Practical Magic star Alexandra Artrip has opened up about her character being recast for the film’s sequel.
“I love hearing your stories and connections to the film, but … I see them going on a lot of content around the sequel,” Artrip, 36, said in a Thursday, September 3, Instagram video after her OG costar Evan Rachel Wood claimed that nobody from the original film reached out to her about her own recasting.
“I think the sentiment is right. People are trying to show support for Evan and myself and the original film and everything that it’s meant to so many people, but I just don’t want my stuff to be a space for negativity,” Artrip, who has retired from acting, continued. “Maisie [Williams] and Joey [King] are lovely actresses, and I’m sure the production team did what they thought was best for the film to be successful.” (Williams, 29, and King, 27, replace Artrip and Wood’s characters in Practical Magic 2.)
She added, “I just think we should support the film, give it a shot, go in with an open mind and nothing can take away from what the original film was and I’m excited that we’re able to build on that world with a new novel and new content in 2026, and that it’s given me a space to revisit all of those beloved memories to many years later.”
Artrip, who portrayed one of Sandra Bullock’s character Sally Owens’ daughters in the 1998 original, addressed the upcoming sequel one day after Wood, 38, took to her own Instagram account to address the casting decision. “I really appreciated Joey King reaching out to me because no one who worked on the original film did. She’s a sweetheart,” Wood, who portrayed another Owens sister, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, September 1.
King had told The Hollywood Reporter at the Los Angeles premiere of Practical Magic 2 on Monday, August 31, that she’d shared a “lovely” conversation with Wood about taking on the role. “I just was so appreciative of the support that she showed to me and to the rest of the cast. She is so talented and so beautiful and she made this role so special when she was a young girl,” King said at the time. “I feel so grateful to be able to play Kylie at this age but I love Evan so much and I’m so appreciative of her kind words and the exchange that her and I shared.”
Wood confirmed in July 2025 via her Instagram Stories that she wouldn’t be returning as Kylie Owens in Practical Magic 2. “I am getting asked about this a lot, so l’ll just clear it up now; I was not asked to come back and be in the Practical Magic sequel. l offered my services, even if it was one scene or one line. I was told they are recasting,” she wrote at the time. “I am sorry to disappoint the fans. It was not in my control or my choice. I would have happily rejoined my sisters.”
One month later, she said during an interview with Entertainment Weekly that she believes the decision came down to where the sequel’s story was headed. “I read the book and it seems like they’re not following the book,” Wood told the outlet. “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.”
