When you look at Sandra Bullock’s filmography across nearly 40 years, the actress has done just about everything under the sun. But, as the 62-year-old recently reflected, there was a time in her career when she felt as though she had to step away from the romantic comedy genre. Bullock didn't mince words about why she stopped making such films for a time, and she also revealed the movie that helped her ease out of them.
Bullock has been in some of the best romantic comedies like While You Were Sleeping, Practical Magic and The Lost City. She recently confirmed she was very "intentional" about shifting away from them for a major reason:
The only time I was intentional about my career was when I said, ‘I need to stop right now with the rom-coms,’ because I was getting so much shit for them. And I took a role in this film called Crash. …. It was a genius film. I wanted to start flexing other muscles.
For the first decade of Sandra Bullock’s career, she was arguably doing rom-coms more than any other mainstream starlet at the time. As she told real-life bestie Jennifer Aniston for Interview Magazine, she was actually getting flak for being in so many of those movies. It's true that she's also long been praised for her link to the genre, but there are certainly times when audiences revolt against a star who seems to be all over an aspect of the industry.
So Bullock needed a change, and 2004’s Crash allowed her to make that intentional career shift. The Paul Haggis-directed crime drama became a Best Picture winner and surely opened the door for Bullock to take more dramatic roles in movies like The Blind Side and Gravity. And that aforementioned sports drama actually won Bullock the Oscar for Best Actress.
While there was a time when she wasn’t into romantic comedies, she’s totally up for them now. She went on to say this to Aniston:
Now more than ever, I miss that. I want to do nothing but that now… Some people want to bring sexy back. We’re going to bring the funny back.
Wouldn’t that be great? Back in March, it was reported that Sandra Bullock would team up with the writer of The Lost City for another movie at Sony. With that in mind, Bullock might have another comedy on the horizon, and I love to see her bringing “the funny back”.
More recently, the All About Steve star reunited with Nicole Kidman to make the witchy sequel Practical Magic 2. The role marks Bullock's first film since 2022’s The Lost City (another rom-com) with Channing Tatum. It seems Bullock now has a greater appreciation for doing comedies, and that's certainly understandable. Many could argue that it's harder to get a theatrical release for a comedy than it used to be. So it's understandable that Bullock would want to bolster the genre a bit.
Aside from having Practical Magic 2 on the 2026 movie schedule, Bullock has been keeping a relatively low profile, though. In recent years, Bullock has been honest about feeling “so burnt out” around her career. The actress is also the mom to two teen children, Louis and Laila, and was a caregiver to her partner, Bryan Randall, as he battled ALS from 2020 up until his death in 2023.
When it comes to Sandra Bullock's career, it's unfortunate to think about her enduring backlash for doing rom-coms. It's sweet that she's getting her flowers these days, though, and I'm eager to see what she contributes to the genre next. For right now, though, know that Practical Magic 2 is in theaters nationwide.
