Doug Jones (“Return of the Witches 2”): “Billy Butcherson is my number one character at conventions”

Almost 30 years have passed, but we can finally enjoy the evils of the Sanderson sisters again with “Return of the Witches 2”, now available on Disney +. Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker are back as Winifred, Mary and Sarah Sanderson in a sequel that fans have been asking for for a long time. It was Midler herself, as she explains during the film’s press conference, who began to question the possibility of a return: “It was a dream that came true, it really is. I don’t mean I was pushing, but when I realized I was a phenomenon, I started asking people my age if they thought they would be interested in a sequel. This was a long time ago, about 15 years ago or so. and here we are”.

The Return of the Witches team remembers the film’s 20th anniversary as the moment they realized it had gone from a box office failure to a cult movie, and that’s when the idea for a sequel began. to take shape. Kathy Najimy discusses what could have happened to this late fervor for Salem’s funkiest witches: “You make movies and go from one to another. It’s always a surprise how they are received by the public. I think something similar to “The Wizard of Oz” happened with this movie, where a generation puts it on their children and they put it on their children, then it becomes part of the fabric of the family history.. I think no one could have foreseen it. “.

The Wizard of Oz has undoubtedly witnessed that change. The actor is behind mythical characters such as the faun and the pale man in “Pan’s Labyrinth”, Abe Sapien in “Hellboy”, Silver Surfer in the sequel to “Fantastic Four”, the amphibious man in “The Shape of the Water” . But his first iconic character was Billy Butcherson, the patched-up zombie who would be in a relationship with Winifred Sanderson. “I’ve been on the convention circuit for 15 years. When I started, people looked at the picture of Billy Butcherson and said, ‘Was that you? That’s great’ and bought something else. Now Billy is a number one seller. Silver Surfer, Abe Sapien, the amphibious man from ‘The Shape of Water’, ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ … They are all successful, but Billy is number one and he never imagined it would happen. He is a marvel” he admits in the interview he had with us. But he’s not really surprised that Billy achieved such fame: “I was a zombie before zombies were great. And I wasn’t a brain-eating zombie. That’s a big difference. I just wanted to go back to sleep. Only that. I didn’t want to eat anything. Just to be left alone.”. He agrees with Midler that he is back for the sequel “a dream come true”even if you have noticed the passage of time: “I was 32 when I first played it. I was 61 the second time, the difference is huge. My first scene was climbing a ladder and I thought, ‘I don’t remember it being that tiring!'”. He claims, despite everything, that Billy was still inside him and it wasn’t hard to call him back: “When I looked in the mirror I thought ‘My God, 29 years went by in a flash’. It came back instantly, my voice and all. I don’t know what happened, but it was magical.”.

Returning to the success of “The Return of the Witches”, Bette Midler points out that her characters, while evil, also represented something that was rarely seen in 1993: “There is so much to do in this world that we didn’t realize until the last 20, 30, maybe 50 years that things have changed for women, but they haven’t changed fast enough. I think these characters are positive enough for women in a somewhat peculiar way. Firstly, they are very funny and women are not allowed to be funny. And they are very loyal to each other, even though their relationships are … They have a very broad spectrum of emotions. But I think, in a funny way, that their bond is very, very strong. In any situation where women are together, a bond of friendship and sisterhood is really important. And this film strengthens it “. Kathy Najimy adds: “And there’s little hesitation with our ideas and the things we’re going to do. We don’t sit down and plan what we want to do. We do, whether it’s eating babies or … Whatever our mission is, there isn’t. hesitation, and it’s something you don’t see very often “. Midler detached her: “We are very determined. We are a very determined group which also shows that women can be determined”.

The new additions

‘Return of the Witches 2’ comes full of news. Starting with the delivery. The most well-known new face is that of Sam Richardson, famous thanks to ‘Veep’ and who now plays Gilbert, a lover of magic and witches, especially the Sandersons. He is the owner of the shop and museum he opened in the trio’s former home. “It wasn’t hard to bring a fan of the movie and the characters to life because I am too, so playing someone obsessed with them was just like changing my name and wearing another jacket.” He tells us about it in our interview. The actor remembers perfectly in which cinema he saw the original film and declares himself a Halloween fan, so he did everything possible to be in the sequel: “My entire career has been a plan to land this role. And I did!” jokes

Whitney Peak (“Gossip Girl”), Melissa Escobedo (“American Horror Stories”) and Lilia Buckingham (“Dirt”) round out the main cast, which of course also includes Sarah Jessica Parker (who was not present at the press conference). ) as Sarah Sanderson. Hannah Waddingham, Tony Hale and Froy Gutierrez complete the cast. “Return of the Witches 2” is now available on Disney +. Will it be the last goodbye to the Sandersons? “I love a franchise. Maybe I’m a little old for franchises. But I’ll take what I can” assures Bette Midler. Go in search of black flame candles, fast!