Aidan Quinn Reveals Why He’s Not in Practical Magic 2
Practical Magic 2’s new teaser casts its spell—Sandra Bullock’s Sally shepherds her daughters and Nicole Kidman’s Gillian resurfaces—but one beloved presence is missing. Aidan Quinn explains why Gary won’t return for the sequel.
So, the Practical Magic 2 trailer just dropped, throwing everyone back into that world of New England witchery we first saw way back in 1998. If you were scouring the teaser for familiar faces, you probably noticed one key person wasn’t there: Aidan Quinn. Yeah, the guy who played Gary, the investigator who got mixed up in all the magical mess last time around. Turns out, there’s a pretty straightforward – if oddly Hollywood – reason why.
Where's Gary?
Fans started wondering where Quinn was after the trailer showed Sandra Bullock’s Sally trying to manage her (now older) daughters and Nicole Kidman’s Gillian chilling out with a cat. All good until, surprise, the tranquility gets totally upended and the sisters get roped into another crisis – obviously, or we wouldn’t have a sequel.
But no sign of Gary. The question: Was this some creative choice, or did someone just forget to make a call?
Aidan Quinn Spells It Out
At an Irish film awards red carpet (because where else do you clear up Practical Magic sequel drama?), Quinn gave a pretty candid answer. He was straight up asked if he’s returning as Gary. His reply:
'No, I wasn’t asked. I would have said yes, but I wasn’t asked.'
So that’s it. No drama, no bad blood, no scheduling conflict. They just… didn’t call him. He doubled down when the interviewer joked maybe Nicole Kidman could pull some strings. Quinn’s response:
'Well, I think it’s already been done.'
In other words, decisions have been made and the script is locked.
Reminiscing and Roster
Quinn didn’t seem bitter, though – he spoke pretty fondly about the OG cast, calling Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman 'phenomenal' and saying he had a great time with them back in the day (most of his scenes were with Bullock, if you remember).
As for the rest of the returning and new cast, here’s the lineup for Practical Magic 2:
- Sandra Bullock (Sally Owens)
- Nicole Kidman (Gillian Owens)
- Stockard Channing
- Dianne Wiest
- Joey King
- Maisie Williams
- Lee Pace
- Xolo Maridueña
- Solly McLeod
The sequel dropped its teaser at CinemaCon, confirming the Owens family is back for more chaos when the movie hits theaters in September 2026.
So in classic Hollywood fashion, Aidan Quinn just didn't get the callback. Honestly, it's surprising – not even a cameo? If he'd been asked, he would have said yes, so chalk this one up to whatever mysterious forces (probably not magic) move casting behind the scenes.