Sandra Bullock offered an intimate glimpse into life at home with her two teenagers, revealing the very different personalities of son Louis, 16, and daughter Laila, 13.
The 62-year-old actress, who has fiercely protected her children's privacy throughout their lives, made the rare comments during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday as she promotes her long-awaited return to the big screen in Practical Magic 2.
Asked what it was like having two teenagers in the house, Sandra joked that she was "in it to win it."
When Jimmy, who shares daughters Winnie, 13, and Frances, 11, with wife Nancy Juvonen, asked the Oscar winner if she could offer him any advice about the teenage years ahead, her response was hilariously succinct: "I'm sorry."
Sandra quickly explained that parenting advice was almost impossible to give because "everyone's got unique kids." She then gave a sweet insight into her own. "I have a beautiful 16-year-old boy who's all things basketball and fashion," she said of Louis, before joking that Laila is a "government hacker."
© Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty ImageSandra Bullock's children make their movie debut
Sandra also revealed that Louis and Laila have a very special role in Practical Magic 2, albeit one audiences won't actually see.
The teenagers make cameos "in voice and in spirit" during an emotional scene involving Sandra's character Sally Owens.
In the sequel, Sally has cut herself off from her magical abilities after coming to believe they have caused too much tragedy in her life. When her magic is finally "unblocked", she begins hearing voices again.
© InstagramSandra decided those voices should belong to her real children. "The first thing I hear, always, are my babies," she explained. "You always hear your babies."
The production then used recordings of Louis and Laila at different ages, allowing their childhood voices to become part of Sally's story. The touching detail is particularly poignant given how closely Sandra's own experiences as a mother informed the new film.
In a candid new conversation with longtime friend Jennifer Aniston for Interview, Sandra revealed that Practical Magic 2 is, in many ways, a love letter to Laila. "My daughter is very much like Kylie, the character Joey King plays," she explained, adding: "Laila, she is the fire."
Sandra's 'love letter' to daughter Laila
Sandra went on to explain that the film gave her an opportunity to express some of the complicated emotions she experiences as a mother."I wanted to give her a love letter of my sorrys," she told Jennifer. "If I failed, if I don't know how to say the right thing, I apologize."
The actress admitted that she wants to encourage her daughter's fearlessness without allowing her own worries to hold Laila back. "I just want to do right by her, to help her be as brave as she already is," Sandra said, admitting that she is "a fearful person", while Laila is quite the opposite.
It's a relationship that has also made Sandra look differently at her own mother, German opera singer Helga Meyer, who died in 2000. "Now that I have a daughter and I'm able to really sit in who my mom was, I look up and go, 'I'm so sorry,'" she told Jennifer. Sandra added that she is trying "not to let my fear clip the wings" of her children as they grow increasingly independent.
Sandra Bullock's strict rule about Hollywood
Motherhood has also completely changed the way Sandra approaches her career. The actress stepped away from acting following the release of The Lost City in 2022 and has made it clear that Louis and Laila's lives now dictate which projects she accepts.
"If the kids can't be with me, I'm not going," she told Interview. "The older they get, the bigger their schedules. And their schedules are more important than me telling a story, period."
Now that both children are teenagers, that rule has become even more important. Sandra explained that any work she takes on during the school year must be in Los Angeles, while projects requiring travel will have to be scheduled for the summer. "I don't have that same drive to be in front of the camera," she admitted.
© GettySandra prepares for Louis to leave home
But there is one aspect of parenting teenagers Sandra is finding particularly difficult: accepting that they will eventually leave home. "Unless the kids are with me, I'm lost," she admitted. "I have to figure that out because kids always have to leave. Louis is going to leave the house soon."
When Jennifer pointed out that Louis is still only 16, Sandra responded: "He's 16 and a half, Jen."Her daughter, however, appears more than ready for independence. Sandra joked that if Laila "could be emancipated right now, she'd be gone", adding that the teenager simply needs "a small apartment downtown" in New York City.
As for what the fiercely independent 13-year-old might do when she grows up, her mother already has a few ideas.Sandra revealed that Laila loves the Scream movies and even wrote and directed her own short film in the family's backyard several years ago. "You know what I think she should be? A horror film director," she said, before adding another rather different possibility: "She's also going to be a Formula 1 driver."
Laila wants her mom to start dating
Laila is apparently equally forthright when it comes to her mother's personal life. During a recent appearance on Kylie Kelce's Not Gonna Lie podcast, Sandra revealed that her daughter has decided it is time for her mom to start dating again, but any potential boyfriend apparently needs to meet some rather specific criteria.
"She said I needed to date, but only someone where they can get stuff," Sandra joked, before asking her daughter: "A rapper, a basketball player? That's the parameters?"
According to Sandra, Laila's response was simply: "Yeah." The actress also joked that her daughter can be "brutal", recalling how the teenager once suggested she "put a filter" on her camera during a Zoom call.
Sandra's longtime partner, photographer Bryan Randall, died in August 2023 aged 57 following a private three-year battle with ALS. The couple had been together since 2015 and raised Louis and Laila together alongside Bryan's daughter from a previous relationship.
For now, however, Sandra's attention remains firmly on her children and making the most of the years before they become adults. Speaking to Jennifer about what comes next as she contemplates an eventual empty nest, Sandra admitted she is still working it out. "I keep saying, 'We'll keep this house. I'll do the laundry. You can stay here,'" she joked.
And despite being a little apprehensive about the next chapter, the actress revealed that life today feels better than it has in a long time. "I'm a little tired, a little burnt out," she said, "but I've never been so happy."
