The Iconic Role Melissa Joan Hart Was Supposed To Play In The '00s (& Why She Didn't Get It)

It's tough to think of many TV stars who are more synonymous with the 1990s than Melissa Joan Hart. In the early-to-mid '90s, Hart ruled Nickelodeon with her role as Clarissa Darling on "Clarissa Explains It All." Then, just two short years after "Clarissa" wrapped, in 1994, the actor started playing Sabrina Spellman on "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," a run that lasted well into the following decade. But like many actors, she's had her fair share of "what ifs" — and we're not talking about Melissa Joan Hart's disastrous first (and only) date with Blink-182's Mark Hoppus. In fact, something you may not know about the '90s icon is that, during the latter days of "Sabrina," in the early 2000s, she was set to take on what proved to be another iconic role, only for it to be recast at the last minute.

According to "Scary Movie" star and co-writer Marlon Wayans, Hart was the original choice to appear in the beloved 2000 horror parody flick as main protagonist Cindy Campbell (her name is a spoof of Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott from the "Scream" franchise). But his older brother Keenen Ivory Wayans, who was also the film's director, ultimately felt that the iconic role in "Scary Movie" should go to Anna Faris instead. And apparently, even Faris didn't know this fun fact until Marlon told her on Entertainment Tonight, in June 2026. "So, you took Melissa Joan Hart's job," he jokingly revealed, quipping, "Good job, Anna! Way to go. Taking food out of another white lady's mouth. [...] White-on-white crime!" Indeed, Faris played Cindy in not only the original "Scary Movie," but also the first three sequels and, eventually, the 2026 reboot. But that's actually not where Hart's part in this story ends.

Though she ended up losing the role of Cindy Campbell to Anna Faris, there was a point where Melissa Joan Hart was still going to appear in the first "Scary Movie" — albeit in a much smaller capacity. Unfortunately, she ended up being fired from the movie altogether for a frankly bizarre reason. While speaking with Betches, in 2025, the former child star recalled that she had been tapped to be in the opening sequence of the 2000 parody as Drew Decker, a spoof of Drew Barrymore's Casey Becker from the iconic opening of the original "Scream." According to Hart, she made it as far as a costume fitting, only to be abruptly let go from the movie after being told her breasts weren't big enough for the part. 

As a result, the role of Drew ended up going to Carmen Electra instead. Of course, given how deliberately salacious Drew Decker's "Scary Movie" scene is, it might be just as well that Hart wasn't involved, since it probably would have got her in trouble with her bosses over at Nickelodeon. In fact, Hart also discussed in her Betches interview how the day she was fired from "Scary Movie," in the fall of 1999, was the very same day ABC attempted to ax her from "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" over her — by the standards of the time, at least — scandalous Maxim cover shoot. 

Archie Comics reportedly pushed the network to fire their lead actor, as well as threatening to sue her on the grounds that the photoshoot violated the clause in Hart's contract about not sexualizing the character of Sabrina Spellman. However, the argument obviously didn't hold up, and she stayed on the show through its conclusion in 2003 (though it did end up moving from ABC to The WB).