ACTOR Sandra Bullock has opened up about finding happiness and learning to take better care of herself following some difficult years, including the death of her longtime partner Bryan Randall in 2023, according to People. Bullock, 62, made the comments while appearing on SiriusXM's SmartLess podcast to promote her upcoming film Practical Magic 2. During the conversation with hosts Sean Hayes, Jason Bateman and Will Arnett, she reflected on how she has approached life after Randall's death. "My sister for my birthday gave me this beautiful pewter box and it said 'Leonardo da Vinci,' a quote by him at like 87, he says,'I'm still learning,'" Bullock said. "I went 'Oh.' That's why, I think, I have such happiness in my chest." "Other things can frustrate me, things can upset me, I get pissed off, I get petty, but there's a -- I'm so happy and I feel like I'm a kid for the first time in my life as I'm seeing things that I've seen a million times before," she added, according to People. Bullock said she now views life with a greater sense of appreciation and credited therapy and the way she supported her children during the difficult period. "But now I see them with such a love that I didn't have before. It's just -- yes, I have a great therapist. Yes, I think I did the right thing with the kids. Yes, I did usher out Brian the way a human being deserves to be ushered out," she said. "I didn't take care of myself then, but I so take care of myself now," Bullock added, according to People. Randall died at the age of 57 in August 2023 following a private three-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Bullock said Randall had asked her not to publicly share details about his diagnosis, but keeping the situation private left her feeling isolated.

 

Bullock also recalled falling ill with COVID-19 during the period before Randall's death and continuing to handle responsibilities at home, including preparing food for nurses caring for him. "I just didn't feel right afterwards," she said. "As a woman, I'm like, 'Something is wrong,' and I said, 'Oh my God. If all the stress gave me, like, cancer, that's when I'm going to get mad. Not at anything else, I'm going to be pissed if I made myself sick.'" She recalled visiting a doctor while feeling anxious about her health. "I remember being at the doctor and she sees me coming in all amped up and bubble wrapped and I said, 'If I'm okay, I swear to God,'" Bullock said. "And she goes, 'You'll take care of yourself now?' And I said, 'I swear to God, I will.' And she called me up and she goes, 'You're fine,' and I was like, new lease on life. Seeing your own body break down was sort of the messenger," she added. Bullock is a mother to two teenagers, Louis and Laila, whom she adopted in the 2010s. She and Randall, whom she began dating in 2015, co-parented the children. Now three years after Randall's death, Bullock is returning to the big screen with Practical Magic 2, marking her first film since the 2022 movie The Lost City. The sequel reunites Bullock and Nicole Kidman as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, witches in Massachusetts who once again face a family curse linked to the deaths of men in their family. Practical Magic 2 will release on September 10.