“Practical Magic 2” is the much-anticipated sequel to the beloved 1998 classic. In the film, Sandra Bullock plays Sally Owens and stars opposite Nicole Kidman as her sister, Gillian Owens. In a chat with Jennifer Aniston for Interview magazine, Bullock discussed what the film means to her and why she was dedicating it to her daughter, Laila.
Sandra Bullock Gives Rare Insight Into Her Daughter’s Personality
Bullock opened up about how she’s changed from the woman she was in the first film to who she is now. “There was so much—I hate the word shame, but it really did feel that way,” she said in the Interview magazine chat. “One of the old press junket interviews popped up recently, and I looked at my body language: hunched over, trying to give a funny little answer, and I thought, ‘Oh my god, she’s so sad.’”
She continued, “But coming back to this, knowing we were invited back to the table—how often does a studio say, ‘We need you to make this film?’ That need came from people who love the film, so you have a responsibility. I make movies because I want to make people laugh, make them cry, make them feel.”
“Practical Magic 2” is especially important to Bullock, who is a mother in the film to two daughters. “In this one, I really wanted to say something, because this is my love letter to Laila,” she said. “My daughter is very much like Kylie, the character Joey King plays, and you know Laila, she is the fire.”
GettyBullock revealed her intention to dedicate the film to her daughter, and stressed the importance of being there for her. “I wanted to give her a love letter of my sorrys. If I failed, if I don’t know how to say the right thing, I apologize,” she said. “I just want to do right by her, to help her be as brave as she already is, and that scares the (expletive) out of me. I’m a fearful person. She is not. She thinks nothing can happen to her because she’s already survived.”
Sandra Bullock’s Two Children
Bullock is a mother to two children whom she adopted. She adopted her son, Louis Bardo Bullock, in 2010, when he was a baby. In 2015, they expanded their family when she adopted her daughter, Laila Bullock. Laila was a toddler when the actress adopted her.
Bullock’s new film marks her return to the spotlight as she navigated personal struggles after the passing of her longtime partner, Bryan Randall. Randall died in August 2023 from the nervous system disease ALS. He was 57. But Bullock has previously admitted how much she values family time and prioritizes being home with her children.
“I’m not retiring, just going to not spend time in front of the camera for a while. I have beautiful babies. I’d rather look at them,” she told People in 2022. “I’d rather look at them every day and have them be mad at me and annoyed and make memories with them for right now.”
