Nostalgia is a powerful force in the entertainment industry, and we’ve gotten long-awaited sequel and reboots of various beloved movies over the years. Case in point: Practical Magic‘s sequel is hitting theaters in September. Folks regularly re-watch the OG Practical Magic, which featured a young Evan Rachel Wood and Alexandra Artrip as Sally’s daughters. Now, those two stars have broken their silence about not being invited back for the follow-up film.
What we know about Practical Magic 2 is limited, but fans of the original quickly clocked that two new actresses are playing Sally’s daughters Kylie and Antonia. The sequel wrapped last September, with Joey King and Game of Thrones‘ Maisie Williams playing the roles originated by Wood and Artrip. But what do the original Owens sisters think about this shakeup?
What Evan Rachel Wood Has Said About Not Returning
When Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock returned to their roles for Practical Magic 2 (alongside Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing), the same can’t be said for the former child actresses who played Kylie and Antonia. Fans were especially bummed about Evan Rachel Wood, who is still a successful working actress to this day. The Across the Universe actress was asked by ET about not returning in the cozy fall movie’s sequel, where she said:
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I read the book and it seems like they’re not following the book. I think in the book it would have made sense to bring me back. I think in the way that they’re redoing it and approaching it, it didn’t make sense.
Practical Magic 2 is a long time coming, and the book to screen adaptation is apparently taking some bold swings away from the source material. This is seemingly the big reason why Evan Rachel Wood wasn’t asked to reprise her role along with the rest of the returning cast, which many have called out given she’s still very much a working actress. While she understands why this creative decision was made, she also wishes she got to return to that franchise as an adult. The True Blood alum went on to say:
It is sad because, you know, we bonded with that cast so much as children. And so to miss out on the opportunity to look at that cast and look at that house as an adult and see the history in our eyes is something that can’t be faked. And so I’m sad that that doesn’t get to exist, especially for the fans. But I wish them all the best and obviously wish Joey King the best. And I hope she had a great time.
Talk about a bummer. As Wood pointed out, fans would have loved to see her all grown up as Kylie alongside the rest of the returning Practical Magic cast. The Frozen 2 star understands how the business works, but she admits she would have loved to return to the Owens House, and see it with her adult eyes.
What Alexandra Atrip Has Said About Practical Magic 2
Of course, Wood wasn’t the only Owens girl who didn’t get the call to return for Practical Magic‘s sequel. The same can also be said for her co-star Alexandra Atrip, who played younger sister Antonia. Her absence makes more sense since she stopped acting after the original movie, with Atrip giving her perspective to Yahoo! in a conversation about the magical movie. In her words:
I don’t want to speculate on why we were recast because the truth is I don’t know. I retired from acting when I was 8 years old, so I was never really expecting to get a call. I look at it as I got to play Antonia in one chapter of her story and, if that served as any source of inspiration for Maisie, then what an honor! I can’t wait to see how she portrays the character as a young adult, and it is just such a gift to have a connection to this franchise that’s beloved by so many.
There you have it. This is a different perspective on Practical Magic 2‘s casting than Evan Rachel Wood, but they have one thing in common: they both seem to have loved their time filming and the 1998 movie’s ongoing legacy. What’s more, they both are wishing the cast of the sequel the best as they return to this magical world.
Practical Magic 2 will hit theaters on September 11th as part of the 2026 movie release list. In the meantime, the original is streaming with a HBO Max subscription for folks who want a refresher before the sequel arrives.