After nearly three decades Practical Magic 2 is finally in theaters, officially kicking off spooky season in the process. Fans have waited a long time to catch up with the Owens women, regularly watching the 1998 original (which is streaming now with a HBO Max subscription). And Sandra Bullock recently spoke about how personal it was filming the long-awaited sequel following the death of her partner Bryan Randall.
Bullock lost her partner in 2023 after a battle with ALS, with her sister issuing a statement shortly thereafter. Since a major theme of the Practical Magic franchise is grief, her art and life intersected as the Gravity actress filmed the sequel. In a video from CBS Morning's Instagram, Bullock was asked about the movie's writers leaning into her personal life while crafting Sally's narrative in PM 2. She explained by saying:
It was going to show up whether I liked it or not. And you don't know when it will show up. So I was like 'whatever you want to take from it, cause I'm gonna be there anyway.' You might as well come with all of me rather than manufacture.
Talk about self-aware. It's only been a few years since the Oscar-winning actress experienced a loss, just like Sally does early into Practical Magic 2. The through line of grief is important to the movie, its story, as well as Sandra Bullock's character. So she thought it made sense to lean in, given how emotional she likely would have been on set either way.
Practical Magic 2 is also a book to screen adaptation, and in the source material Sally is similarly dealing with loss, mourning, and isolation. In the same interview, Bullock addressed this by saying:
But also Alice [Hoffman] in the book, she was very clear on her trajectory of Sally. And it was very similar to mine, very similar. She already wrote the book before I had experienced it. So it was already there you know?
The writing was on the wall. Or in this case, the book. So it makes sense that Sandra Bullock might want to embrace the way her role and real-life tragedy intersected. Because as she put it, it probably would have been hard to suppress those feelings once cameras went up.
When asked what it was like shooting the Practical Magic sequel so soon after the loss of her partner, the Miss Congeniality icon got real about balancing her grief with parenting, and how shooting was ultimately a source of joy. In her words:
It's funny. I felt like my process was, like, you know, you just want to do the right thing for the kids. So it's almost robotic. Not until we went to England did I feel truly, like free. Not free of a grief, but it was such a happy time.
Talk about moving. While Bullock is obviously still living with grief, it's heartening to hear that a joyous time she had while filming Practical Magic 2. There were probably some very emotional days of shooting, but overall it seems like she had a great time back in Sally's shoes alongside Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, and Stockard Channing.
Practical Magic 2 is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. The movie finally managed to dethrone Spider-Man: Brand New Day at the box office, so maybe it's not the last we've seen from the Owens witches.
