Kathy Najimy

"My whole week off that we were supposed to enjoy the holidays, I was healing," Kathy Najimy says of breaking a rib in the middle of filming Hocus Pocus 2.

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Kathy Najimy proved to be a total professional on Hocus Pocus 2 as she was forced to film half of it with a broken rib.

[ it was a ‘daunting’ experience](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/18/hocus-pocus-director-found-making-sequel-to-hit-film-daunting-17397588/) being behind the camera. And I saw that she had one of those machines that you put your legs in and you go upside down and it stretches you, because I have one,’ she said. [with Metro.co.uk awarding it 3.5 stars](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/29/hocus-pocus-2-review-witchy-caper-casts-sporadic-spell-in-its-homage-17470404/). [ People](https://people.com/movies/kathy-najimy-filmed-half-of-hocus-pocus-2-with-a-broken-rib-airbnb-exclusive/). [while they all had a whale of a time returning to their roots](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/26/how-to-watch-the-original-hocus-pocus-and-when-did-it-come-out-17453024/), the 65-year-old revealed that she suffered a nasty fall while on a break from production, meaning she had to battle a painful injury when things started back up again. [ reprised her role as Mary Sanderson ](https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/30/hocus-pocus-2-casts-spell-on-fans-as-they-heap-praise-on-sequel-17479986/)in the [Disney](https://metro.co.uk/tag/disney/?ico=auto_link_entertainment_P2_LNK1) sequel, alongside on-screen sisters Sarah Jessica Parker and Bette Midler.

An exclusive interview with the 65-year-old actress in our Fall issue's Advice Column. By NewBeauty Editors · Sep 30, 2022. Kathy Najimy: “If ...

I’d also like to say, we all know women are made to feel horrible about something they have no control over, and that is [aging](https://www.newbeauty.com/guide-to-better-skin-20s-30s-40s-50s-60s/). That, and getting my backflips perfected!” “Feeling bad about telling agents or managers that I’m not interested or passing on a project.

Vital Thrills got a chance to talk to the Hocus Pocus 2 cast and crew ahead today's release of the anticipated sequel on Disney+.

And we talked a lot about leaning on each other and counting on each other and loyalty to each other. And I think she is a very good example of kind of just misstepping and not being able to figure it out until she communicates with her best friends. So to get to be in the movie as a fan of the movie from growing up and getting to watch these three and these three and Doug, as a fan in my eyes and watching myself it’s so many levels of inception. But to answer your question, which I don’t think I’ve done is that, I think, from Becca, just her sense of valuing really the people that she keeps around her. “And like, we have this love for each other and this friendship, but I mean, every teen knows what it’s like to kind of go through a rough patch with your friends, and to have your first boyfriend or girlfriend and then do all of that and kind of figure it out. [Sam Richardson](https://www.vitalthrills.com/tag/sam-richardson/) plays Gilbert in Hocus Pocus 2 and talked about the experience, “As a fan of the movie itself, like this was like directed right at me, when the movie came out. And I hadn’t gotten to see people I know and love in a really long time. And so it was a huge life change.” I was just happy to have a job. And then when I got to be asked to be a part of any of this, I was just like, yes, please. I was like, going, like, and I had no idea what was going on. It becomes part of the fabric of the history of the family.

The long-awaited sequel to the Halloween favorite is now streaming on Disney+.

We’re a very decisive group which goes also goes to show that women can be decisive.” Whatever it is that our mission is, there’s not a lot of second-guessing which I don’t think you see a lot.” And we talked a lot about leaning on each other and counting on each other and loyalty to each other. She has a core friend group and no matter what happens, she eventually gets to [make] sure that she has her sisters behind her the entire time.” I think she is a very good example of misstepping and not being able to figure it out until she communicates with her best friends. “You know, as a fan of the movie itself, this was directed right at me. It wasn’t like you were just a lackey. “I think I just admire that she just has this, like, blind loyalty to these girls, [and] will do anything for them, no questions asked—totally would go against three evil witches.” “And I think it’s amazing that, you have one end of horror, and then you have this end of camp. “He kind of matches the energy and the floppiness and the fun and the overdone characters of the sisters. Advertisement io9 recently participated in the press conference for the film with the cast and creative team to discuss the making of the movie and why it t00k 29 years to get here.

"My whole week off that we were supposed to enjoy the holidays, I was healing," Kathy Najimy says of breaking a rib in the middle of filming Hocus Pocus 2.

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"This is a big comedy, so you don't have to be subtle or have a 40-page Shakespearean backstory," Najimy tells EW of updating Mary Sanderson's iconic mouth ...

Read EW's [full interview with the actresses behind the Sanderson Sisters](https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-2-cast-interview-resurrecting-sanderson-sisters/). [ exclusive interview with returning stars](https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-2-cast-interview-resurrecting-sanderson-sisters/) Najimy, [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://ew.com/person/bette-midler/https://ew.com/person/sarah-jessica-parker/), and [Bette Midler](https://ew.com/person/bette-midler/). [Fletcher previously told EW](https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-2-will-explain-sanderson-sisters-origins/), while Midler added: "[We] explain how they got to the point where they gladly become witches. The witches (and [Doug Jones' lovable zombie, Billy Butcherson](https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-2-billy-butcherson-first-look-photo/)) are back for more, but Fletcher wanted to flesh out their backstory this time around. "The opening sequence of the movie, we get some history of our witches and Billy. [RuPaul's Drag Race stars](https://ew.com/movies/kornbread-previews-hocus-pocus-2-kathy-najimy/) Kahmora Hall, [Kornbread "The Snack" Jeté](https://ew.com/movies/kornbread-previews-hocus-pocus-2-kathy-najimy/https://ew.com/person/kornbread-the-snack-jete/), and Ginger Minj — is out now on Disney+. I'm sure the fans are going to go into deep detail about why it's on the other side," the actress explained in our It's quite satisfying." This is a big comedy, so you don't have to be subtle or have a 40-page Shakespearean backstory." [Disney+](https://ew.com/entity/disney-plus) — picks up 30 years after the first movie became a seasonal classic for its tale of three children ( [Omri Katz](https://ew.com/movies/omri-katz-reacts-not-being-in-hocus-pocus-2/), Vinessa Shaw, and [Thora Birch](https://ew.com/movies/thora-birch-not-returning-dani-hocus-pocus-2/) — all of whom [don't appear in the sequel](https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-2-omri-katz-vinessa-shaw-not-returning/)) who unwittingly resurrect the nefarious, soul-stealing witches. [Hocus Pocus 2](https://ew.com/movies/hocus-pocus-references-in-hocus-pocus-2/) — the beloved witch's iconic crooked jaw has a perfectly reasonable explanation for being on the other side of actress [Kathy Najimy](https://ew.com/person/kathy-najimy/)'s mouth in the upcoming Disney sequel. [Anne Fletcher](https://ew.com/person/anne-fletcher/)'s continuation that sees the Sanderson Sisters return to Salem to terrorize a new trio of children (Belissa Escobedo, Whitney Peak, and Lilia Buckingham) on Halloween night.

Hocus Pocus 2's director, Bette Midler, & Kathy Najimy shared how the sequel was a dream come true, changing the costumes, and the musical numbers.

She’s just one of the best people, one of the best directors and one of the best artists, ever in the world. In the 1600s, that version of witchcraft was tethered to the earth, the ocean, and the stars, all tied together. MIDLER: We talked a lot about sisterhood, and we talked a lot about leaning on each other and counting on each other and having loyalty to each other. NAJIMY: And there’s very little hesitation in our ideas and the things that we’re gonna do. In any situation where women are together, a bond of friendship and sisterhood is really, really important. And I think these three characters are really, in a strange and odd way, quite positive for women. They did the arrangement and the lyrics. And he said, “Because I love Hocus Pocus.” I was like, “All right. FLETCHER: The mission, in general, is the story, honoring the first movie, carrying that into the sequel, making sure that I’m honoring these characters for the fans, and bringing it into a new generation. I didn’t feel like I could compete with “I Put a Spell on You,” which Bette and Marc Shaiman wrote. When a teenager lights the Black Flame Candle, the 17th-century troublemakers are resurrected to run amok and continue wreaking havoc all over Salem before the end of All Hallow’s Eve, leaving a trail of mayhem in their renewed quest for immortality. After I realized it was actually a phenomenon, I started asking people around my age, “Don’t you think they would be interested in a sequel?” This was a long time ago.

Returning to Salem and seeing our favorite witches again was exciting, and if you've already seen the film, you might have noticed something different about ...

It could also happen if one of her witchy sisters decided to cast a spell on her without her knowledge. “It’s on the other side mainly because it’s so hard for me to do it on the side I did it on 30 years ago. Returning to Salem and seeing our favorite witches again was exciting, and if you’ve already seen the film, you might have noticed something different about Kathy Najimy’s Mary Sanderson.

"Hocus Pocus 2" brings the return of the Sanderson sisters played by Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker.

"And I think also when it came on TV, it was more accessible to the whole family over and over," Najimy added. And the only thing that was absolutely certain was we were gonna eat sardines in that green room every damn day," said Midler. "Oh, my whole family thought so. Well, how do I walk or how do I move or how do I rest my hands here?" We were in a bubble, but the bubble was so full of unpredictability. On Friday, Disney released "Hocus Pocus 2" on their Disney+ streaming service.

Could there be a 'Hocus Pocus 3'? 'Hocus Pocus' stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy talk about reprising their roles in a possible ...

[Hocus Pocus 2](https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/how-to-watch-hocus-pocus-2) only just premiered on Disney+, and there have already been talks about a possible third film. Midler, who plays Wilfred Sanderson in the sequel and original, said she would “love” to have a movie franchise. The leading ladies— [Bette Midler](https://www.purewow.com/news/hocus-pocus-reunion-photo), [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://www.purewow.com/news/sarah-jessica-parker-matthew-broderick-twin-daughters-hocus-pocus-2-premiere), and [Kathy Najimy](https://www.purewow.com/news/kathy-najimy-over-the-top-christmas)—were asked about their thoughts on a Hocus Pocus 3 and they certainly had a lot to say.

Hocus Pocus 2 stars Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy on returning to their iconic characters after nearly 30 years—and the possibility of another sequel.

And so, like, to get to be in the movie as a fan of the movie from growing up and getting to watch these three and Doug, as a fan in my eyes and watching myself, it’s so many levels of inception. So, if Hocus Pocus 2 repeats the success of its predecessor, can we expect to see a Hocus Pocus 3 anytime soon? “I do love a franchise,” she said. Gilbert is a big fan of the Sanderson sisters, which was something Richardson and his character had in common. “I was 32 when I played him the first time. “So I’ve been a fan of the movie since it was in theaters, you know? And there he is on set in his costume and I’m like, ‘Nice to meet you. He was such a fan of the original Hocus Pocus that he said yes to the project before even meeting with director Anne Fletcher. “There’s very little hesitation in our ideas and the things that we’re going to do,” Najimy added. [Hocus Pocus 2](https://www.avclub.com/film/reviews/hocus-pocus-2-2022) harnesses the powers of nostalgia, camp, and sentimentality to add to the lore of the Halloween classic starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah-Jessica Parker as a trio of wacky witches. “We’re like, this is what we have to get done. But I think in a funny way, their bond is very, very strong.