How Sandra Bullock Found ‘Joy Again’ After Partner Bryan Randall’s Death: ‘She’s Healing’
Against a swell of arcane and mystical sounds, Nicole Kidman began casting a spell. "Tooth of wolf and morning dew," she recited, kicking off a playful May 6 announcement revealing the release date for Practical Magic 2 - September 18, 2026 - before her onscreen sister and fellow witch, Sandra Bullock, took over the incantation. "Something old," added the actress, "and something new."
Something new is right. In the original 1998 movie Practical Magic, Sandra played Sally Owens, a woman devastated when the love of her life tragically dies. Desperate to protect those closest to her, she embarks on a harrowing journey, reclaims her strength - and creates her own happy ending.
In many ways, its themes echo what Sandra herself has experienced in recent years. In 2023 - a year after she announced she was taking a break from Hollywood to focus on her children, Louis, 15, and Laila, who was born in 2012 - the Oscar winner mourned the death of her partner of eight years, photographer Bryan Randall, who passed away at 57 following a secret three-year battle with the progressive neurodegenerative disease ALS.
Now, in the wake of her grief, Sandra is beginning a fresh chapter with a return to acting.
"There's no doubt she'll always be heartbroken over losing Bryan," a source exclusively tells Life & Style. "But she's healing. And as bittersweet as it is, friends say Sandra has started finding joy again."
How Sandra Bullock Is Staying Busy
Her children have been a source of pride and happiness for Sandra since she adopted Louis as a newborn in 2010 and Laila as a toddler in 2015. So has her career. After nearly two years without Bryan, "she decided it was time to get back to work," says the source, explaining that Sandra "put family first during his illness and after his passing. She even considered not acting again - she could easily produce projects and stay out of the limelight." But as Sandra has regained her footing, says the source, she's grown "excited to get back in front of the camera."
Though it's come with certain conditions. "She'll only make projects that hold a special place in her heart," notes the source, "which is why you'll see her working with good friends" like Nicole, 57, with whom she's also coproducing Practical Magic 2, and Keanu Reeves, 60.
That's right - after Sandra admitted on a 2024 episode of the "50 MPH" podcast, "Before I die, before I leave this planet, I do think that Keanu and I need to do something in front of the camera [again]" - the Speed and The Lakehouse costars manifested a reunion in their third movie together, an upcoming untitled romance thriller, Amazon MGM announced on May 2. "I don't know what it is, but I love being around Keanu," Sandra once told Entertainment Weekly. "I really do."
Sandra Bullock Is Looking Forward to Her Future
It's shaping up to be an exciting era for Sandra, who last year embraced a new decade as she turned 60. "It's weird because people seem to want us to be afraid of what it might look like when we get there," the Miss Congeniality star said in August 2024 while wishing her pal, former Today show host Hoda Kotb, a happy 60th birthday herself in a video tribute. "Turns out it's pretty damn great."
So is being a mom to Louis and Laila. "I just want to be 24/7 with my babies … servicing their every need, their social calendar," Sandra told Entertainment Tonight in 2022, confirming plans to take a multiyear hiatus from the spotlight. As it happens, they're just as devoted to their mother. Though "Bryan is still very present in their thoughts," says the source, "they seem to be supportive of their mom getting back to making movies."
Bryan - who helped Sandra raise her kids - "would be so proud of Louis and Laila," suggests the source, adding that the duo "often consider, ‘What would Bryan do?'" when faced with a challenge. "It keeps his memory alive."
Sandra still faces tough moments. "She questions why bad things happen to good people," shares the source, "but friends say she remembers what Bryan would always tell her and the kids: It's not how you fall down, it's about how you pick yourself up. Sandra hears his voice."
Copyright 2025 A360 Media. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published May 21, 2025 at 1:24 PM.