Sandra Bullock on returning to film, motherhood and «Practical Magic 2» for Interview Magazine
«I’m a little tired, but I’ve never been happier»
Sandra Bullock is the star of the September issue of Interview Magazine. For the accompanying photoshoot, the 62-year-old actress posed among theatrical sets created by renowned Hungarian photographer Sylvester Makó, with Lisa Jarvis overseeing the styling.
Alongside the shoot, the actress gave an intimate interview, conducted by her longtime friend Jennifer Aniston. Their conversation touched on Bullock’s four-year career hiatus, motherhood, Hollywood and her return to «Practical Magic».
Bullock’s most recent film — «The Lost City» — was released in 2022. Since then, the actress has largely stayed away from the big screen. Aniston joked that during that time, audiences might have thought Bullock had disappeared for an entire century.
Now she is back — and fittingly, it is with the sequel to «Practical Magic». The original film, in which Bullock played Sally Owens alongside Nicole Kidman, was not well received by critics when it was released. The actress recalled feeling deeply uncomfortable after the premiere because of the devastating reviews.
But everything changed over the years. The film found its audience and became a beloved story for several generations: «Mothers watched it with their daughters, and the daughters grew up and then watched it with their own daughters. It was completely unexpected», Bullock said.
Ultimately, it was the audience’s love for the film that made her consider returning for a sequel.
This time, «Practical Magic 2» carries a much more personal meaning for Bullock. She sees the film not simply as a return to familiar characters, but as an opportunity to say something important to her own daughter, Laila.
«I wanted to say something important because, to me, this is a love letter to Laila», Sandra confessed.
Bullock connects the story of her character with her own experience as a mother. She wanted to leave her adopted daughter a kind of personal message — one filled with apologies for the moments when she may have let her down, failed to find the right words or simply got something wrong.
«I wanted to give her a love letter with my “I’m sorrys”. If I’ve let her down somewhere, if I don’t know how to say the right words — I’m sorry», Sandra shared.
What frightens her most at the moment is watching her children grow up. «I just want to do the right thing, help her be as brave as she already is. And that scares the hell out of me», the actress admitted.
Motherhood has also changed Bullock’s attitude toward work. If her career once had the power to dictate her schedule, the opposite is true now.
«If the kids can’t be with me, I don’t go. Their schedule is more important than me telling another story. Period», she declared.
Sandra has also become increasingly aware of the day when her children will grow up and leave home.
Her son Louis is now 16 and a half: «I need to figure that out because kids are always supposed to leave», the actress said.
During their conversation, Aniston and Bullock also discussed some of her career decisions. At one point, the actress deliberately stepped away from romantic comedies, even though the genre had made her one of its biggest stars.
«The only time I consciously decided where my career needed to go was when I said, “I need to stop doing romantic comedies right now”, because I was getting so much criticism», she recalled.
After that, Bullock took on a dramatic role in «Crash», hoping to show audiences another side of her acting abilities.
Today, however, she sees things very differently. Sandra admitted that she has missed comedy and would like to work in the genre again.
Aniston noted that audiences also want to see a return to the romantic comedies that were so popular in the 1990s and early 2000s. Bullock responded in her typically playful way: «Some people want to bring back sexiness. We’re bringing back humor».
Then she added: «Who needs sex? It’s too much work».
Bullock also opened up about why she is so protective of her private life. According to the actress, being private has been part of her nature since childhood.
«I was incredibly private from the time I was a child. I drove my mom crazy with it. It’s just part of my nature», she said.
Hollywood, Bullock believes, does not always leave people the right to privacy. This is especially difficult when there are people around who are willing to use personal information for money.
At the same time, Sandra wishes she could be less anxious and allow herself more freedom.
In her view, that is precisely why «Practical Magic 2» has arrived at the right moment. The story of two witch sisters offers an opportunity to explore not only magic, but also female strength, support and society’s fear of independent women.
When Aniston asked what had helped her remain in demand for so long, Sandra gave a simple answer: «Talent, time, the ability to say “no”».
Then she added one more thing — gratitude: «I know how lucky I am, and I know that this can all end very quickly», she said.
Today, Bullock does not want to make rigid plans for the future. She admits that she is tired and somewhat burned out, and wants to devote more time to life outside of work.
«Maybe I just need to stop for a little while and start communicating more outside of the work environment. I’m a little tired, a little burned out, but I’ve never been happier», the star confessed.
Photo: Interview Magazine
