Sandra Bullock is opening up about the harassment she faced while breaking into Hollywood, sharing new details in a conversation with her longtime friend Jennifer Aniston. As reported by Unilad, the interview touched on Bullock’s early years auditioning in New York alongside her recent return to the screen for Practical Magic 2, which hit theaters on September 10, 2026. The conversation also covered the moments Bullock says shaped her career more than any deliberate plan.

Bullock recalled working as a waitress in New York while grinding through auditions early in her career. “I was in New York, I was a waitress, I was auditioning for every pervert that existed, asking me to drop my pants. I was like, ‘Nope, not the role for me,'” she told Aniston. She said actors often feel pressure to take whatever is offered out of fear they will never work again, which she said makes it harder to hold a boundary.

Bullock said the only time she felt fully intentional about a career decision was when she stepped away from romantic comedies. She said the criticism she was receiving for the genre at the time pushed her toward the 2004 film Crash, an ensemble drama with Don Cheadle, Brendan Fraser, Thandiwe Newton and Matt Dillon that tackled racial divides, police brutality and politics, a sharp turn from lighter films like Miss Congeniality and While You Were Sleeping.

Bullock also discussed the original 1998 Practical Magic, telling Aniston it was “absolutely eviscerated” by critics when it came out. “If you look at the reviews, they were scathing. ‘How many women do you need in a film? How many emotions need to be in a film?’ I had a decent amount of shame because I thought I’d done something wrong,” she said, adding that the film later found its audience through social media and being passed between mothers and daughters, arriving the same week OpenAI agents drew scrutiny for acting without oversight online.

Returning for the sequel brought its own emotional moment for the cast. Bullock described reconnecting with Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing, who reprise their roles as Aunts Jet and Franny Owens alongside Nicole Kidman. “We did a Zoom to see everyone, and then we heard that Dianne Wiest voice. We all just combusted with tears,” she said, adding that the reunion felt like going home.

According to Wikipedia’s entry for the film, Practical Magic 2 is directed by Susanne Bier and follows the Owens family confronting a long-standing curse that threatens the next generation, with Joey King, Lee Pace, Maisie Williams and Xolo Maridueña joining the returning cast, arriving the same week a billion dollar divorce settlement made headlines in the gaming industry.

The film has received mixed reviews since release, though Bullock and Kidman’s reunion as Sally and Gillian Owens has been widely noted as a highlight of the cast’s return.

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