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Sandra Bullock is one of those celebrities who isn't shy about addressing their worst movies. But despite having more than a couple of downright bad pictures in her filmography, there's no doubt that she's been part of some truly massive films. Others, however, have earned cult status over time.
While 1998's Practical Magic was indeed a box office success when it was initially released, it was largely panned by critics. And since then, it's been forgotten by the mainstream. Diehard fans of the witchy flick, however, are still addicted to the film's iconic fashion as well as its odd balance of multiple genres.
During an interview with Vulture, Sandra Bullock's co-star, Stockard Channing, revealed why she thinks the film eventually found an audience.
What Is Practical Magic Really About?
While Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman may be the stars of 1998's Practical Magic (which was directed by Griffin Dunne), the supporting cast is equally beloved. This includes the two sisters' witchy aunties, played magnetically by Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing. Like Rizzo in Grease, Channing has become closely associated with her Aunt Frances character. Perhaps because she, as well as Wiest's Jet, so perfectly encapsulated the aunt we all wish we had growing up.
Practical Magic, first and foremost, is about family. While there's the magical aspect, the crime aspect, the horror aspect, and certainly a strong romantic plotline, it ultimately comes down to the relationship between the different generations of women. And, most importantly, the dynamic between the sisters.
"It was really about the relationships of all these women — the aunts and the nieces and all that," Stockard Channing explained in her interview with Vulture. "That was [director] Griffin [Dunne]’s focus. We weren’t playing witches; it was more like we were playing the relationships."
How Stockard Channing Was Cast In Practical Magic
Despite having a much smaller role than both Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing shines alongside Diane Wiest in Practical Magic.
"It was a very good time in my life," Stockard Channing explained to Vulture of the period in which she was cast as Aunt Frances. "I was in Los Angeles, and actually [director] Griffin [Dunne] was an acquaintance of mine and, to be perfectly honest, I had a party with a lot of mutual friends and something about that movie came up. The next evening, he rang, and I said, 'I want to do it.' And it happened."
The whole casting process happened quite quickly. And while Channing certainly read the script, she admitted to Vulture that she mostly remembers the preparations she made for playing a witch.
"I remember a lot of conversation about how this character should look. The wonderful Judianna Makovsky did the clothes. She’d done Six Degrees of Separation, and she’s just miraculous," Channing explained to Vulture. "I remember the wig was curly and long and everything, and we just went way out on a limb with the crazy fabrics and clothing. It was kind of marvelous because it lifted [the character] out of time, if that makes sense. She wasn’t young or old. She wasn’t unattractive — she was quite attractive at times. But the more eccentric it was, the more it worked."
Channing also did her best not to reference any of the other prominent witch characters in film and television. But she was undoubtedly inspired by Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks.
"That very female, feminine thing — all those fabrics and floating things — that was especially Judianna Makovsky. Lots of beads and jewelry. Not as mobile as Stevie Nicks, probably. But that same sense of timelessness," Stockard Channing admitted to Vulture.
Why Practical Magic Became A Cult-Classic, According To Stockard Channing
Despite opening to a strong box office, critics weren't too kind to Practical Magic when it was first released... or since, for that matter. It appears as though the main reason for this lies in the fact that the studio clearly didn't know how to market it. After all, it bends genres in a way that wasn't typical for films at that time. However, this is also one of the reasons why so many have gravitated toward it in recent years.
During her interview with Vulture, Stockard Channing revealed that she stays away from reading reviews or even seeing her work. But the Grease star realizes that the film has earned a cult status.
"My recollection, which may or may not be accurate, is that it had a greater life after it first opened," Stockard Channing explained to Vulture. "I couldn’t tell you if it made money; I wouldn’t be aware of that at all. But I am aware that, over the years, a lot of people... have been crazy about it. So it’s lived on, which is interesting. And I don’t know why that would be. It certainly is a very unusual film."
But the fact that the movie is so "unusual" is surely a selling point for those who've found it since its initial release. During her interview with Vulture, Stockard Channing explained that she felt DVDs, streaming, and, originally, VHSs, really helped the film find a home with audiences.
"God love the VHS and all the technology. People stayed home and watched it. If you looked at the movie Grease, if it wasn’t for the technology of VHS and DVDs — that’s responsible for a lot [of the success]. And I think the fact that people can pick and choose what they want to see, and it’s in the privacy of their own home, their friends’ homes, that’s the phenomenon that came on only when this duplication was possible," Channing explained.
"Otherwise, you’d have to go to the movies. And people can access it now even more so, to the point that they’ll see it and resee it," she continued. "That’s what I’ve heard when people have mentioned it to me over the years. I think it’s uniqueness, probably. And it’s very beautiful to look at. It’s well-made, and the performances are wonderful. No slouches here."
