Beth Broderick (left) and Caroline Rhea inHoliday Mismatch.Photo:Hallmark Media/Philippe Bosse
Hallmark Media/Philippe Bosse
Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea are still linked in a festive way from their time together onSabrina the Teenage Witch.
In a recent interview with PEOPLE, the two friends and costars reveal that they share the same holiday highlight from the series: American pop singer Johnny Mathis guest starring in the season 2 episode “Sabrina Claus.”
Rhea, who played Aunt Hilda on the 1996-2003 show, says it was “such a privilege” to have Mathis sing Christmas songs to her, Broderick andMelissa Joan Hart, who played Sabrina.
“In between takes he sang for us,” Rhea tells PEOPLE. “And you know, it’s Johnny Mathis.”
Broderick, who played Aunt Zelda on the hit show, echoes this admiration.
“It just doesn’t get better than that in my book,” she says. “We were both just dying, we were just swooning, and he was just a legend and was a legend to my mom and my dad . . . It was just a really moving thing for us to have him there.”
From Left: Caroline Rhea, Beth Broderick and Melissa Joan Hart in ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’.Vivian Zink/ABC via Getty
Vivian Zink/ABC via Getty
Broderick, who has done 11 Christmas films including this month’sThe Merry Gentlemenon Netflix, described filming a holiday movie as a “joyful experience” and says it’s “impossible for anyone to be unhappy shooting a Christmas movie.” While filmingHoliday Mismatch, she recalls laughing with Rhea every day, noting their comedic chemistry in one scene in which the two make turkey sandwiches.
“We both made each other laugh repeatedly while filming that scene with both of us kind of improvising and doing what we do together,” Broderick says.
Rhea has similar fuzzy feelings about making Christmas movies. She says her favorite part of the genre is “the outcome.”
Beth Broderick (left) and Caroline Rhea in ‘Holiday Mismatch’.Hallmark Media/Philippe Bosse
“I like happy endings. I do. I like movies that you can watch with your whole family,” she says. “I think that was the best part ofSabrina. You could leave your kid in front of the television to watch the show and nothing was happening on that show that was scary, it was just sort of joyful.”
She continues: “The biggest gift ofSabrinais that it’s like generational entertainment because we’re now on our fourth generation of kids watching that show."
While she has a “gazillion favorite” moments from the long-running series, Rhea recalls Halloween episodes being equally festive for the cast, including one fateful episode in season 2 called “A River of Candy Corn Runs Through It.”
“I swear to you, I did not eat candy corn for like 15 years,” Rhea tells PEOPLE. “Because if I wrote a show business book I always said I would call itI Ate All My Prop Food.”
source: people.com
