Thanks to Eric Burkhart for this.

Having just been fortunate enough to find a real Melissa treasure, the October 1997 issue of "Nickelodeon" magazine, I want to share it with everyone. The article is entitled "Spellbinding Success".

Here it is : note my abbreviations:
NM: (this will be Nickelodeon Magazine henceforth)
MJH: (this will be Melissa Joan Hart of course !)

NM: Is it hard to get into your Sabrina character?

MJH: No, because I know the character. I feel at home when I'm portraying Sabrina, like when I played Clarissa. I don't have to think about it too much.

NM: Can Sabrina do anything she wants?

MJH: No. Her powers get her into trouble. That's the problem.

NM: What can't she do?

MJH: In the first episode Sabrina wanted to turn back time, but she couldn't. And in another episode she got in trouble with the Witches' Council when she failed to keep her friend out of the other realm [the witches' secret world]. The friend was turned into a grasshopper.

NM: Who plays your cat, Salem?

MJH: There are four cats. There's Witch who is my favorite, Lucy, Elvis, and a new kitten called Salem. Witch lets you hold her and rub her behind the ears. She's the holding cat. Salem is the hyper one. He's the one who'll do stuff like jump on ball of yarn. And Lucy's the one who walks and stops. Then for simple scenes, there's Elvis who can move his mouth as if he's talking.

NM: Is Elvis the only talking Salem?

MJH: There are also two animatronic Salems who talk. One sits up, and the other lies down. They're cool. But they can be a little scary---they keep moving after the camera stops. They turn their heads and make freaky faces.

NM: How does an animatronic cat work?

MJH: It's a mechanical puppet. Someone sits underneath it to move its head. There are also two people on the side with remote controls who move the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and tail. It's very well done.

NM: How do they make Sabrina turn into an animal?

MJH: I am filmed in front of a special green screen, moving as an animal would. Then they film the animal. After that, shots of the animal are morphed together.

NM: Who would you really like to have guest star on "Sabrina"?

MJH: I tried to get Shirley Temple [Black] to play my grandmother. She's one of my idols, but she won't do TV anymore.

NM: Who has been your favorite guest star?

MJH: One of my favorites was Chris Elliot. He's the king of comedy. I also think it's really interesting to have musicians on. We've had the Violent Femmes, Coolio, and Deborah Harry. We're trying to get Smashing Pumpkins. They let us use one ofer their songs.

NM: You've sung on "Sabrina". Do you like to sing?

MJH: [laughs] I sang "Funky Song!" I still sing it every day to my little sister. It's a little embarrassing, though. Singing isn't what I'm most secure doing. I would love to play guitar in a band, but I wouldn't want to be the lead singer.

NM: Can you play the guitar?

MJH: I tried to learn a couple of times. I know the beginning of a Nirvana song, but that's about it. That's one of my goals in life: to learn to play the guitar. The other is to learn how to play tennis.

NM: Are any of your real aunts like your TV ones?

MJH: I have a few aunts who are a little off-the-wall, but I would say all my aunts are pretty down-to-earth and nice. None of them are witches, let's put it that way.

NM: What kind of candy is on the set?

MJH: Usually Reese's Pieces, mini Snickers bars, and licorice.

NM: Do you eat any of it?

MJH: I try not to. I'd rather go for something like a glass of water with lemon in it. Bland, boring, healthy. [Lowers her voice]. And some people don't know this, but there's ice cream in the freezer on the set. Once in a while I'll go for an ice cream sandwich.

NM: What do you give trick-or-treaters?

MJH: Little bags filled with lots of different things. I awlays try to get some Snickers in there, though.

NM: What are your going to be for Hallowe'en?

MJH: All of my friends and I are dressing as "Star Wars" characters. I'm going to be Princess Leia.

NM: What scares you the most?

MJH: Spiders. But they're supposed to be good luck on auditions, because their webs catch things. I have a spider earring that I wore to an early meeting for "Sabrina".

Then "Sabrina" became a series, so I considered spiders good luck. On the other hand, spiders are these tiny creatures that don't do anything, but people are scared to death of them anyway. They scare me ! Even though spiders are just the size of a pinkie, they have so much power over huge humans.

NM: What's the scariest story you've heard?

MJH: The one about the guy with the hook. These kids are in a car, and they hear scratching on the windows. When they get home, the hook is hanging on the car door. I remember being terrified by that one.

Well, there you go :-)