th anniversary. Speaking with PEOPLE, Hart talked about the character that made her a household name, revealing what she thinks she’d be up to if the show were airing in 2026.
“I think married, kids maybe, still juggling around the witchcraft thing, not able to quite get a handle on it,” she said.
And Hart’s character wouldn’t be married to any average Joe. She’d likely be with her on-again-off-again love interest, Harvey, who was portrayed by Nate Richert. “I think she’s still with Harvey. I mean, look, the way they rode off on a motorcycle, there’s no coming back from that. You have to make that stick,” she joked.
Melissa Joan Hart Reflects On The Show Being 30 Years Old
A majority of the “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” cast gathered together at the Vic Theatre in Illinois to reflect on the show and its impact on pop culture. Present was Beth Broderick, Caroline Rhea, Soleil Moon Frye, Michelle Beaudoin, Jenna Leigh Green, Elisa Donovan, David Lascher, Richert, and, of course, Hart.
When Hart was asked how she felt about the show reaching the 30-year milestone, the actress joked, “I can’t believe it’s been [that long] because I’m only 30.” She added, “So, that’s impossible. I was 0 when we started this show.”
Hart went on to say how special the 30-year anniversary was and how much the show still means to her three decades later.
“It’s still so loved. It’s so international. So many people come to me and say it got them through a hard time or they learned English from the show,” she said. “All these amazing things that you hear that over time you hear it so much that you have to start to believe that it meant a lot to people.”
Melissa Joan Hart Says She Didn’t ‘Identify’ With Her Character That Much
While she’s grateful for the show’s reach, Hart revealed in a previous interview that she never felt as connected to the character as some probably believed. Hart was 20 at the time, playing a teenager, and, according to her, the challenges Sabrina faced were very different from what she was experiencing.
“She wanted to be the wallflower. She didn’t know what to do with these magical abilities. She felt very lost, and other people were trying to help her solve it,” she said.
There were a few things, though, that helped her connect with Sabrina, such as her costumes and magical mishaps.
“If she wasn’t always in different costumes and kind of getting put in these weird situations where I got to be Cinderella or Alice Wonderland or a trapeze artist or in Cirque du Soleil or whatever I don’t know if I would’ve enjoyed the experience as much as I did because I just didn’t identify with her very well,” she added.
Hart Opens Up About Growing Up As A Child Star
Before she originated the role of Spellman in “Sabrina,” Hart played Clarissa in the sitcom “Clarissa Explains It All.” She played the role from 14 to 18—her prime teenage years. But despite growing up in front of the camera, Hart said that didn’t change her.
In fact, working as a child star instilled in her a “good work ethic” and helped her learn new things about herself. “I pretty much had a normal childhood, even though I was acting since I was 4,” she said, praising the role her family played in helping keep her grounded, per The Blast.
“I think my family did a really good job…I was in Girl Scouts, and we would go on family ski trips and things like that. So there was a lot of normal mixed up with this weird, crazy world,” she said.
Did Hart Ever Want Her Kids To Become Child Stars?
Even though she did it herself, Hart wasn’t necessarily eager to turn her children into child stars. She previously revealed that her three sons once showed some interest in the entertainment industry, but for the wrong reasons—a mindset she quickly helped them move beyond. “It was for money and fame. It wasn’t because they love the craft,” Hart said.