Chilling Adventures of Sabrina star Kiernan Shipka says 'Nick makes sense' for Sabrina

When Chilling Adventures of Sabrina returns for season 2, there’ll be a new Sabrina in town. After signing her name in the Book of the Beast, the half-mortal teen (played by Kiernan Shipka) will be immersed in the witch world, and from what we’ve seen in the trailer, that will cause quite a bit of drama. One dramatic move? Sabrina, who recently broke up with boyfriend Harvey Kinkle (Ross Lynch), finds herself in the arms of charming warlock Nick Scratch (Gavin Leatherwood).

EW spoke with Shipka about what else will change in the new season.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What would you say is the biggest difference between seasons 1 and 2?
KIERNAN SHIPKA: The first 10 episodes [from last year] are the setup. It’s one big ramp-up to what the second part is, which is chaotic and massive. The stakes are higher, and everything is intensified times 100. The boiling point is reached in the second season.

Aside from her new hair, how has signing the Book of the Beast changed Sabrina?
The hair is representative of a whole lot more. Sabrina is exploring a side of herself that has always been there, but she never quite knew. She’s exploring her power, and that can prove to be a little dangerous.

Has her stance on the Dark Lord changed?
No. She signed the Book of the Beast because she literally had to, and now she’s using it to her advantage. But I don’t think that her agenda is ever going to include submitting to the Dark Lord. That’s not in her DNA. Sabrina’s not evil.

The trailer shows Sabrina and Nick together. What does Nick bring out in her that Harvey didn’t?
Nick champions Sabrina in a way Harvey couldn’t because [Harvey’s] not a warlock, and he doesn’t understand witchcraft. Nick is enthralled with Sabrina and her powers, and that gives her the incentive to explore them more. They’re a team. They’re partners in crime. In this season of Sabrina’s life, it would not work with Harvey. The love for Harvey will always be there, and who knows when she will decide to revisit that, but Nick makes sense for Sabrina this season.

Has her decision to sign the Book of the Beast affected her relationship with her aunts?
At the end of the day it might affect her relationship less with her aunts than one might think because they are family and they are supportive of Sabrina in whatever decision she makes. They both just want what’s best for her, and by the end of the season, they come together to protect Sabrina at all costs, and I think that the heart of their relationship is protecting Sabrina and that never changes. It can evolve, it grows, but that is always the heart of their relationship.

What would you do if you had Sabrina’s powers for a day?
Obviously the main thing I would want to do is fly, because who wouldn’t? I would totally try to do that. Then I would probably do some healing spells. If my back was hurting or something like that, I would love to just, like, say some Latin and have that be over with.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season 2 hits Netflix on Friday, April 5.

Related content:

• Here’s everything coming to Netflix in April 2019
• Chilling Adventures of Sabrina binge recap: Welcome to Greendale
• First look at Chilling Adventures of Sabrina part 2 hints at Harvey-Sabrina-Nick love triangle