Kiernan Shipka discovered she is allergic to cats while shooting the new Sabrina reboot.
The actress is currently promoting her role as teenage witch Sabrina Spellman on Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which is based on the Archie Comics series of the same name.
In the show, Sabrina is often accompanied by talking cat Salem, though Kiernan has now shared that she only realized that cats give her hives while holding pets on set.
“One of the few actors that I’ve not gotten along with in my career is Salem the cat,” she said during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Monday night (22Oct18). “Truly, I didn’t expect to be allergic to cats. No idea whatsoever. (At one point, I held) the cat so close to my face and then the next day I had hives everywhere.”
After finding out that she is allergic to cats, Kiernan was forced to dose up on medication prior to filming. Though she also confessed that one type of antihistamine caused her to “slur” her lines a little.
“If you look in the first two episodes, because we shot them simultaneously, I’m totally acting on Benadryl. And maybe only I know that but it was a mistake to take it – but my face hurt so much!” the 18-year-old sighed.
Stars including Lucy Davis and Miranda Otto appear alongside Kiernan in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. And the rising star noted that the backstage experience was entirely different to her time on the set of Mad Men, where she played the character of Sally Draper.
“Now I know what the adults felt like on Mad Men all this time. I’m working with people my age! It’s so fun, it feels kind of like a college dorm,” she smiled.
