1. It's not necessary.
2. It could be interpreted as "She talked to the star as if she had just been talking to her husband." - which is not the meaning.
3. It's a simple comparison, so there's no need for the tense differences. "She talked to the star in the same way as she talked to her husband". (Assuming he's alive).
"She talked to the star in the same way as she used to talk to her husband". (Assuming he's dead).
"She talked to the star in the same way as she would have talked to her husband". (Assuming he's dead).
Great explanation, especially point 2! I totally agree, it might sound as if she were talking to a star and sounding as if she had just/recently/earlier been talking to her husband.
Sykim99, consider the following:
I spoke to the taxi driver as if I had been drunk. (This sounds like I'm saying I might have been drunk in the past or previously)
I spoke to the taxi driver as if I were drunk. (This is clear that the way I was speaking to the taxi driver sounded as if I were actually drunk at the time)