Casting a Spell
The Sanderson sisters’ story began back in the late 1600s, during the height of the witch-hunt frenzy; the Hocus Pocus tale starts in 1992. The three stars were at different points in their careers when plans came together for the film. Midler was an icon thanks to her brassy revues, Grammy-winning music career and films like The Rose and Beaches. Najimy was a standout from Sister Act and Soapdish. And Parker was a Broadway vet and sparkling screen star of romantic comedies including L.A. Story and Honeymoon in Vegas.
“I remember I was living out of a suitcase, knitting all the time, and I had just met Matthew,” Parker says. “So I was occupied in ways that were really exciting.” She jumped at the opportunity to do Hocus Pocus, primarily because she’d have a chance to work with one of her idols: “When I was about 13, the stage manager for Annie took me to see Bette! Divine Madness on Broadway. I was a great admirer, and the idea of working with her was enormously appealing.”
Najimy jokes that she was a full-on Midler stalker, even going so far, after one of the Divine Miss M’s L.A. concerts in the 1970s, as to run past security guards and into Midler’s
dressing room backstage to meet her. “She was just sitting there, and I said, ‘Oh, my God, I love you!’ ” Najimy recalls. Cut to decades later when a Disney executive called Najimy and asked if she’d like to play Midler’s sister in Hocus Pocus: “That was my peak moment.”
Once shooting started on the Disney back lot in Burbank, Calif.—only a few exteriors
were filmed in New England— the actresses bonded like family. Parker says the trio would eat lunch together in Midler’s trailer every single day, with meals provided by the star’s personal chef, who wanted them to eat mindfully. “The cook wanted us to chew 30 times before swallowing our food,” Parker recalls.
Over the years, the film hit the nostalgic sweet spot for kids and their parents. Parker says her 13-year-old twin daughters, Marion and Tabitha, couldn’t wait to meet Najimy and Midler on the set. Najimy adds that fans still send her “very creative” character artwork.
“It went from doing nothing and getting not-so-nice reviews to being beloved and on television
every day and night around Halloween!” Midler says. “In a way, it was very moving for us because we felt justified. We were all very attached to those women and those characters.”
Now it’s time to say goodbye. The actresses have hung up their capes, ready to give their powers to aspiring younger witches. “We’ve told the story, and you don’t want to beat a dead horse,” Najimy says.
They’re going out flying high: “We’re talking about three women in solidarity really having a blast together,” Midler says. “Our movie is fun. The last few years have been so rough, and I think it’s time for a breather. This is definitely your breather.” Visit Parade.com/bette for details of Midler’s retirement plans.