The Secret Circle Exclusive: Jessica Parker Kennedy on Growing Up Witch

Sabrina may have made it look easy, but Jessica Parker Kennedy has a message:

Being a teenage witch is a challenge!

I spoke to The Secret Circle star this week - Jessica plays Melissa, a close friend of Phoebe Tonkin's Faye and member of the coven at the center of the series - and she made it clear that the core group will struggle with their supernatural side and, well, passing notes in class.

"It's about a bunch of teenagers," Parker said. "It's a difficult time for anyone. You're searching for who you are and, on top of that, you're a witch??!?"

At Comic Con, Kevin Williamson said certain steps will be taken to make sure the witches don't gain too much power too quickly, a point Kennedy reiterated in our interview.

"The kids are all new witches," she said. "And having those powers isn't always a good thing. I's a blessing, but it can get a little dangerous."

Probably the most intriguing aspect of the series premiere - I've seen it, I loved it, I'll be reviewing it this week in detail - is the tension between the older generation and the younger generation of witches. There are clearly many secrets and machinations at work here.

"[Natasha Henstridge and Gale Harold] have such a pivotal part," Parker teased. "There's this dynamic between kids and adults... it's dark, in a lot of ways, the relationship between the adults and the teenagers. You'll be wondering who we should work with, who we should work against."

And you'll start wondering on September 15, when The Secret Circle premieres after a new episode of The Vampire Diaries.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.