Before Melissa Joan Hartplayed the supernatural student in "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," she starred opposite Calista Flockhart in the off-Broadway production "Beside Herself."
While starring in the 1989
production, a young Hart found an unexpected mentor in the "Ally McBeal" star, she tells USA TODAY.
"I was about 10, 11, and she was young. She was like 18," Hart says. "She used to have me come over to her house and do sleepovers and she'd give me her hand-me-down clothes. I watched the way she prepped for work."
Joe Pintauro's play "Beside Herself" follows a woman named Mary from four different stages of her life. Hart played a pre-teen Mary, while Flockhart played the role in her post-teen years.
In between shows, Hart and Flockhart would stop at New York's Bleecker Street Pizza for a slice. Hart also remembers taking notes on Flockhart's stretching routine and breathing exercises ahead of shows.
"She was sort of my acting class [instructor] plus just [a] cool older chick that I wanted to be like," Hart continues. "I just have this fond place in my heart for her, someone that I really looked up to."
Having that kind of mentor is rare in an industry that has left many child stars vulnerable. Hart, who also starred in Nickelodeon's "Clarissa Explains It All" from 1991 to 1994, has previously spoken out about her experiences as a child star. Although she said she had a "wonderful experience" while filming the Nickelodeon series in Orlando, Florida, she has expressed solidarity with the child stars who spoke out about alleged abuse in the 2024 docuseries "Quiet on Set."
"I have to say, not every egg in the Nickelodeon basket is rotten," Hart said on "Meghan McCain Has Entered The Chat podcast in March 2024. "There were some good eggs – there were some people that really took care of me."
Hart now stars in HGTV's home decor show “Totally ’90s House,” alongside fellow '90s stars Jodie Sweetin (“Full House”), Keshia Knight Pulliam (“The Cosby Show”) and Brian Austin Green (“Beverly Hills, 90210”).
The reality competition series, releasing every Wednesday on HGTV and the next day on HBO Max, follows the former child stars as they renovate homes stuck in the 90s. Matthew Lawrence (“Boy Meets World”), Beverley Mitchell (“7th Heaven”), and Joey Lawrence (“Blossom”) also compete in the home renovation show, hosted by Jaleel White.
Hart, who starred in "Melissa & Joey" for four seasons, reunited with her sitcom co-star Joey Lawrence in the HGTV show, calling him the brother she never had.
"There's chemistry there, there's a familiarity," Hart, who has seven sisters, says with a smile. "We know how to work together; we know each other's trigger points. Let's say we've crossed boundaries that we don't want to cross again, things like that, that help bring a pleasant atmosphere."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Melissa Joan Hart reveals the Hollywood star who unexpectedly became her mentor
