Today is Halloween, with all the candy and costumes that come with the occasion. But there's also plenty of Halloween-focused content to watch, with perhaps the most popular of all time being Disney's Hocus Pocus. The 1993 classic was a box office failure when it debut in theaters, but it's since become a cult classic-- and one that is an annual part of the Halloween experience.
The true stars of Hocus Pocus are the wacky and musical Sanderson Sisters, played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker. The latter plays delightfully dumb witch Sarah Sanderson, but it turns out that the Sex and the City icon doesn't remember much about the actual movie. As she recently divulged to Stephen Colbert,
I don't have a lot of memories. I remember the filming of it. I just don't remember what the movie's about as much. Three witches, I've been told that, and apparently my character's not very bright. But I fly and sing and I think I like to suck the life... I think I like to kill children? I don't know.
Well, that's interesting. Despite the cultural impact Hocus Pocus has had on generations of kids, Sarah Jessica Parker is surprisingly blasé about it all. It's just one of the actress' many acting credits-- and she probably isn't watching it every year like the rest of us.
SJP's Hocus Pocus comments come from her recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Her casual affection toward the Kenny Ortega movie is in stark juxtaposition to the adoration Hocus Pocus gets every October. The movie gained its cultural impact by being played on syndication for the past few decades, and many cinephiles are able to quote every line Sarah Sanderson says throughout the campy comedy. Sarah Jessica Parker just can't do the same.
While Sarah Jessica Parker doesn't seem to remember the plot and events of Hocus Pocus, she does have fond memories from her time on set. During her same conversation on The Late Show, Parker expressed how much she loved flying throughout the course of the movie. During action sequences, comedic beats, and even her brief song, Carrie Bradshaw was up in the air-- and she brought along some reading material.
They'd call cut and they'd go to lunch or maybe they'd change the lens, and I'd just stay up there. I could fit an entire New York Times up the back of the corset. And I found that the harness was comfortable, so I would just sit up there and read the Times while people took their breaks or changed the camera and sometime went to lunch.
The harnesses and wires needed to make movie and TV characters fly are usually referred to as slightly torturous and painful, but Sarah Jessica Parker didn't have the same experience. Because rather than being brought down to the ground in between takes, she was happy to stay in the air and read The New York Times. Perhaps she needed some mental stimulation after playing a dumb witchy blonde in Hocus Pocus.
Hocus Pocus is probably on TV at this very moment, so check your local listings. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
