Hollywood’s sweetheart has returned to the big screen after the devastating loss of her longtime partner Bryan Randall, whom she called “the love of my life”. And it seems the 62-year-old, who is now speaking out about her heartbreak, is getting a helping hand. As she stepped out in a bold animal print at the London premiere of Practical Magic 2 last week, a reporter commented on the energy she brought to the event.
“I did,” Sandra said.
“It’s my alter ego tonight. Her name is Saffron. Don’t ask where it came from, but she has just arrived.”
The Speed star later shared a video on her way to the event, explaining that Saffron was like Cinderella at the ball.
“How many hours will Saffron be alive? She came alive an hour ago, so at like 6pm, Saffron woke up and then Saffron stops at midnight,” she laughed.
“She turns into Sandy.”
It’s a triumphant return for Sandra, who has recently revealed details about the heartbreak of losing Bryan from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
“I wasn’t allowed to speak about it,” she says, even though it isolated her from those she needed the most during Covid.
A devastating diagnosis
Bryan, a model-turned-photographer, had entered her life when he was hired to photograph Louis’s fifth birthday party in 2015 and they took their love public at Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux’s wedding.
Sandra couldn’t help but share her happiness, saying he was exactly “the right human being” to build her life with.
“It’s the best thing ever,” she said.
Sadly, their bliss was short-lived. In 2020, Bryan was diagnosed with the disease that would ultimately take his life, and for three years Sandra cared for him behind the scenes.
Sandra opened up about the experience on the SmartLess podcast, saying that Bryan was ill for half of their relationship. ALS affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. People with the condition lose control of their muscle movements, and eventually their ability to eat, speak, walk and breathe.
“I started grieving Bryan four years before he passed,” she explains.
“My person left a lot earlier than the body left. I don’t think I ever dealt with that until after he passed, because you’re just on this treadmill.”
Sandra’s comeback begins
The Miss Congeniality star said that she’s a very good planner when it comes to illness. Her father had “accidents” and her mother had cancer. What made it particularly hard was that her two children, son Louis, now 16, and daughter Laila, 12, “were navigating it. Especially a little girl who saw Bryan as a father figure”.
The pandemic, parenting and caring for Bryan was, she says, “a trifecta that was pretty dark.” But now it appears she’s ready to pick up where she left off. She stars in the long-awaited sequel to her 1998 hit movie Practical Magic and in April this year, the actress thrilled fans when she made her social media debut on Instagram – something she had long resisted.
Earlier last month, the Gravity star teamed up with Nicole Kidman, 59, to make a surprise appearance at a screening of the original Practical Magic movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
“This is the perfect movie to show in a cemetery,” Sandra joked to the delighted crowd.
“We should also thank the spirits that are floating around us because you’re on their seats!”
And just to confirm it’s not all a flash in the pan, Sandra has also announced that she’s pairing up with her old Speed co-star Keanu Reeves, 61, for a new romantic thriller, which is currently in development.
After years of healing from her heartbreak, says an insider, “Sandra is in the midst of mounting a comeback. She still has that golden touch.”
Blockbuster brilliance:
Speed (1994)
Sandra’s career exploded when she starred opposite Keanu Reeves in this high-octane thriller.
While You Were Sleeping (1995)
Her portrayal of lonely dreamer Lucy won hearts and proved she was far more than an action star.
Miss Congeniality (2000)
The box-office hit became one of her most beloved films as the queen of feel-good comedy.
The Blind Side (2009)
The role earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress and elevated her to Hollywood’s top tier.
Gravity (2013)
This blockbuster reaffirmed her dramatic credentials and introduced her to a new generation of fans.
