The actress spoke about the recasting while attending the red carpet premiere of her upcoming FX series “The Shards.”
Evan Rachel Wood Says the Sequel’s New Direction Changed Her Place in the Story
Wood portrayed Kylie Owens in the 1998 fantasy favorite “Practical Magic,” playing the eldest daughter of Sandra Bullock’s Sally Owens. The original film followed sisters Sally and Gillian Owens as they confronted a generations-old family curse while balancing magic, loss, and sisterhood. Although it received mixed reviews upon release, the movie has since become a cult favorite and inspired a long-awaited sequel.
Looking back on the experience, Wood said she still feels the emotional weight of not returning alongside the cast she grew up with. “It is sad, because 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, it’s something that can’t be faked,” she said to Entertainment Tonight. She added, “I’m sad that doesn’t get to exist, especially for the fans.”
The sequel will instead feature Joey King in the role originally played by Wood, while Maisie Williams takes over as Antonia Owens, previously portrayed by Alexandra Artrip. Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, and Dianne Wiest are all returning, with the film set for release on September 11.
Wood also suggested that the screenplay has moved away from the story she expected after reading Alice Hoffman’s “The Book of Magic,” the novel that serves as the sequel’s source material. “I read the book and it seems like they’re not following the book,” she said. “I think in the book it would have made sense to bring me back; I think in the way they’re redoing it and approaching it, it didn’t make sense.” The actress previously revealed that she had offered to return in any capacity, even for a brief appearance, but was informed the role would be recast.