Lee Pace, star of the upcoming film "Practical Magic 2," faced criticism following remarks he made about women during an appearance on the "Today" show. The exchange, which occurred on Thursday, involved host Craig Melvin and touched upon the nature of powerful women.
Pace, 47, was discussing the film, a sequel to the 1998 movie starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, when he began to reflect on the concept of powerful women. "This movie, it's a movie about witches and it's given me the opportunity to think about… I guess if you remove the 'witch' from it, you think about powerful women," Pace stated. He then offered an example: "You know, a woman who can cook you an incredible meal. You think, 'God, it's chicken and lemon, but why does it taste like that? Is that some kind of magic power or...?"
Melvin quickly interjected, pointing out that many viewers might find the first superpower mentioned to be cooking. Pace acknowledged the host's point, stating, "You called me out for that, so thank you for that. Don't let me off the hook on that one, please, please."
Melvin explained his concern was to prevent Pace from facing social media backlash, offering him a chance to clarify his statement. Pace responded, "Well, we don't want to talk about evil witches because there's a lot of people watching and we don't want to get an evil eye pointed at me. But yeah, there's lots of different powers that you can have."
Despite Pace's attempt to backtrack, viewers took to social media to express their dissatisfaction. One user commented, "Thank you for calling out the derogatory 'women cooking' comment Craig!" Another viewer noted the interview became "very awkward." However, some online defended Pace, suggesting his comments were a matter of poor phrasing and that cooking could be seen as a parallel to the potion-making, a key element in witchcraft.
"Practical Magic 2" is set to be released 25 years after the original film. The sequel is based on Alice Hoffman's 2021 novel, "The Book of Magic." Bullock reprises her role as Sally Owens, with Kidman returning as her sister Gillian. The film also features the return of Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest as the eccentric aunts from the original movie. This project marks Sandra Bullock's first film in four years, following a hiatus from acting.