NEWSSandra Bullock Reveals the Two A-Listers She's Afraid to Pose With: 'Why Do I Have Stink Face?'
Bullock confessed she feels nervous when stepping onto the red carpet with Kidman or Zendaya.
Sept. 10 2026, Published 12:57 p.m. ET
Sandra Bullock admitted she feels unusually uncomfortable posing alongside Nicole Kidman and Zendaya, joking that both stars make her feel out of place on the red carpet.
The actress discussed her struggles with red-carpet appearances on Amy Poehler's "Good Hang" podcast on September 8.
"I'm actually fine with the interviews," Bullock said. "It's the posing."
Bullock Called Nicole Kidman a 'Goddess'
Bullock referred to Kidman as a 'goddess' on the red carpet.
Bullock's discomfort became particularly clear when she discussed standing beside Kidman during the Practical Magic 2 press tour.
After looking at photographs from the London premiere, Bullock realized her facial expression did not match how she felt at the event.
"I was like, 'Why do I have stink face?'" she recalled. "I looked like I smelled something, and I'm like, 'What happened? That's not what I was feeling.'"
Poehler suggested the expression could have come from Bullock's tendency to be funny, leading to a discussion about traditional red carpets.
"We don't belong on a red carpet," Bullock said.
She then turned her attention to Kidman.
"Nicole is a goddess," Bullock said. "Can we just remove her from anything that we're in?"
The actresses are promoting Practical Magic 2, which brings them back together as sisters Sally and Gillian Owens nearly three decades after the original film.
Bullock Said Red Carpets Can Feel Like a 'Nightmare'
Bullock was baffled that all of her preparation for the red carpet doesn't translate to great photos.
The Oscar winner described the disconnect between how she feels at an event and how she appears in photographs.
Bullock said she can spend hours getting ready before stepping onto a carpet, only to be surprised by the images afterward.
"I try so hard," she said. "I mean, I try so hard. And I get full hair and makeup for hours."
She then described the expression she believed she was making for photographers.
"I feel like I'm posing like this," she said. "And I see the picture."
The result left her baffled.
"It's like, when did I do that?" Bullock said.
Bullock and Poehler joked about whether comedians might be better suited to a different kind of red-carpet event.
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Zendaya Made Bullock Feel Like a 'Shoe Polisher'
Bullock admitted feeling intimidated by Zendaya on the red carpet.
Bullock also named Zendaya as another actress she admires.
During a separate conversation with longtime friend Jennifer Aniston for Interview, Bullock explained how highly she regards the younger actress.
"I want to be Zendaya, but I will never be Zendaya," Bullock told Aniston. "I'm like Zendaya's shoe polisher. She's glorious."
Bullock Built a Career Across Comedy and Drama
Bullock has had a highly decorated Hollywood career.
Bullock's discomfort with Hollywood's cameras contrasts with the career she built after breaking through with Speed in 1994.
She became one of Hollywood's biggest stars through films including While You Were Sleeping, Miss Congeniality, The Proposal, The Blind Side, Gravity and The Lost City.
Her performance in The Blind Side earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress, while Gravity brought another Oscar nomination.
Practical Magic 2 marks Bullock's return to the big screen after The Lost City in 2022. The sequel reunites her with Kidman as they reprise their roles nearly three decades after the original film.
The fantasy film arrives in theaters September 10.
