'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' Star Kiernan Shipka on the Show, Bonding With the 'Riverdale' Cast, and More
Matthew Sanders
Updated on March 29, 2026
Of course, she got the role. The transformation wasn't done, though: She also had to cut her long hair into a bob. "This is one of those industries where you never have full control of your hair," she says. "But the bob is 100 percent my jam. I love it. It's so low-maintenance. It takes two seconds to do my hair."
Blond, brunette, bob, no bob—Shipka is just thrilled to work on a series with a built-in audience eager to follow the adventures of a spirited, smart young woman. "It gives me actual chills, and I'm so proud to be part of a show that feels so inclusive," she says. "I'm such a firm believer that everyone should see themselves in a character and everyone should feel represented. I couldn't have dreamed this up."
And after years of supporting roles, Shipka is more than ready to step into this new light. Here, she tells Glamour.com all about it.
Glamour: You've mentioned in interviews that your body has never been under more stress than it is now. How so?
Kiernan Shipka: Yeah, it’s a crazy undertaking. The workload is really crazy. I will keep repeating that it’s so gratifying and the thing I want most—I would not want to be exhausted by anything else but this show—but with the amount of hours, physically, it can get stressful. Sabrina is running away from demons and all these things; plus, it's emotional. I’m scared, I’m screaming, I’m crying [as Sabrina]. I put myself in that emotional state to an extent. There’s one scene at the end of the season that was so emotional that, after, half of my face was in hives. I’m actually tired on the weekends, so it’s amazing to stay in and not go out. [Laughs.]
Glamour: Did you talk to any of the Riverdale cast about keeping this kind of schedule?
KS: I didn’t ask. I just went into this like, I’m going to do it. If I have to fake it until I make it, I will. To be quite honest, my body has adjusted well to the schedule. There are a lot of night shoots too, so you’re wrapping your week around Saturday at 6:00 A.M. But we do bond over [our schedules]. One day I was 17 hours into my day, and I was in a bathtub in the woods, [and we joke], "You’ve been there before, right?!" It's funny to sort of bond over similarly weird jobs that we have, but it's nice to have a sister show that’s [nearby]. They are all so nice and fun.
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