Clarissa Explains It AllEnded 30 Years Ago Today; Melissa Joan Hart Remembers It as a 'Special Time' — and 'Hard Work' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Melissa Joan Hart and her character on ‘Clarissa Explains It All’ and in 2019.Photo: Nickelodeon/Netflix

Clarissa Explains It Allis just as important toMelissa Joan Harttoday as it was 30 years ago.The 48-year-old actress took a walk down memory lane with PEOPLE at90s Conin Daytona Beach, Fla., last month as she recalled her time on the show and getting to play the iconic Clarissa Darling.“That was a really special time,” Hart shared. “It was a lot of hard work … I had a lot of monologues, [the] scenes were long and we had to do them all as a live show even though it wasn’t a live show. It was really complicated to get it right.“Melissa Joan Hart as seen in ‘Clarissa Explains it All’ in 1991.United Archives GmbH/AlamyTheMelissa & Joeystar went on to explain that “if things weren’t right” the actors “had to redo the whole” scene — some of which had been at least “10 pages long” — a far cry from her 2000sSabrina the Teenage Witchdays.“That’s why I loved getting to [do]Sabrina,” Hart said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘We have like two-page scenes and other people speak? Someone says something and I respond? This is really easy!’ ”Though, she shared that the Nickelodeon show,which ran for five seasonsfrom 1991 to 1994, and her character Clarissa still hold a special place in her heart.Melissa Joan Hart in ‘Clarissa Explains All’ in 1991.NetflixNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“I had so much fun, and I knew she was a special character,” Hart admitted, adding that she thought the series — which delved into everything from dating to how to deal with annoying little brothers — overall was “wonderful.”She previously told PEOPLE in May that she “definitely jived more” with the character of Clarissa than her teenage witch persona Sabrina, as she had grown up in tandem with the character during the series.‘Clarissa Explains It All’ cast including Joe O’Connor, Melissa Joan Hart, Sean O’Neal, Jason Zimbler and Elizabeth Hess in 1991.United Archives GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo“Being onClarissagave me that freedom to sort of figure out who I was while she’s figuring out who she is,” she said. “So it’s really a blurred line between me and Clarissa, we were the exact same age.”Hart also revealed that while she doesn’t “talk to any” ofClarissa’s cast, which included Jason Zimbler, Elizabeth Hess and Joe O’Connor, some of her other connections from the series are still going strong three decades later.“I’m still in touch with some of the crew over there,” the actress said, referring to Michele Roofthooft, who did her wardrobe forClarissa Explains It All, and her husband David Roofthooft, who was the executive producer’s assistant on the show. “They’re my son’s godparents.”“They actually got married at the end of the show,” she shared. “Andthey’re still my closest friends.”

Clarissa Explains It Allis just as important toMelissa Joan Harttoday as it was 30 years ago.

The 48-year-old actress took a walk down memory lane with PEOPLE at90s Conin Daytona Beach, Fla., last month as she recalled her time on the show and getting to play the iconic Clarissa Darling.

“That was a really special time,” Hart shared. “It was a lot of hard work … I had a lot of monologues, [the] scenes were long and we had to do them all as a live show even though it wasn’t a live show. It was really complicated to get it right."

Melissa Joan Hart as seen in ‘Clarissa Explains it All’ in 1991.United Archives GmbH/Alamy

United Archives GmbH/Alamy

TheMelissa & Joeystar went on to explain that “if things weren’t right” the actors “had to redo the whole” scene — some of which had been at least “10 pages long” — a far cry from her 2000sSabrina the Teenage Witchdays.

“That’s why I loved getting to [do]Sabrina,” Hart said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘We have like two-page scenes and other people speak? Someone says something and I respond? This is really easy!’ ”

Though, she shared that the Nickelodeon show,which ran for five seasonsfrom 1991 to 1994, and her character Clarissa still hold a special place in her heart.

Melissa Joan Hart in ‘Clarissa Explains All’ in 1991.Netflix

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“I had so much fun, and I knew she was a special character,” Hart admitted, adding that she thought the series — which delved into everything from dating to how to deal with annoying little brothers — overall was “wonderful.”

She previously told PEOPLE in May that she “definitely jived more” with the character of Clarissa than her teenage witch persona Sabrina, as she had grown up in tandem with the character during the series.

‘Clarissa Explains It All’ cast including Joe O’Connor, Melissa Joan Hart, Sean O’Neal, Jason Zimbler and Elizabeth Hess in 1991.United Archives GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo

United Archives GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo

“Being onClarissagave me that freedom to sort of figure out who I was while she’s figuring out who she is,” she said. “So it’s really a blurred line between me and Clarissa, we were the exact same age.”

Hart also revealed that while she doesn’t “talk to any” ofClarissa’s cast, which included Jason Zimbler, Elizabeth Hess and Joe O’Connor, some of her other connections from the series are still going strong three decades later.

“I’m still in touch with some of the crew over there,” the actress said, referring to Michele Roofthooft, who did her wardrobe forClarissa Explains It All, and her husband David Roofthooft, who was the executive producer’s assistant on the show. “They’re my son’s godparents.”

“They actually got married at the end of the show,” she shared. “Andthey’re still my closest friends."

source: people.com