'Practical Magic 2' Star Says Queer Fans Will Connect With Joey King's Kylie as Sequel Celebrates Female Bonds

For nearly 30 years, 'Practical Magic' has grown from a poorly received 1998 fantasy into a cult favourite for women, with its story of sisterhood, individuality and women drawing strength from one another.

Now, as 'Practical Magic 2' returns the Owens women to the big screen, that legacy is being handed to a new generation through Joey King's Kylie Owens, a character co-star Xolo Maridueña believes many queer viewers will particularly connect with.

Xolo Maridueña Says Queer Fans Will Identify With Kylie

Maridueña, who plays Kylie's love interest Gideon, explained that the original 'Practical Magic' had a significant impact on the queer community and that its themes remain relevant in the sequel.

'I think the first film had a lot of impact when it came out with the queer community,' he said, adding that the new film brings those themes 'to a new generation'.

The actor specifically pointed to Kylie's journey of self-discovery, saying her 'coming to fruition' is something he believes queer people will 'totally identify with'. He also highlighted the film's broader message about loving someone unapologetically and being willing to fight for the person you love.

King's Kylie is the daughter of Sandra Bullock's Sally Owens, while Maisie Williams plays her sister Antonia. The sequel shifts the focus towards this younger generation as the Owens family confronts its magical inheritance and the curse that has haunted its women for generations.

How 'Practical Magic' Became Female-Centred Pop Culture

That emphasis on female relationships is not new to the franchise. In the original film, Sally and her sister Gillian, played by Bullock and Nicole Kidman, were at the centre of a story in which romance mattered, but never more than the bonds between women.

The original has been described as a story about a clan of women that has resonated with generations of female viewers, which helps explain why a film that initially struggled with critics eventually developed a loyal following.

The change in reputation is striking because 'Practical Magic' was not an obvious success when it arrived in cinemas in 1998.

It was criticised and underperformed at the box office, but its reputation changed in the years that followed.

The film became a cult favourite, helped by streaming and social media, with fans embracing its witchy aesthetic, female friendships and offbeat vision of family life.

That history gives 'Practical Magic 2' significance beyond simply being another legacy sequel.

The franchise has become part of a wider tradition of female-centred pop culture in which women are allowed to be imperfect, powerful, romantic, funny, frightened and loyal without the story's men necessarily being the main attraction.

'Practical Magic 2' Passes the Torch

The sequel leans directly into that inheritance. Bullock and Kidman return as Sally and Gillian, while Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest reprise their roles as Aunt Frances and Aunt Jet. This time, however, the younger Owens women are stepping into the centre of the story.

One review of the sequel points out that the film's central strength remains its theme of feminine solidarity, with the Owens story continuing to revolve around women supporting one another across successive generations.

That context makes Maridueña's comments about Kylie particularly fitting. Her story is not simply about finding romance or discovering magic. It is about coming into her own identity while surrounded by women who have spent generations learning how to survive, love and protect one another.

For a franchise whose later reputation has been built largely on those relationships, 'Practical Magic 2' is therefore doing more than revisiting a nostalgic favourite. It is extending a piece of female-centred pop culture to a new generation while allowing queer viewers, as Maridueña hopes, to find something of themselves in Kylie's journey.