Sandra Bullock Opens Up About the Motherhood Fear She Feels “to the Core”

Sandra Bullock has spent years keeping her family life largely outside the Hollywood spotlight. Now, while promoting “Practical Magic 2,” the 62-year-old actress is sharing a little more about the part of her life that matters most.

At the film’s European premiere in London on August 26, Bullock spoke candidly about raising her two children, Louis, 16, and Laila, 12. Her comments centered on something many parents know well: the constant urge to protect your children from pain.

That feeling also connects directly with Sally Owens, the character Bullock first played in 1998’s “Practical Magic.” Sally is deeply protective of her family, and Bullock did not hesitate when PEOPLE asked if she recognized that trait in herself. “Oh god, yes,” Bullock replied when asked about Sally’s protective instincts. She added, “I’m all over [it].

Bullock then described the emotion behind that protectiveness in more personal terms. “The fearfulness of what I think to be normal, that is me to the core,” she told PEOPLE.

Sandra Bullock Says Parents Cannot Prevent Every Pain

Sandra / IG / The mom of two acknowledged that children eventually have to experience problems their parents cannot solve for them.

For Bullock, that reality creates a difficult balance. A parent naturally wants to use personal experience to keep a child away from heartbreak, disappointment, mistakes, and other painful moments.

However, Bullock also recognizes that children cannot simply follow a safer version of their parents’ lives. “But guess what? That’s not their journey,” she said while discussing the limits of parental protection.

“The pains make you the full, rounded person that you’re supposed to be,” Bullock told PEOPLE. That perspective makes her earlier admission about fear more revealing. Bullock does not claim that she has stopped worrying about her children because she understands the importance of independence.

Bullock’s journey into motherhood started later than she once expected. She adopted Louis in 2010 and later adopted Laila in 2015, building the family she had wanted for years.

During a 2021 appearance on “Red Table Talk,” Bullock spoke about the anxiety she felt before becoming a mother. Looking back, she said she became grateful that her path did not happen according to the schedule she originally imagined.

Louis and Laila Are Now Influencing Their Mom

Bullock’s children have also started entering another part of her world. Both Louis and Laila appear in “Practical Magic 2,” giving them small cameos in the movie that brings their mother back to one of her best-known roles.

Bullock revealed the cameos around the film’s U.S. premiere. She said viewers may need to pay close attention to spot them, but their brief involvement clearly means far more to her than the amount of screen time.

The “Speed” actress described herself as “unbelievably proud” of both children. The cameos also create an unusual family connection to a film series that began more than a decade before Bullock became a mother. Bullock first played Sally Owens alongside Nicole Kidman’s Gillian Owens in the original “Practical Magic.” Nearly three decades later, she returned to Sally with her own experience of motherhood shaping how she understands the character.

Louis has become especially important when Bullock thinks about moral questions. She called her son her “steadfast moral barometer,” a description that says plenty about how seriously she takes his judgment.

Laila brings a different strength to the family. Bullock praised her daughter’s ability for “spotting things and thinking forward,” suggesting she notices details and possibilities that others may miss.

Her New “LB2” Tattoo Makes the Tribute Permanent

Sandra / IG / While wearing a strapless Givenchy gown, Bullock revealed a small new tattoo on her shoulder that quickly attracted attention.

The tattoo reads “LB2,” and Bullock’s representative confirmed that it honors Louis and Laila Bullock. The simple design connects both children through the initials they share.

The tattoo fits with Bullock’s long-standing approach to her family. She rarely turns her children into a public spectacle, but she has repeatedly made clear that motherhood sits ahead of Hollywood in her personal priorities.