Sandra Bullock Regrets Making Her Worst Movie
We all regret it, Sandra. We all do.
Sandra Bullock is perhaps a little bit more open than most about the films she isn’t particularly happy she was a part of. Only a couple of weeks ago, the Oscar winner admitted that she probably should’ve passed on reprising the role of Annie in 1997’s Speed 2: Cruise Control. Now Bullock is confessing that if another one of her more hated sequels — 2005’s Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous — had never been made, the world would be a better place for it.
She admitted to the mistake while promoting the action-adventure comedy The Lost City, in which she stars with Channing Tatum (Magic Mike) and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix). Perhaps it’s the current age of unexpected revivals and reboots that prompted Metro UK to ask her if she’d be willing to give Miss Congeniality 3 a go. Whatever it was that inspired the question, Sandra Bullock answered with absolutely zero percent ambiguity: “God no! No, no.” She continued her bashing of the film, with the caveat that she was happy it helped the career of one of her co-stars. “Two shouldn’t have been done but I’m glad that it did because of Regina [King], who I just freaking adore. That one should have remained a one-off.”
The first Miss Congeniality came out the same year as 28 Days, and it was part of Bullock’s ascent as a lucrative leading actress. Sandra Bullock starred in the comedy as Gracie Hart, an FBI agent who goes undercover in a beauty pageant to catch a terrorist. The film starred Benjamin Bratt (Traffic) as Bullock’s partner, Michael Caine (The Dark Knight) as her snooty beauty coach Victor, and William Shatner of Star Trek fame as the pageant host. Miss Congeniality wasn’t exactly a critical darling judging by its 41% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences loved it. The film enjoyed a worldwide gross of $212.7 million which is pretty damn good for a comedy in 2000 (hell, that would be good for a comedy released today).
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous hit theaters five years later. Many of the stars from the first film didn’t return, though like Regina King — who plays FBI Agent Sam Fuller, Sandra Bullock’s bodyguard — is second lead. The film also offers early appearances by Nick Offerman (Parks & Recreation) and Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures). Both the critics and the audiences hated Miss Congeniality 2, and the sequel failed to bring home even half of what its predecessor did.
If there’s anyone out there just dying for another chapter of Miss Congeniality, Sandra Bullock did say she might make an exception. She might be willing to be involved in a third film if it were a prequel. “Unless they make a prequel with the young Gracie Hart, with the mustache and the monobrow,” Bullock told Metro UK. “Gracie Hart in her 10, 11-year-old life, still acting very much the same as Gracie Hart as an adult would be cute.” Quick, someone call Lexi Rabe.
If the idea that Sandra Bullock might return for a Miss Congeniality prequel doesn’t satisfy you, you can always check out The Lost City which is currently in theaters. There’s also her Netflix drama The Unforgivable which was released on the streamer last November. Along with Bullock it stars the unassailable talents of Jon Bernthal (The Punisher), Vincent D’Onofrio (Men in Black), and Viola Davis (The Suicide Squad).
