MC Exclusive: Kiernan Shipka

Eloquent, well-versed and unapologetically herself, Kiernan Shipka effortlessly transitions from playing one powerful role to another, from the INDELIBLE Sally Draper in Mad Men, to the fearless half-witch, half-mortal Sabrina in the dark coming-of-age adaption of a classic, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. We talk to the young actress about growing up in the public eye, embracing the new age of Hollywood, and what being empowered means to her

Playing an iconic character, in Chilling Tales of Sabrina is…“Fun, because people have this attachment to her already. But it definitely kind of adds to the responsibility of making sure that I am doing the best possible version of it that I can. Playing someone that people know and love, and reinventing her and making her my own has definitely been one of the most challenging and exciting thing I have ever done.”

The atmosphere on set is…“Really fun! I always joke that the atmosphere is very smoky, because the actual physical smoke element of the show is very intense! The cast is great, and it kind of feels like we are all in college or something like that, as we are always goofing off, and then we come to work and take it very seriously, but hang out a lot on the weekends. That’s what happens when you have really fun film and TV sets, when you are really lucky they become your little family. The days are long, and the work load is intense, so the fact that we all get along and can have fun on set, it just makes the work that we are doing better, and easier, and I’m so happy that we have such a great crew.”

What I love about playing a strong character like Sabrina is…“That her tenacious nature has inspired me. She stands up for what she believes in, and always wants to do the right thing. I have grown to really respect her very go-getter nature, as she is never not up for a challenge, and she always meets the said challenge. I think that her beautiful trait is to not only talk about doing the right thing, but actually do it, even if it’s hard. And what I really love about Sabrina is that, if you think about the show, and her character and her life, the past year for her hasn’t really been easy—it has actually been filled with many challenges, but she meets them all, and handles it with grace for a 16 year old. Just the way in which she rises to the occasion inspires me to do the same.”

I unwind by… “Writing. I love writing. To me, the ultimate self care is just journaling, because sometimes I don’t want to do it, but if I look back three or four moths and see what I have written, I feel like it gives me such a nice perspective. It is something we can all do, just write a little bit every single night. I think that is probably my main way to take care of myself right now, by actually getting out my feelings onto a piece of paper, or screen. I also love playing music. Singing, and playing guitar and writing music is definitely a form of unwinding for me, which I really like. Simple self care for me is finding a book, or movie that is not related to work and is not work research, but just something I can really enjoy. I always make sure to have at least one book, or podcast, or TV show that I am
enjoying. And also going out with friends too. I feel like the real kind of self care should be attainable, not just massages and saunas and stuff— which is great too, but, because of my hectic schedule, it’s those little things I can do that adds up.”

For the full article purchase a copy of Marie Claire Malaysia March 2020 issue. For a digital copy click here.

Editor & Styling: Azza Arif

Photography: Mitchell Nguyen Mccormack

Hair: Bridget Brager / The Wall Group

Makeup: Mai Quynh / The Wall Group

Styling Assistant: Lisette Mora

Manicure: Carla Kay

Outfit: Bottega Veneta, Max Mara and Salvatore Ferragamo

 

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