Hocus Pocus Star Admits They Were High While Filming

While Max Dennison sparked the Black Flame Candle in the original Hocus Pocus to bring the Sanderson sisters back to life, behind the scenes, actor Omri Katz was sparking up something slightly different, as he recalled to Entertainment Weekly that he was high while filming certain scenes of the Disney classic. Katz also admitted that director Kenny Ortega even took notice of the fact that the actor may have been high, which caused him to put a hold on those activities so that he could focus on bringing the film to life. The film's sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, is now streaming on Disney+.

"That was at an age where I started experimenting with cannabis. Let's just say some of those scenes, I was having a good old time. I don't exactly remember which scene..." Katz joked when discussing the project. "I'll tell you what I do remember: I was misperforming and not hitting my keys or marks. Kenny comes up to me and practically grabs me by the shirt, and he was like, 'Are you high?' and I was like, 'No,' and of course I was. We got it done, but that was kind of a wake-up call, like, 'Omri, you've got to be a little more professional and make sure you hit your cues!'"

While Katz might not have remembered the scenes in question (marijuana is known to impact memory), his costar Vinessa Shaw did, as she confirmed, "It was the scene when she's like, 'You. There.' You didn't have any lines, so..." to which Katz replied, "Yeah, but I didn't look like I was getting zapped, I looked like I was getting high!"

This extracurricular activity might have been more in line with the original version of the story, which leaned a bit more into the genuine horror realm and likely would have earned a PG-13 rating. The script evolved for nearly a decade before the film actually moved forward, with the stars noting the first script they read still maintained the more frightening elements.

"I remember reading an original draft that was much scarier, and that was the draft we auditioned with," Shaw detailed. "When we started shooting, it became a funny version, much lighter. It had the female Three Stooges element in it, and all the choreography that was added lent itself to a much more comedic movie bringing out the strengths of the actresses, and I think that's why the movie is beloved. Obviously, the witches and what they're doing -- sucking the lives out of children -- is scary, but the fact that it's done in a comedic fashion is palatable."

Katz continued, "I also remember reading a scarier draft ... Once they had an idea of who they wanted to cast, I'm sure they had their two cents on it, too, and brought a more comedic, family-friendly, happier, not-so-sinister movie. It was a different approach ... I don't remember a lot of those punchlines or one-liners being present."

Both Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2 are now streaming on Disney+.

What do you think of the actor's remarks? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!