Melissa Joan Hart Recalls Her ’90s Movie Premiere as ‘One of the Worst Days’ of Her Life

Melissa Joan Hart is opening up about how the premiere of her film, Drive Me Crazy, was ruined when she was body-shamed and fired in the same night. The Have Yourself A Merry Little Ex-Mas star made the revelation in an appearance on Betches’ Picture Day, where she took a look back at photos throughout her career.

While talking about a photo where she poses on the red carpet with Britney Spears at the Drive Me Crazy premiere, Hart says, “If you look at my eyes, they’re very bloodshot because this was what I would consider, if you read my book, one of the worst days of my life at the time.” 

She said that she and the “Baby One More Time” singer did joint press for the film together. She was set to travel to Vancouver to shoot Scary Movie. It was made worse after she learned of her fate in the satire film. 

“I was supposed to be this small part in the beginning, that’s like the Drew Barrymore knockoff part, but they decided when I did the fitting that I didn’t have big enough boobs for that part,” she remembered. “I’m driving to the airport and back in those days you had, the cell phone in the limo, and I got a call, and it was like, ‘Turn around, go back to your premiere. You’ve been fired from the movie.’”

She says it made things a bit crazier, despite her wanting to ultimately attend the premiere. “So I was already crying and waiting for everyone to finish the movie and come on over. And when they get there, my lawyer meets up with me first and says, ‘Because of your cover of Maxim magazine, you’re being fired from your show.’” The Scary Movie role would go to Carmen Electra.

Hart was disappointed because she felt it would be her breakout role since her hit 90s sitcom, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. “So then I really start crying. And then my dad comes and hugs me. And I don’t see my dad often, so like for him to hug me? I was, like, ‘Oh my God, my dad’s hugging me.’ It was just a dramatic night,” she remembered.