Evan Rachel Wood Addresses Practical Magic 2 Recast

Evan Rachel Wood has offered a pointed but supportive response to the recasting of her character in Practical Magic 2. The actor praised Joey King for contacting her personally while saying that no one who worked on the original movie had reached out about the sequel.

Wood played Kylie Owens, the older daughter of Sandra Bullock’s Sally Owens, in the 1998 film. King takes over the role in the new installment, which returns to the Owens family nearly three decades after the original became a pop-culture favorite.

Wood thanks Joey King for reaching out

In an Instagram Story reported by TheWrap and Just Jared, Wood called King a “sweetheart” and said she appreciated the younger actor making contact. Her message separated King from the broader production decision, making clear that Wood’s frustration was not directed at the performer inheriting the part.

King had previously described their exchange as a warm conversation and credited Wood with making Kylie memorable in the first film. The mutual respect gives the recasting discussion a more personal dimension than a standard casting announcement.

Director Susanne Bier has said the change was driven by the sequel’s timeline. The story requires Kylie and her sister Antonia to be recently out of college, making younger actors necessary for the version being filmed. Maisie Williams is playing Antonia, the role originated by Alexandra Artrip.

A sequel built around a new generation

Practical Magic 2 brings back the world introduced by the Griffin Dunne-directed original, which starred Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens. The sequel draws from Alice Hoffman’s novel The Book of Magic, with returning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman joined by Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel.

Wood has said before that she understood why the filmmakers’ approach might not include her, even though the book’s version of the story could have allowed a return. Her latest comment adds that the manner in which the decision was communicated still mattered.

The film is scheduled to open in theaters on September 10. For now, Wood’s response keeps the focus on professional courtesy while King steps into a role closely associated with the original movie’s next generation.