Disney's Hocus Pocus 2 star Sam Richardson teases his mysterious role by saying he shared many scenes with the Sanderson sisters. Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker charmed their way into the hearts of audiences as Winnie, Mary, and Sarah Sanderson, three witches hellbent on staying young forever in the original Hocus Pocus. Decades after the family film's 1993 premiere, the Sandersons are an established part of the Halloween characters canon, and viewers were finally granted their wish of seeing the fabulous trio return when Disney greenlit Hocus Pocus 2 in 2020.
Midler, Najimy, and Parker quickly signed on to reprise their witchy characters in Hocus Pocus 2, and actor Doug Jones was soon announced to once again play zombie Billy Butcherson. Helmed by director Anne Fletcher (The Proposal) and written by Jen D'Angelo (Workaholics), production started in the fall of 2021 in Rhode Island. As filming got started, Disney revealed new cast members joining the project, including Veep star Richardson. Though little is known about the comedic actor's role, reportedly named Gilbert, he has begun to do press about the filming experience.
Now, Richardson tells The New Yorker that he had the privilege of shooting many scenes with the Sanderson sisters. Although he won't divulge details about his mysterious character, the performer doesn't hold back on gushing about his surreal time filming with the Sanderson witches. Check out what the star, who is a big fan of the original movie, has to say below:
I don’t want to get myself in trouble and then be on Disney’s s**t list for time immemorial. But I can say that I did get to shoot a lot of scenes with the ladies, and as a fan of all three of them, who grew up watching that movie, it was a really surreal and really fun and exciting process to get to watch them be those characters up close, and then also get to interact with them was really fun and really cool. And I was outside of myself the whole time, just, like, Wow, I’m watching Hocus Pocus from the inside.
It was clearly a joy for Richardson to be a part of the sequel. Though he doesn't give anything away about his character, The Afterparty star makes it known he's going to be seen alongside the Sanderson sisters quite a bit. A Hocus Pocus 2 set photo previously showed the performer filming with the quirky threesome inside their old cottage. Richardson isn't the only Hocus Pocus fan to become a new cast member, as he's joined by Whitney Peak, Lilia Buckingham, Belissa Escobedo, Tony Hale, Hannah Waddingham, and Froy Gutierrez.
What separates Richardson from the other new cast members is that he's confirmed to be in "lots of scenes" with the Sanderson sisters. While it's unknown if his character is assisting their evil plan or a prisoner, it's clear from his comedic background that he has the chops to keep up with the trio. Not only is sharing the screen with them thrilling for him as a fan of the original movie, but also for audiences, because it means they can expect many Hocus Pocus 2 Sanderson sisters scenes. It aligns with other comments on Hocus Pocus 2 from insiders, who have called it the Sandersons' movie. Of course, audiences will have to wait until September to see just how much Sanderson time they're being treated to.
Source: The New Yorker