30 Magical Facts About 'Practical Magic'

The flavor of fall is more like midnight margaritas than pumpkin spice lattes now that the Owens sisters are back in the mix. The return of Sally and Gilly Owens in Practical Magic 2 comes nearly 30 years after Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman first brought them to life, yet the coastal comfort of the 1998 classic continues to spellbind fans old and new.

When Practical Magic first hit theaters, critics weren't sure what to make of its mishmash of mid-90s romance, magical cocktails, and manslaughter. But what Hollywood didn't quite get at the time, audiences eventually fell in love with: the whimsical sisterhood, the Victorian dream house, and the idea that "there's a little witch in all of us."

But as perfect as the film is for a fall rewatch, what went down behind the scenes was anything but practical. From real-life curses and tequila so bad you wouldn't be able to taste the belladonna to architectural facades and ancient folklore, here are 30 bewitching facts about Practical Magic.

Sandra Bullock Handpicked Nicole Kidman as Her Co-Star

Sandra Bullock was already in the limelight when she was cast as Sally Owens, but she suggested Nicole Kidman for the role of Gillian despite never having met her. Bullock felt their opposing energies would balance each other out, she recalled in commentary on the Practical Magic DVD.

Kidman jumped at the chance, noting that she had mostly worked with male co-stars up to that point in her career and was excited to collaborate with another woman. Director Griffin Dunne added that the two actresses immediately shared an effortless, sisterly chemistry on set.

The Sisterhood Extended Behind the Scenes

Kidman came to the set fresh off filming Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut (1999), where she was accustomed to shooting 70 or 80 takes per scene. Bullock, on the other hand, was used to more standard two- or three-take setups, making their contrasting approaches an interesting dynamic for Dunne to navigate.

A Real Witch Hired as a Consultant Threatened to Curse the Movie

Scorned witches and curses existed behind the scenes of Practical Magic, too. Dunne's decision to hire a practicing witch to lend the movie authenticity backfired when she went rogue, asking not only for $250,000 but also a percentage of the film's gross and her own cookbook.

The witch later filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. and left Dunne a foreboding voicemail in which she spoke in tongues and threatened to curse the director and his project. The legal department quickly wrote her a check, and Dunne held a New Age exorcism ceremony on set to "cover his bases," he told Vulture.

The Real-Life Hex Inspired an Iconic Line

The bizarre witch debacle wasn’t a total loss. It directly inspired a line of dialogue in the film: "Curses only have power when you believe them." Despite the drama, many real-life witches love the movie for its portrayal of sisterhood within a coven and its practical depiction of magic.

The "Midnight Margaritas" Party Wasn't Just Movie Magic

During the famous "midnight margaritas" scene, Kidman brought her own "bad tequila" to the set, Bullock revealed in the DVD commentary. This led all four actresses to actually drink on camera—and, after Dunne decided to add Harry Nilsson's song "Coconut" to the final cut, the crew joined in, too. The result was a drunken dance party for the cast and crew that lasted long after the scene wrapped.

The Owens' Victorian House Was an Empty Shell

Though much of the interior was shot on a California soundstage, the iconic Victorian home was an "architectural shell" built on San Juan Island in Washington. Inspired by East Coast lighthouses, the exterior was complete with a winding staircase that led to Gilly's attic bedroom.

The house was constructed as a shell rather than a full-fledged home because the site sat on sacred Native land where digging was prohibited. Thus, the entire structure had to be dismantled the day after filming wrapped.

Barbra Streisand Tried to Buy the Owens' House

Award-winning singer and actress Barbra Streisand was so enamored with the Owens residence that, after watching the movie, she called the producers to ask if she could purchase the property. She was, of course, unaware that it was merely an empty shell that had already been demolished.

Gillian's Iconic Red Hair Was Actually a Custom Wig

Kidman and wigs have become synonymous among fans, but few realized that Gilly's long red hair and wispy curtain bangs came courtesy of a custom copper hairpiece in the 1998 film. Kidman loved the iconic wig so much that she kept it in storage for nearly three decades, eventually bringing it back out when production began on Practical Magic 2 so her stylists could use it as a color reference for a new, textured version.

The Interior Set Design Launched a High-Profile Career

Production designer Robin Standefer crafted the movie's warm, magical interiors. Her work on the film caught the attention of celebrities, leading to a lucrative second career as an interior designer for stars like Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor.

The Iconic Aunts Drew Inspiration from Stevie Nicks and Ballet

Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest played Sally and Gilly's eccentric aunts, Frances and Jet, who were also ancient witches. Their bohemian wardrobes were inspired by Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks, Channing told Vulture, featuring flowing fabrics, beads, and heavy jewelry to evoke a "sense of timelessness."

For makeup, Channing suggested "ballet makeup"—complete with black lipstick and cascading curls—to round out their otherworldly look.

Stockard Channing Lied About Speaking French for a Free Trip

Channing falsely claimed she was fluent in French so Warner Bros. would send her to Paris to dub her own lines for the French release. She later confessed to Vulture that it was one of the "stupidest things" she had ever done, acknowledging that the studio likely had to re-record her lines with a proper French voice actor as soon as she left.

Gary Hallett's Eyes Fulfill Sally's Spell—Thanks to Colored Contacts

As a little girl, Sally casts a spell to prevent herself from falling in love, wishing for a man with a list of "impossible" traits—including "one blue eye and one green." While Officer Gary Hallett displays heterochromia in the film, actor Aidan Quinn doesn't actually have two different-colored eyes in real life. Both of his eyes are naturally bright blue, so special effects were used throughout filming to fulfill Sally’s childhood spell.

The Film Featured Notable Child Actors

A young Camilla Belle played the younger version of Bullock’s character, Sally. Additionally, Evan Rachel Wood played Sally's daughter, Kylie, in one of her earliest major movie roles.

Goran Višnjić’s Role Was Rewritten Specifically for Him

The villainous Jimmy Angelov was originally written as Jimmy Hawkins from Texas. That all changed when Dunne saw Croatian actor Goran Višnjić in Welcome to Sarajevo (1997). After a quick audition and casting, Dunne rewrote the character as Eastern European to better suit Višnjić.

The Original Version Was Much Darker and Ghostlier

The initial cut of Practical Magic focused far more heavily on the ghost story and the dark trauma of domestic violence involving Jimmy Angelov. Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman noted that the early cut split screen time more evenly between Bullock and Kidman and had a much darker tone. Nonetheless, Warner Bros. deemed it "too intense," Dunne explained to Vanity Fair, and re-edited the movie to make it lighter and more romantic.

Practical Magic Briefly Had Two Competing Soundtracks

Composer Michael Nyman originally wrote and recorded the complete score for Practical Magic. However, studio executives felt Nyman's score wasn't a standard "Hollywood soundtrack" and decided to replace it with a new score by Alan Silvestri shortly before the theatrical release. This led to a brief period when two completely different soundtracks were available for purchase.

Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell Anchored the Music

Stevie Nicks contributed two songs to the film's bewitching soundtrack: "If You Ever Did Believe" and a newly recorded version of "Crystal," both featuring Sheryl Crow on backup vocals. Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You" was also pivotal—a CD of the song was sent along with the script to Kidman to convince her to take the role.

Supernatural Occurrences Happened on Set

During the DVD commentary, the cast and crew revealed that they experienced unexplained, "supernatural noises" while filming the coven exorcism scene near the climax of the movie.

Special Effects Kept Nicole Kidman Safe During the Possession Scene

The unforgettable scene in which a possessed Gillian writhes wildly on the floor required some protective measures. To make the scene feel realistic, Kidman insisted on "slamming her head" against the floor, prompting the crew to install rubber flooring to protect her from injury, Dunne told Yahoo!. Dunne lauded her commitment to the physical acting, noting that her skin would visibly shift from pale white to bright red during takes. "She looked totally possessed," Dunne said.

Coupeville, Washington Stood in for the Town

The town scenes—including Sally’s apothecary shop, which was actually a real bakery in town—were shot in Coupeville on Whidbey Island, Washington. For the final Halloween scene featuring the Owens witches' annual performance, local residents were hired as extras for $40 a day to play the townsfolk.

The Movie Touches on Real Death Omens and Folklore

Practical Magic incorporates several genuine pieces of superstition and folklore: the ticking sound of the "deathwatch beetle" (a real insect associated with impending death in 17th-century England), a black dog following Sally's husband before his accident, and the sisters cutting their hands to become blood sisters (a trope later mirrored in the 2000 horror movie Ginger Snaps).

The Book and Movie Are Vastly Different

Alice Hoffman's 1995 novel differs significantly from its on-screen adaptation. Most glaringly absent are the iconic midnight margaritas scene and the lethal curse on the men Sally and Gillian fall in love with. In the book, the sisters don't live with their aunts, and Sally's daughters, Antonia and Kylie, play a much bigger role than the aunts do.

Multiple TV Spinoffs and Prequels Failed to Launch

The success of Practical Magic led to numerous potential spinoff projects, but none of them stuck. In 2004, Bullock executive-produced a TV pilot titled Sudbury, starring Kim Delaney as Sally and Jeri Ryan as Gilly, but CBS passed on it.

A few years later, in 2010, ABC Family tried to develop a prequel series, but it was scrapped early in development. The closest the Owens family story came to being revived was in 2019, when HBO ordered a pilot for The Rules of Magic, based on Alice Hoffman’s 1960s-set prequel novel about aunts Franny, Jet, and Vincent. The project ultimately stalled during the pandemic.

Griffin Dunne Has Hollywood in His Family Tree

The film's director, Dunne, is the nephew of legendary writer Joan Didion. He's also an actor, having starred in An American Werewolf in London (1981), and the brother of actress Dominique Dunne, who starred in Poltergeist (1982) and was tragically murdered the same year the film was released.

Practical Magic Became a Cottagecore Classic

Decades after its release, Practical Magic has become closely associated with the "cottagecore" aesthetic. From its cozy botanical interiors and herbalism to its sun-drenched coastal views and vintage fashions, it's easy to see why.

The Movie Was Initially a Box-Office Bomb

Despite its current cult classic status, the film failed to recoup its reported $75 million budget, grossing roughly $68.3 million worldwide. Critics generally turned their noses up at it: Roger Ebert famously characterized Practical Magic as "too scary for children and too childish for adults," and it holds a low 31% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Sally’s Shop Name Holds Deep Supernatural History

Sally’s botanical shop, which sells natural bath oils, lotions, and balms, is named Verbena, a flowering plant steeped in witchcraft lore. Also known as vervain, verbena has long been considered a sacred herb of protection and healing. Historically used in love spells and herbal medicine, it makes a fitting name for an Owens family business.

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