“ I can talk about being the bad guy,” says Solly McLeod. “I’ve played a few.”
Although no stranger to the villain arc early in his career, the charming British actor defies the typecast offscreen — and perhaps it’s the unexpectedness that makes him an alluring antagonist onscreen.
”You always wanna try and [find the humanity] in every character,” McLeod says. “If people are watching the film going, ‘I hated you — but I kind of got it,’ I feel like you’ve done a good job.”
He’s hopeful that viewers will join him in finding empathy for his latest role, the mysterious Tom Lockland in “Practical Magic 2.” Without delving into spoilers, it’s fair to say that the men are not the heroes of the female-led “Practical Magic” universe. “ Me, Xolo [Maridueña] and Lee [Pace] were the three lads in the movie,” McLeod says. “We kind of all knew what happens to the men in this world, so we were ready to be buried under .
But viewers will have to watch and see for themselves what fate awaits the trio when the sequel is released in theaters on Thursday. The film stars returning cast Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest, Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, with Joey King and Maisie Williams joining the family of witches as the next generation. McLeod and his costars have been creating red carpet magic — and buzz — leading up to the film’s release, with recent premieres in the U.K. and Los Angeles.
Although he was familiar with the original 1998 “Practical Magic” film, McLeod hadn’t actually seen it before the sequel audition came his way — but quickly understood its enduring appeal.
“I felt the pressure of wanting to do that first film the justice it deserved,” McLeod says of his post-watch reaction. “Immediately in the script you can see the timeless and universal themes that they explore through that first film, and they come through in this [sequel] so nicely,” he continues, adding that the first film was “ahead of its time” for its exploration of sisterhood and female bonds. “ I think Maisie’s and Joey’s characters really wonderfully mirror the relationship and the chemistry that Sandy and Nicole had in that first film.”
McLeod shares the majority of his screentime with King, describing the young actress as a “really generous scene partner.”
“ Sandy and Nicole were equally warm and welcoming,” he adds. “There was definitely some nerves going into the process of knowing I was gonna be working with them, because you don’t know how people are. I’d heard good things, and I was very happy to discover that all the good things are very true — they’re nicer than people say.”
McLeod, whose parents are both folk musicians, spent his early years living on the Orkney Islands in Scotland before moving to London, and was drawn to acting at a young age. “ It could have been acting or music really, but I did a little bit of acting in school on a project, and that kind of set it off,” he says. His past projects include the British series “Tom Jones” and “The Rising,” as well as Viggo Mortensen’s 2023 Western film “The Dead Don’t Hurt.”
He recently starred in Apple TV series “Star City,” which was released earlier this year, and has completed filming for an upcoming adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s “Anxious People” alongside an ensemble cast that includes Angelina Jolie and Jason Segel.
“That was one of the projects that I’ve had the most fun doing — it’s the first true comedy that I’ve done,” McLeod says. “Again, I was working with some quite phenomenal, standout actors. I found myself back in the position I found myself in at the very start of ‘Practical Magic,’ wondering what it was gonna be like going in and working with these legends, really. But it was a really safe place to be able to play and have a bit of fun, and I think the script really lent itself to that. There’s gonna be laughter and tears, and all the things in between.”
While “Anxious People” doesn’t yet have a release date set, and “Star City” hasn’t yet announced a potential second season, McLeod is staying busy and enjoying the opportunity to shape what comes next in his career.
“ There’s a couple of projects that are in the pipeline, potentially — I can’t actually say anything at the moment because they’re not fully confirmed,” he says. “But there’s exciting stuff.”
