Fans of Practical Magic are counting down to the long-awaited sequel, but one familiar face from the original film will not be joining the reunion. Evan Rachel Wood, who played Kylie Owens in the 1998 cult favourite, has opened up about why she will not return for Practical Magic 2—and admitted that missing out on the reunion is genuinely sad.
The upcoming sequel brings back Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, alongside Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest. However, the younger generation of the Owens family has been recast, with Joey King taking over the role of Kylie Owens and Maisie Williams playing her sister Antonia.
Evan Rachel Wood Explains Her Absence From the Sequel
Wood recently addressed her absence while speaking to Entertainment Tonight, explaining that she believes the decision is connected to the direction taken by the new film.
'I read the book, and it seems like they're not following the book,' Wood said. She added that, had the story followed the source material more closely, bringing her character back might have made more sense.
Her comments come after she had already confirmed that she was not invited to reprise her role. In 2025, Wood said publicly that she had even been willing to return in a smaller capacity, but was informed that the roles were being recast.
Rather than criticising Joey King, Wood has made it clear that her disappointment is centred on missing the chance to revisit a meaningful part of her childhood.
She Is Most Upset About Missing the Original Cast Reunion
For Wood, the biggest loss appears to be the opportunity to reunite with the people who helped make the original Practical Magic such a memorable experience.
She reflected on the fact that the cast had bonded while working on the 1998 film as children. Returning decades later would have offered something that could not easily be recreated—seeing the same people, in the same fictional world, with years of life and experience behind them.
Wood described it as particularly sad that audiences will not get to see that history reflected in the faces of the original younger cast members. She also said that revisiting the house and seeing the cast as adults would have been something special for fans.
That sentiment has resonated with the nostalgic appeal surrounding Practical Magic 2. The original film has maintained a devoted following over the years, making the return of its central stars one of the most anticipated elements of the sequel.
Joey King Takes Over the Role of Kylie Owens
While Wood will not appear, her character has not been written out of the story.
Joey King will portray Kylie Owens in Practical Magic 2. The actress joins Maisie Williams, who plays Antonia Owens, as the next generation of the Owens family.
King has previously spoken about the responsibility of joining such a beloved franchise. For the new cast, stepping into roles connected to a film with such a strong nostalgic following comes with considerable expectations.
Wood, meanwhile, has expressed support for the new cast despite her disappointment. Her comments suggest that she understands the filmmakers are taking the story in a different direction, even though she would have preferred the opportunity to be involved.
The sequel takes inspiration from Alice Hoffman's later novel
Practical Magic 2 is based on Alice Hoffman's 2021 novel The Book of Magic, which follows the Owens family several years after the events explored in the original novel. The film is also set decades after the 1998 movie, bringing the family into a new chapter involving secrets, magic and the origins of their powers.
Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman are returning as Sally and Gillian Owens, while Channing and Wiest are also reprising their roles as Aunt Frances and Aunt Jet. Director Susanne Bier is leading the sequel, with Akiva Goldsman, who worked on the first film, returning as a writer.
The decision to recast the daughters marks one of the notable differences between the original film and the forthcoming sequel.
A reunion fans will have to imagine
Wood's absence adds a bittersweet note to what is otherwise being promoted as a major Practical Magic reunion.
The return of Bullock, Kidman, Channing and Wiest offers fans a chance to step back into the world of the Owens family almost three decades after the original film. Yet Wood's comments highlight another side of nostalgia: sometimes the appeal of a reunion lies not simply in seeing familiar characters, but in seeing the people who originally played them return together.
For Wood, that is the part she will miss most. She has not suggested that she holds any ill will towards the new actors, but she openly acknowledges that the opportunity to revisit such an important chapter of her childhood has passed.
