[This story contains spoilers for Practical Magic 2.]
Kicking ass in Cobra Kai, fighting villains in Blue Beetle and trying to dodge the Owens Curse in Practical Magic 2 is just another day in the office for Xolo Maridueña. However, this wasn’t necessarily his intended career path at first.
Growing up, Maridueña felt inspired by his parents, seeing the creative avenues they took in their own careers in the music and visual art worlds. This led him to seek his own creative outlet as a pre-teen, joining a local theater group in Los Angeles’ Boyle Heights neighborhood where he spent his childhood.
“That’s where I fell in love with not only storytelling as a medium for folk in my neighborhood, but also what it meant to get to be a part of a team on stage,” the 25-year-old tells The Hollywood Reporter, noting that his “inspiration was less like, ‘Oh my gosh, I want to be an actor,’ and more just a love of filmmaking and a love of movies.”
Compelled by all the moving parts and people that go into bringing a production to life, Maridueña decided to pursue a career in Hollywood as a teen, later landing his breakout role as Miguel Diaz in the martial arts comedy-drama Cobra Kai. But it was his history-making role as Jaime Reyes in 2023’s Blue Beetle that served as a major milestone, becoming the first Latino actor to lead a live-action DC superhero film.
“There was so much that was happening around that time that would’ve led someone to assume that the movie wasn’t what it needed to be,” Maridueña says, referring to the 2023 film failing to become a big hit upon release during the actors strike, which prevented the stars from promoting the pic. (It earned a respectable $130.7 million globally.) However, with Blue Beetle’s grand return in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, Maridueña realized “that the first shit that we did killed it, and that we actually did something great here.”
“And that opportunity I don’t take lightly, and to get to bring it back in any capacity is just another chance to show everyone that Latinos are a part of this universe,” Maridueña adds of reprising the DC superhero.
There’s still some time before fans will see Maridueña in the supersuit again, as Man of Tomorrow doesn’t fly into theaters until next year. But in the meantime, he’s taking on another dangerous role: one of the Owens women’s new love interests.
Xolo Maridueña in Practical Magic 2.
Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection
For those not familiar with the original 1998 Practical Magic, the men who get romantically involved with an Owens sister (Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman) typically meet a tragic fate due to a family curse. In the new sequel, now in theaters, Maridueña plays Gideon, the boyfriend of Kylie Owens (Joey King), the daughter of Bullock’s Sally Owens.
Maridueña tells THR that it was an honor to join the sequel, especially portraying a man who’s notably outspoken with his feelings for Kylie. “Specifically with this movie, with the writing team being women, there’s something very different about the way that a woman writes a man and what romance looks like in a relationship and how men do,” he explains. “And I loved getting to show something a little bit different that is not always portrayed, that I think honestly is becoming more embraced by people Kylie and Gideon’s age.”
As Maridueña reflects on his career so far, he admits finding success in the industry is “not what I expected it to be, and yet I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by the journey thus far.” As he continues to make waves in front of the camera, he’s also looking for opportunities behind it that allow him “to have a hand in bringing people together” — such as producing the small screen adaptation of Ghost Tracks — as that’s why he jumped into this industry to begin with.
Below, Maridueña opens up about working with industry legends in Practical Magic 2, his favorite moment on set with King, how his relationship with Gunn has developed in the DCU and more.
Coming into this franchise that is beloved by fans and has a storyline that is very female-focused, what was it like as one of the film’s new male characters?
It’s incredibly humbling to get to be asked to be a part of this movie. So much of my own personal experience outside of acting has been uplifted and really just made so much better because of the women in my life. I myself have four sisters, and in getting to read this script written by a woman and be on set with Susanne [Bier], our director, and Denise, [one of] our producers, and Sandy, Nicole, there was a palpable difference in ways that I hadn’t experienced before that I really admired, and that made me feel like I was at home. I didn’t feel othered or “you’re not one of the ladies, so it’s going to be less of an experience for you.” It was quite the opposite, honestly.
Having worked with some industry legends on this film, including Nicole, Sandra, Stockard Channing and Dianne Wiest, what did you learn from them? I feel like I would just be sitting there and staring in awe of them (Laughs).
It’s surreal to get to see them, obviously, when you’re acting alongside of them because you’re like, “Oh my God, they’re phenomenal.” But then the cameras cut and you see Sandy hop on FaceTime with her kids to help them with their math homework, and I’m like, “Wow, you have the capacity.” Sometimes I feel like there’s this conversation about work-life balance and it’s like, “You got to have time for this and have time for that.” But to see someone truly have such a well-rounded, well-balanced lifestyle and still be at the top of their game was incredible. It’s something that I’ll never forget.
Joey King and Xolo Maridueña in Practical Magic 2.
Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection
Do you have any memorable moments filming or behind the scenes with Joey?
So our first day on set, my second time meeting Joey after the table read, was the scenes in Kylie’s apartment, the first time that Kylie said I love you, and into a little cute bed moment. This was supposed to take the whole day. We get through these scenes, and at what I thought was going to be the end of the day, Susanne, our director, comes up to me and she’s like, “Hey, I was having this idea that while Kylie’s on the train later in the movie, I want her to be looking at these videos of you guys together and reminiscing.” I’m like, “Oh, OK! What do you have in mind?”
She’s like, “I want you to dance. I want you to be just in this apartment, just you dancing, and we’re going to pretend the camera is Kylie recording, so she’s not going to be in it.” She’s like, “Just choose the song and it’ll take five minutes to set up and then be ready.” I was like, “What the heck?” I was kind of freaking out, and I chose Usher’s “Yeah!” and kind of blacked out and had the craziest dance party of one in this room with a boom operator and a cameraman. It was a really great icebreaker, a really great way to end the first day. My journal definitely was like, “Needs dance lessons.” (Laughs.) That was a fun moment.
Unfortunately, Gideon does get involved in a tragic accident and is in the hospital for half the movie. What’s that like as an actor to basically be lying in a bed for half of filming?
It’s actually kind of fun not seeing the acting that’s happening around you. I remember scenes with Maisie [Williams] and Stockard [Channing] where I can hear that they’re performing rituals or bantering or bickering, and I love how this is sounding and I want to see what’s going on. I definitely found myself being so curious in the scenes in between trying not to fall asleep, having my body completely still and my eyes totally closed (Laughs). … I’d like to say it was a walk in the park, but really it was a lay in the bed.
This may be a niche, but do you have a special link to beetles, between playing Blue Beetle in the DCU and now the deathwatch beetle in Practical Magic 2?
It’s funny that you say that because my dad said that at the screening. We went to the premiere of Practical Magic 2 and he was like, “These beetles are following you, bro.” And I’ve always been a big fan of what the beetle resembles in mythology and how Dung beetles turn poop into gold, and I feel like I totally resonate with this transformative property that beetles have, as silly as it may sound.
Xolo Maridueña in Blue Beetle.
Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection
Speaking of Blue Beetle, what do you remember about when you first met James Gunn at The Suicide Squad premiere in 2021, hours after it was announced that you would be playing the superhero but before James took over at the DCU?
The day before that was the day that Walter Hamada, the then-head of DC, Galen Vaisman, who’s now running production over at DC with James Gunn, that was the dinner that Ángel [Manuel Soto, director] asked me to do this part, and they said, “All right, well, tomorrow we’re doing the premiere for this movie. We’re going to announce it over there.” So that was the craziest 24 hours of my life, booking this role, going to this premiere of a movie that people were so excited about, having James Gunn over at the DC side. And I think just his approach and the way his mind works, that was such a great proof of concept for what is now the DCU.
Since that first chat and then your 2023 Blue Beetle movie, how has your relationship with James developed, especially since he asked you to reprise the character in Man of Tomorrow?
I’m so happy to have had numerous conversations with him since then, get to break bread with him, meet his wife, Jennifer [Holland]. It is clear why he’s in the position that he’s in. And since that premiere where he was really kind of like, “Yo, this is kind of random.” (Laughs.) He’s there promoting his movie, and I’m like, “Hey, how you doing? Nice to meet you. I’m the new kid on the block.” To now have him fold me into the mix. It doesn’t feel, as a human, like I’m a pawn in this greater chess game. This man has really allowed me to pick his brain and see eye to eye, and it feels a bit more human in that way, and I’ve really appreciated that.
What’s something people would be shocked or surprised to know about you?
Maybe the love for music. I’d love to continue to make music. Maybe there’s folk that don’t know that I’m a little musical, and I’d love to explore that.
What’s something you absolutely cannot live without?
Definitely my fam. There’s no one that loves you like your fam, and I’ve been blessed with a great inner circle. I don’t want to say I’m codependent, but I definitely am. When it comes to my fam, they’re my anchors. And then aside from that, maybe cheese. I love cheese. If I ever went lactose intolerant, it would be devastating.