But then my career just kind of kept going when Sabrina hit.'ģ. She quit at 20, so I thought, I'll quit at 20. 'She went on to be an ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia and get involved with politics and raise her family. ' Shirley Temple was a huge role model of mine,' she continued. 'I just thought I was lucky I had a show, Clarissa, and that college would lead me to my next career.' I never expected this to be a lifelong job,' Hart explained to Glamour in 2020. People will hit it big for one project, and then it's really hard to work after that. 'When I was a young teen, I was really aware of the child-star stigma. While Hart had already experienced success on the small screen, thanks to her time on the Nickelodeon hit series Clarissa Explains It All, the actress was preparing to walk away from Hollywood before landing Sabrina. But she decided to pass on playing a witch to take on vampires in a little show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer instead.Ģ. Before Melissa Joan Hart was cast in the titular role, Sarah Michelle Gellar was reportedly the network's top choice. Another young actress was being considered for the role.ġ. However, the star almost didn't land the bewitching part, even though her mom was one of the producers. Five years later, she once again netted the title role in a show: Sabrina The Teenage Witch.Īfter first starring as the Archie Comics witch in a 1996 movie, Hart, who turns 46 April 18, cast spells and stirred up trouble on ABC and then the WB for seven seasons before the iconic series came to an end in 2003.

First, Hart played the titular character in Clarissa Explains It All, which ran on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 1994.

And yet, by the time she had turned 20 years old, Melissa Joan Hart had already starred in two genre-defining series. It's not often that an actor lands two iconic roles during their career.

'What's the matter? I have to be a witch, I have to be a mortal, I have to be a teenager and I have to be a girl all at the same time.

Sabrina the teenage witch season 1