Stockard Channing has been perfectly happy staying home. *Practical Magic 2* gave her a reason to make an exception.
The 82-year-old actress joined Dianne Wiest, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman and the rest of the cast Aug. 26 for the movie’s European premiere at London’s Odeon Luxe Leicester Square. It was a rare red-carpet appearance for Channing, who arrived in a midnight blue suit and cream blouse.
Page Six called it her first red carpet in more than two years. Getty Images’ archive supports the long absence: Channing’s previous documented appearance was at the July 18, 2024, press night for *Hello, Dolly!* at the London Palladium.
There was also someone waiting on this carpet whom Channing knew particularly well. She and Wiest played Frances and Jet Owens, the eccentric aunts who helped make the original *Practical Magic* a cult favorite in 1998.
Twenty-eight years later, Aunt Franny and Aunt Jet were together again.
Channing and Wiest Picked Up Where They Left Off
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Channing and Wiest posed together before joining Bullock, Kidman and other members of the sequel’s cast. Whatever 28 years did to their off-screen chemistry, neither woman made it sound like much.
Speaking to Reuters, they described slipping back into their partnership as “silk off a spool.” Fans had a hand in getting them there.
“They asked for this to be done,” Channing said. “This is all based on popular demand.”
Wiest also credited the audience that kept *Practical Magic* alive long after its original theatrical run, pointing to both the fan groundswell and the movie’s depiction of women supporting one another.
Channing Has Been Quite Happy Away From Red Carpets
A two-year gap between red carpets does not mean Channing disappeared. She has continued working. Publicity, however, has occupied a much smaller part of her life.
Earlier in August, Channing wrote about that life in an essay for *The Sunday Times*. She has lived alone since her longtime partner, Daniel Gillham, died in 2014. “I’ve lived alone since I lost Daniel and I’m happy being a recluse,” she wrote.
His death changed more than she initially realized.
“It was more devastating than I realized; it had a lag effect,” Channing said. “The pattern of my life shifted, so I shifted my life from Maine.” That shift eventually took her across the Atlantic. Channing left New England for London shortly before the pandemic and has remained there. Her comments about life after Gilliam’s death were subsequently detailed by PEOPLE.
Recluse might describe her social life. Retirement does not. Channing’s production of Samuel Beckett’s *Krapp’s Last Tape*, starring David Westhead, is playing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe through Aug. 31 and is scheduled for additional dates during the remainder of 2026. Beyond those commitments, she isn’t making promises.
“I’m not sure I’ll do anything after that,” Channing wrote. “Acting is like everything in life; you never know what’s going to happen.”
For the moment, at least, she had another trip to make with the Owens family.
The Owens Women Are Back 28 Years Later
Channing returns as Frances “Franny” Owens, with Wiest again playing Jet. Bullock and Kidman reprise their roles as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens. Joey King, Maisie Williams, Lee Pace, Xolo Maridueña and Solly McLeod are among the additions.
*Practical Magic 2* picks up roughly 25 years after the first movie, bringing several generations of Owens women together as the family’s curse once again causes trouble.
Warner Bros. lists Susanne Bier as director, working from a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel. The story draws from Alice Hoffman’s 2021 novel *The Book of Magic*.
Bullock and Kidman also serve as producers. At the London premiere, Kidman reflected on the improbability of where she and Bullock had ended up. Twenty-eight years ago, Reuters reported, it would have been difficult to imagine the pair still leading a major studio movie together while handing part of the story to a younger generation of Owens women.
That younger generation will not have long to wait.
*Practical Magic 2* begins its international theatrical rollout Sept. 9. Warner Bros. has the North American release set for Sept. 10, 2026.