Maisie Williams says she played role as sapphic in Practical Magic 2 as lesbian plot cut
Maisie Williams at the Warner Bros. Pictures “Practical Magic 2” Los Angeles Premiere. (Getty Images)
Maisie Williams has said she played Antonia Owens in Practical Magic 2 as a “sapphic icon”, even though the film does not make the character’s sexuality explicit in the way Alice Hoffman’s novel does.
Speaking to Gay Times, Williams, who plays Antonia in the sequel now in cinemas, said her approach stayed the same even as the film changed around her. “There’s been a lot of different edits to the movie, and there was a lot of different versions of the script, but I always played Antonia as a sapphic icon,” she said.
She added: “I think it brought a real joy to the scenes when we would be talking about Gideon [Kylie’s boyfriend], because Antonia just has a completely different perspective on men altogether.”
In Hoffman’s 2021 novel The Book of Magic, Antonia is revealed to be a lesbian and has a love interest named Ariel, a lawyer who helps the family investigate the curse. The book also includes Antonia being pregnant with her best friend’s baby.
In the film adaptation, Antonia’s sexuality is not made clear.
What happens in Practical Magic 2
Practical Magic 2, directed by Susanne Bier, is adapted from The Book of Magic with a script credited to Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett and Kelly Marcel. The story follows Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) as they chase Sally’s daughter Kylie (Joey King) to England, in an attempt to break an ancient family curse and save Kylie’s comatose boyfriend Gideon (Xolo Maridueña).
The film is a follow-up to the 1998 Practical Magic, which later became a cult favourite. Warner Bros announced the sequel in 2024, with the film being released earlier this month (September 2026).
What Maisie Williams and Sandra Bullock said
Williams is best known for playing Arya Stark in HBO’s Game of Thrones, and has spoken over the years about navigating fame from a young age and choosing varied roles after the series.
Bullock has also suggested the franchise could continue. “We’ll do a number three if this takes off. And we’ll pass the torch to the girls,” she said.
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