Sandra Bullock opens up about auditions where she was asked to 'drop her pants'

Sandra Bullock is reflecting on her career after the much-anticipated release of Practical Magic 2, and how the industry has changed from then to now.

It's not everyday one of your besties gets to interview you, but for a special interview with Interview, published last month, Bullock was greeted with a familiar face who asked her some gritty questions.

Jennifer Aniston and Bullock are two peas in a pod, and in the August 10 interview, you can see their chemistry fly.

So, when it comes to recalling horrifying career moments, who better to tell this to than to a close girlfriend?

Their interview focused largely on Bullock's return to movies after a four-year hiatus after her flick with Channing Tatum came out in 2022 – Lost City.

But it also branched into personal territory, like how it felt to re-join the Practical Magic cast after 30 years, her move away from rom-coms, and uncomfortable casting moments.

Sandra Bullock said she was told to undress for parts (Photo by Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Because for Bullock, she said her early work included some directions from casting decision makers that were not okay.

Aniston had asked her: "Was there a moment when you made a deliberate choice about the kind of career you wanted, or did it just evolve?"

To this, Bullock candidly replied: "You’ll get this. I was in New York, I was a waitress, I was auditioning for every pervert that existed, asking me to drop my pants. I was like, 'Nope, not the role for me.'"

She added how she had been 'working my way up' and revealed the mistake that's sometimes made by actors.

She said: “Every working actor thinks you will never work again so you just take what you can get and make the most of it. The only time I was intentional about my career was when I said, 'I need to stop right now with the rom-coms,' because I was getting so much s*** for them. And I took a role in this film called Crash."

Crash was a 2004 flick starring Don Cheadle, Bullock, Brendan Fraser, Thandiwe Newton, Matt Dillon and so many more famous faces.

It was a serious look at the racial divide in the US at the time, stereotypes, police brutality and politics – which was a far cry from Bullock's previous work in the likes of Miss Congeniality and While You Were Sleeping.

Bullock talked about re-joining Practical Magic (Alcon Entertainment)

Obviously, Practical Magic was one of those movies Bullock had completed prior to her move to more serious matters.

However, you might be shocked how badly critics thought of it, despite how many fans love the movie so many decades later.

Bullock told Aniston of the reaction: "We were absolutely eviscerated. If you look at the reviews, they were scathing. 'How many women do you need in a film? How many emotions need to be in a film?' I had a decent amount of shame because I thought I’d done something wrong. You just go, 'Okay, okay, okay. I won’t do that again.' And then it just took off.

Revealing how it turned into a cult classic thanks to 'social media' and mothers who would watch with their daughters, who grew up and watched it with their own daughters, helped to make it what it was.

With that, Bullock said she decided to make a second instalment.

Of her return to the film, Bullock said: “Coming back, not just with Nicole, but with Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing—we did a Zoom to see everyone, and then we heard that Dianne Wiest voice. We all just combusted with tears. It felt like, how often do you get to

go home?”