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Practical Magic 2 director explains the "explosive" chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman – and how their differences are stronger than their similarities
The Owens sisters are back on the big screen in a new sequel almost 30 years on from the original.
Warner Bros
- Patrick Cremona
Published: Friday, 11 September 2026 at 12:54 pm
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Although the first Practical Magic film was far from a critical hit when it was first released back in 1998, it has gone on to build an enduring cult following in the near three decades since.
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Of course, there are many reasons why the film struck a chord with that fanbase, but undoubtedly one of the most important factors is the dynamic between lead stars Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, who starred as the very different – but equally cursed – sisters Sally and Gillian Owens.
Now the pair have reunited for a new sequel, which has just arrived in UK cinemas and sees Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier take the directorial reigns.
Bier has previous experience of working with both Bullock (on Netflix hit Bird Box) and Kidman (on glossy TV shows The Undoing and The Perfect Couple), and speaking to Radio Times ahead of release, she revealed the pair have lost none of their chemistry in the 28 years since the first film.
"They're pretty explosive," she said in an exclusive interview. "They have such great chemistry that it's kind of like you couldn't stop it – I could have gone on filming those scenes between them forever because it's incredibly dynamic between the two of them."
She added that while the actors do have some similarities, it's perhaps their differences that make them such a good fit – much like the characters that they play.
"They are not like antagonistic differences," Bier explained. "They're just different. And I think they enjoy that, both of them.
"And I think that they recognise stuff [in each other], but I think they also kind of go, 'Whoa, who's that alien who's my sister?' There is a real, deep, profound fascination between the two of them.”
Bullock and Kidman aren't the only two stars of the original who are back this time around, with Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest reprising their roles as the sisters's eccentric witchy aunts Frances and Jet.
And Bier said that it was "super important" to her that the two veteran actors had a key role to play in the events of the film, especially given they are such fan favourite characters.
"I was really starstruck meeting them," the director admitted. "I don't normally get that, but there's just something incredibly lovable about both of them. So I was like, 'Whoa, okay!'
"And then I also love their costumes. Like the whole thing about them is just so endearing to me."
Meanwhile, there's also a new generation of Owens sisters in the shape of Kylie and Antonia, played by Joey King and Maisie Williams – with Bier explaining that it was these new characters that convinced her that there was definitely a place for a sequel.
"The first time reading the script, I thought about Joey King," she added. "There was just something about her being funny and being naughty and being intense and being very emotional.
"And then when we started looking at Maisie, it was like, this is amazing. They're both really poetic, and Maisie has a lot of strength, she's got a lot of secrets."
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Practical Magic 2 is now showing in UK cinemas.
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Authors
Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
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