Joey King and Maisie Williams; Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. Credit :Valerie Terranova/Getty; Mindy Small/WireImage

Joey King and Maisie Williams knew they had big shoes to fill when they joined Practical Magic 2.

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE at Teen Vogue Fest 2026 at the Duggal Greenhouse in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday, July 25, the actresses open up about the pressure they feel stepping into the beloved world of Practical Magic — and how Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock help put them at ease.

“Definitely,” King, 26, says when asked whether she feels the weight of joining the franchise, with Williams, 29, agreeing, “Yes.”

“As fans of the original film myself, ourselves, I feel like when you love something as much as we already love Practical Magic, there’s just massive responsibility of joining the team and wanting to do it justice,” King tells PEOPLE.

But Williams says a message from Bullock, 62, quickly helped ease their nerves.

“Sandra just texts us both straight away,” Williams says. “I think it says, ‘Hello, it’s your mother here.’ And I think, wow,” she recalls, prompting King to add, “Mother.”

“It is just amazing. She’s so lovely. The nicest woman in Hollywood,” Williams continues.

King, who previously worked with Kidman, 59, in A Family Affair, says the experience also gives her the opportunity to reunite with someone she has already grown close to.

“They are the best duo ever. Nicole and I worked together a few years ago. She plays my mom in a movie and we become really close from that, which is so crazy. I’m just such a fan of her. I’m so in awe of her. She’s the nicest person ever,” King says.

King says that bond extends beyond filming, particularly with Bullock.

“Sandy just takes us under her wing as her daughters. It is really special to have this post-movie bond with her that we have. She sends us voice notes all the time,” King says. “She’s always hyping us up. She’s just the sweetest. They’re the best.”

That close relationship also played out during filming, where King and Williams found themselves trading generational slang with their costars.

Williams recalled that she and King frequently joked about Williams’ on-set wig by referencing Katy Perry’s viral “Wig” meme — which eventually caught Kidman’s attention.

“We were saying ‘wig’ a lot. And then Nicole was like, ‘What’s wig?’ And we were like, ‘It means work it, girl,’” Williams told moderator Chloe Malle.

Kidman quickly caught on, according to Williams, who recalled, “And so she was like, ‘Ah, wig.’”

King said Bullock got in on the joke too, with both stars eventually using the phrase themselves.

“After a great take, they’d be like, ‘Wig?’ And we’d be like, ‘Wig. Oh my gosh,’” King said.

But the lessons went both ways. Williams said Bullock introduced her and King to internet trends she had learned about from her children.

“Sandra keeps teaching us about what the kids are listening to now. She taught us ‘67,’” Williams said. “And she also taught us about Clavicular. He’s a looksmaxxer.”

Their friendship continued after the cameras stopped rolling. King revealed that the four actresses share a group chat, where Bullock and Kidman regularly praise their younger costars.

“Yesterday, there was a photo of us that came out, and then Sandy texted it to us and was like, ‘Oh my God, you guys are the cutest thing in the whole world. What the hell?’ And we were just like, ‘Oh my God, we love her so much.’ It was so nice of her,” King recalled.

The group also spent time together away from set, including a sleepover hosted by Bullock.

“It was so nice. We stayed up late, had our little midnight margaritas moment, and then stayed over at her house,” Williams said.

The next morning came with another memorable bonding moment.

“And the next morning, she made the hot tub up. And we went in the hot tub and she was working away and she’s like, ‘Can I get you girls anything?’ And we’re just screaming in the hot tub like, ‘Wow.’ It was so fun,” Williams recalled.

PEOPLE first confirmed in June 2024 that Kidman and Bullock were in early discussions to return to the Practical Magic universe. That came nearly three decades after they first portrayed sisters Gillian and Sally in the 1998 cult favorite, adapted from Alice Hoffman’s 1995 novel.

By July 2025, Warner Bros. had expanded the returning ensemble, announcing that Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest would once again step into the roles of Frances “Franny” Owens and Bridget “Jet” Owens. King and Williams were also added to the cast, joining Lee Pace, Xolo Maridueña and Solly McLeod in the new installment.

Plot details remain under wraps, but the sequel is expected to center on Sally and Gillian alongside a new generation of Owens women — Kylie (King) and Antonia (Williams) — whose lives are upended when a mysterious newcomer (Pace) arrives in their New England town with an unexpected purpose.

Practical Magic 2 debuts in theaters on Sept. 11.