Lacey Chabert on Experiencing Lots of Firsts — Including Kissing — Through Claudia Salinger on 'Party of Five'

"Everyone was so kind and nurturing and just helped me through those, you know, awkward teenage years… I’m really happy I had those years on set," Chabert said of starring in 'Party of Five' from ages 11 to 17

Lacey Chabert has nothing but positive feelings when she looks back on playing Claudia Salinger on Party of Five.

Chabert, 40, recently opened up about her Party of Five years on Christine Taylor and David Lascher’s podcast Hey Dude... The 90s Called!.

The actress shared that she was grateful to have grown up with Claudia — and that the character actually experienced a lot of “firsts” before she did.

“It was a little bit of a different way of growing up and not everyone can relate to it,” she said. “It was interesting because sometimes my character would go through things in life on the show that I had yet to actually go through in life. You know, like my first kiss and all of this kind of embarrassing stuff.”

Related: Lacey Chabert Says She 'Would Love' to Do a 'Party of Five' Reunion: 'Sign Me Up'

Chabert played Claudia from the time she was 11 to 17, which she said encompassed “pretty much every teenage phase." Still though, she “loved every part of” her time on the show, even the “awkward” phases.

“When I think back on it now as a mom, especially now, I am so lucky that I was surrounded by such wonderful people,” she reflected. “Everyone was so kind and nurturing and just helped me through those, you know, awkward teenage years. I have the best memories from the show. … I’m really happy I had those years on set.”

Looking back, the actress said she really appreciates “how good the writing was” on Party of Five, especially when it came to tackling sensitive topics.

The acclaimed Fox series revolved around the Salinger siblings — Charlie (Matthew Fox), Bailey (Scott Wolf), Julia (Neve Campbell), Claudia and baby Owen (Jacob Smith) — who were left to grow up on their own after losing their parents in a car accident.

“The show was very dramatic,” Chabert explained on the podcast. “The characters were also vulnerable and they were all going through very real things. And the show tackled a lot of really real, you know, mature issues.”

Chabert also revealed that she was “heartbroken” when the show was canceled in 2000 after six seasons.

Luckily, she shared, most of the cast members are still in touch today.

“So many of us are still very, very, very close,” she said. “They're a part of my life now. And it's been nice to grow up together and become parents … you know, go through different phases of life together.”

Chabert — who welcomed a daughter, Julia, in 2016 with her husband David Nehdar — also admitted she’s forgotten some Party of Five storylines all these years later. "Occasionally I'll see an episode online or something and here or there and I'll be like, ‘Oh, I forgot about that scene!’” she said.

But, she clarified, there are other scenes that she “could probably recite” on the spot still today.

“I think I remember every audition scene for everything I've ever auditioned for,” added the actress, who has gone on to star in numerous Hallmark films and played Gretchen Weiners in Mean Girls.

Related: Lacey Chabert Shares the Future of 'Crossword Mysteries' and More Hallmark Follow-Up Movies

Because of her positive experience on the show, Chabert has previously expressed interest for a potential Party of Five revival.

The series was rebooted in 2020 as a new show of the same name, centering on a family of Mexican-American siblings whose parents are deported. It was canceled by Freeform after just one season.

“I don't know if there ever will be, but I would love that,” she said on Good Day DC in January. “I am 100 percent [there]. Sign me up, I want to know what Claudia's doing."

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All seasons of Party of Five are available to watch on Prime Video and Apple TV+.

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