Kiernan Shipka Reveals Link Between Sabrina & Mad Men's Sally Draper
Kiernan Shipka revealed the common thread between roles she chooses, from Sally Draper in Mad Men to Sabrina Spellman in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Shipka stepped into the spotlight with the former, playing the daughter of the main character Don Draper for seven seasons on the Emmy-winning drama. The powerhouse rose to another level of stardom in 2018 when she channeled Sabrina the teenage witch in Netflix's spooky series CAOS.
Looking at Shipka's two most significant roles to date, both Sally and Sabrina share many commonalities. These were highlighted further with the artist's latest role: Allie West in C13Features' new podcast movie Treat. West is the troubled protagonist of the spooky story, dealing with issues beyond her years as she tries to save her town from an evil entity. While on a mini-press tour for the genre-bending project, Shipka opened up about her role and how it fits into a career pattern.
During her chat on The Art of Kindness with Robert Peterpaul podcast, Shipka explained what draws her to roles. Since she had to mature a bit quicker as a young working actress, she's always fascinated by that same quality in a character. Shipka told host Robert Peterpaul:
"A common thread in a lot of characters I play is that they had to grow up quickly. I don't necessarily know if that's because I also feel like I had to be more of an adult at a young age, but that's definitely something that resonates with me always: what makes them grow up, what matures them and what makes them look at the world in a way that maybe everyone else doesn't because they have this unique thing. I always want to relate to the characters."
Shipka began working at merely five months old, making her television debut on ER. From there, she dove into a career in commercial and print work. After small stints on television, Shipka eventually landed her life-changing role as Sally Draper on Mad Men. She was only seven years old when the first episode aired. Her character would eventually mirror her personal life in a way, as Sally was forced to grow up more quickly. Of course, for Draper, it was due to her family's turbulent life at home.
In the same vein, Sabrina in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina also has to step into adulthood faster than usual. An abnormal responsibility weighs on the high schooler's shoulders after finding out she's a witch on her sixteenth birthday. The same goes with Treat, which sees Shipka's Allie West having to step up and look out for her young brother and the entire community when horror strikes on Halloween night.
Whether the common thread was intricately woven or simply subconscious, it resonates with Shipka. From Mad Men to Chilling Adventures of Sabrina to now Treat, her characters all rise to adulthood prematurely, but for different reasons. It seems to be those varying reasons that keep things interesting for both the talent and her booming fanbase.