LOS ANGELES _ Sarah Jeffery is living a "Charmed" life.
"I feel really lucky to be telling this story at this time. We understand that it's such a sacred thing to so many people, not only the cast, but the fans. So we're very gracious and grateful," Jeffery says.
What makes Jeffery feel like she's having such great fortune is being cast in the updated version of the sisterhood of witches series, "Charmed," scheduled to debut Sunday on The CW. She plays Maggie Vera, a bubbly, kindhearted young woman who is a freshman in college and a sorority pledge. Her mother's death rocks her confidence and her relationship with her older sister, Mel (Melonie Diaz). Things get more complicated when she learns of another sister, Macy (Madeleine Mantock).
Getting along with siblings is nothing new for Jeffery as she has two sisters, a half-sister and a half-brother. The sibling bond was one she felt with her co-stars, as Jeffery and the other actors clicked immediately and there's a feeling of sisterhood on set.
"We get along so well," Jeffery says. "It doesn't feel forced at all. We hang out. We have wine nights. We watch 'Charmed' clips together. I think we are lucky that there was a natural connection."
Unlike her real siblings, the "Charmed" sisters have powers. Mel can freeze time, Maggie can hear the thoughts of others and Macy has telekinetic powers. Jeffery initially says she would hate to have the power to read minds because hearing all the thoughts would be a burden, but she adds that because she is such an empathetic person, the skill to have some idea what's going on in another person's mind could be a bonus when acting.
"Charmed" is based on the series of the same name that aired from 1998-2008. The new series continues a lot of elements from the original, such as Whitelighters and the Book of Shadows. The most important continued element is there's power in three.
Unlike the original, the casting of the three sisters was more diverse. Executive producer Jennie Snyder Urman, has had not any major negative reactions to the change.
"I didn't feel a backlash against them being not white," she says. "I felt a backlash about it not being a revival of the original."
Jeffery would have loved to start the series with 100 percent support but understands why there has been a backlash since the original was an iconic series. She admits there is trepidation when bringing a character back to life, but it wasn't as daunting with "Charmed" because the three stars are playing different characters. The main thing Jeffery wants to do with "Charmed" is to be respectful of the foundation of the original series and to stick with the mythology.
This isn't the first time Jeffery has taken on a character that has been portrayed on TV before. She played Daphne Blake in "Daphne & Velma," a live-action film featuring the two female members of the Scooby-Doo squad.
"I grew up watching Scooby-Doo and was an avid fan of Daphne. She was my favorite and I named my first stuffed animal after her," Jeffery says. "I had a good grasp of who the character was and all I wanted to do was bring more layers into her so she wasn't just the cute, ditzy one.
"I wanted to be smart and have heart and be curious."
Jeffery's acting career hasn't been limited to remakes and reimagined series. The Canadian, who started dancing when she was 3, spent three seasons playing the daughter to Jennifer Lopez's character on "Shades of Blue." Jeffery almost didn't get the role on "Charmed" because she was attached to "Shades," but the latter ended in time for her to become part of the new witches' circle. Her other credits include "Aliens in The House," "Be Somebody," "The X-Files," "Rogue" and "Wayward Pines."
