Sandra Bullock has opened up about the uncomfortable reality she encountered while trying to establish herself as an actress, recalling auditions in New York where she said people asked her to 'drop' her pants.
The Oscar-winning actress made the revelation during a candid conversation with Jennifer Aniston for Interview magazine, published on 8 September 2026. The discussion came as Bullock reflected on the choices and experiences that shaped her career, including her early years before becoming one of Hollywood's most recognisable stars.
Bullock did not identify any specific person involved in the encounters. Instead, she described the experience broadly while explaining how difficult it could be for an actor trying to get their first opportunities.
Sandra Bullock Recalls Disturbing Early Auditions
Looking back on her time in New York, Bullock told Aniston that she was working as a waitress while auditioning for acting jobs.
'I was in New York, I was a waitress, I was auditioning for every pervert that existed, asking me to drop my pants,' she said. Bullock then recalled her reaction: 'Nope, not the role for me.'
Her description suggests that the actress encountered inappropriate requests while trying to find work, although she did not provide details of individual auditions or identify the people involved.
Bullock also placed those experiences in the context of the uncertainty faced by actors at the beginning of their careers. She explained that performers can feel pressure to accept opportunities because they never know when the next job might come along.
'Every working actor thinks you will never work again so you just take what you can get and make the most of it,' she told Aniston.
That fear of missing out on the next opportunity is particularly significant in Bullock's recollection, as she was describing a period when she was still working her way into the industry rather than speaking from the security of her later Hollywood success.
Bullock Did Not Name the People Involved
Although Bullock referred to the people making the requests as 'perverts', her account did not name a casting director, producer, director or specific production.
That distinction is important because her comments are a personal recollection of experiences she says she encountered during auditions, rather than a publicly identified allegation against a particular individual.
Several outlets reporting on the interview have likewise noted that Bullock did not provide names or further identifying details about the auditions.
Her comments nevertheless offer a glimpse into the less glamorous side of pursuing an acting career. Before becoming a major star, Bullock was one of many performers attempting to secure roles while dealing with the uncertainty that comes with freelance work in the entertainment industry.
The Actress Eventually Learned When To Walk Away
Bullock's response to the inappropriate requests was straightforward. Rather than accepting an opportunity simply because she needed work, she recalled deciding that certain roles were not worth pursuing.
Her 'Nope, not the role for me' response became part of a wider discussion with Aniston about the moments when Bullock deliberately made decisions about her career.
Interestingly, the actress said there were only a few times when she felt she had consciously directed the course of her professional life. One came much later, when she decided to move away from romantic comedies.
Bullock Wanted Different Roles
By the 1990s and early 2000s, Bullock had become strongly associated with romantic comedies and commercially successful films.
However, she told Aniston that she eventually felt the need to step away from the genre after receiving criticism for those roles.
'The only time I was intentional about my career was when I said, "I need to stop right now with the rom-coms," because I was getting so much shit for them,' Bullock said.
She subsequently took a role in Crash, the 2004 drama directed by Paul Haggis. Bullock described the film as 'a genius film' and explained that she wanted to 'start flexing other muscles'.
The film went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, while Bullock continued to build a career across comedy, drama, science fiction, action and other genres.
A Very Different Chapter for the Hollywood Star
Bullock's recollection of her early auditions comes as she returns to one of the films that helped define her career.
She is reprising her role as Sally Owens alongside Nicole Kidman in Practical Magic 2, the sequel to the 1998 fantasy film. The new film brings the two actresses back as the Owens sisters more than two decades after the original.
The timing lets Bullock reflect on both sides of her career: the uncertain period when she was still trying to get noticed and the decades that followed after she became an established Hollywood star.
Her comments about those early auditions are notably brief, but they reveal that her path to success was not always as polished as her later career might suggest.
Rather than describing a single named incident, Bullock recalled a pattern of inappropriate requests and the decision she made when faced with them: walk away.
For an actress who would eventually win an Academy Award and become one of Hollywood's biggest stars, the story is a reminder of just how uncertain the early stages of a film career can be and how different the reality of an audition room can be from the glamour associated with the finished film.
