‘Practical Magic’ Original Star Breaks Her Silence on Being Recast — And Refuses To Let Fans Turn It Ugly
Nearly 30 years after ‘Practical Magic’ cast its spell on audiences, the Owens sisters are once again the talk of Hollywood. With ‘Practical Magic 2’ set to hit theaters Sept. 10, nostalgia for the 1998 cult classic has been building for months, fueled by trailers, red carpet reunions, and a wave of think pieces revisiting the original’s legacy.
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are both back as Sally and Gillian Owens, alongside Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing as the eccentric aunts who raised them. But not everyone from the original film made the jump to the sequel, and that decision has quietly become one of the most talked-about subplots surrounding the release.
That’s because Sally’s daughters, originally played by Evan Rachel Wood and Alexandra Artrip as children, have been recast with Joey King and Maisie Williams for the follow-up. The shift sparked immediate pushback online, with some fans even threatening to skip the sequel altogether in protest. Now, Artrip herself is finally weighing in, and her message is a lot more measured than fans might have expected.
In a video posted to her Instagram, the retired actress, now 36, addressed the wave of comments flooding her page about the switch-up. She made clear she didn’t want her account turning into a landing spot for hostility toward the new cast, even as she acknowledged fans were coming from a place of love for the original film and its stars.
Artrip went out of her way to praise King and Williams as “lovely actresses,” adding that she trusted the people behind ‘Practical Magic 2’ made the choice they believed would serve the film best. Rather than dwelling on being replaced, she encouraged viewers to approach the sequel with an open mind and give it a fair shot before passing judgment.
Director Susanne Bier has offered her own explanation for the casting shakeup, framing it as a practical necessity rather than a personal slight against the original actors. “It was not a personal thing,” Bier told Variety at the film’s Los Angeles premiere, explaining that the story required the sisters to be portrayed as adults fresh out of college, which made recasting unavoidable.
Not everyone connected to the original film has taken the news quite as gracefully. Wood has been notably more vocal about her disappointment, revealing that she’d offered to appear in even a single scene of the sequel but was told the production had already moved forward with new casting. She’s also said that, aside from King reaching out personally, no one from the original creative team contacted her once the decision was made.
That contrast between Wood’s more pointed reaction and Artrip’s determinedly upbeat one has only added fuel to the online debate, with some fans rallying behind Wood’s frustration while others echo Artrip’s call for grace. Either way, the recasting drama has become inseparable from the conversation around the sequel itself, for better or worse.
Whatever side of the debate fans land on, ‘Practical Magic 2’ arrives in theaters carrying the weight of nearly three decades of devotion to the original. The real test will be whether audiences can separate their loyalty to the first film’s young cast from their excitement for where the Owens family story goes next.
What do you think about the recasting of Sally's daughters in Practical Magic 2?
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