Aliya Johnson EXTRA , BRISTOL
PHOTOGRAPHY ( OPPOSITE PAGE FROM TOP LEFT ): COURTESY OF HAILEY GAULIN ; WOLF MATTHEWSON ; COURTESY OF JOYCE IACIOFANO ; ( THIS PAGE FROM TOP LEFT ): COURTESY OF KRISTEN MINSKY ; COURTESY OF ALIYA JOHNSON ; © 2022 DISNEY ENTERPRISES , INC .
How did you become an extra ? I saw a call on social media . I knew they were in our neighborhood because we live near Dexter Park and the Armory .
So you sent in your application with photos and what happened from there ? I got a call back , and it was a couple of weeks later that I heard from them . I received a note about being on deck for Newport shooting for three days with some loose details on the timeline . I said yes , and from there , they sent additional details . I think they were particularly careful releasing details about this project because people of our generation were really excited to participate in something that they enjoyed so much as a child .
You went down to Newport for three days of shooting ? It was pretty rapid , almost twelve or thirteen hours a day on set . One was a daytime shoot , and one was in the evening in that twilight hour for trick-or-treating . The final shoot was a nighttime scene just leading up to when the Sanderson sisters perform on stage .
What did you wear ? I wore a vintage can-can costume that I procured a few years ago and was never able to wear . It ’ s bright orange and black , so hopefully I will see myself somewhere in the background . I was a festival attendee and also a mom during a trick-or-treat scene . I had a couple of kiddos that I strolled around Newport with for that moment .
What was it like filming for thirteen hours ? We ’ d arrive and be tested for COVID . Then spend some time being bused to wherever the primary holding area was or closer to the actual set . They provided meals which was lovely . They tried to rotate so you wouldn ’ t see the same background actors in every scene . Then it was take after take after take . A couple of times , I had the pleasure of being very close to the Sanderson sisters . I think my favorite parts of being on set probably were those moments watching the three of them play off each other .
What was it like with fans watching from the sidelines ? It was relaxed for the most part . A couple of people tried to sneak on set . Some takes took fifteen-plus times . I think a lot of things were shot from three or four different angles .
What was especially interesting about working with the stars ? Sarah Jessica Parker seemed like a delightful person , and it was fantastic to witness her prepping in between takes . She sang ‘ These Are a Few of My Favorite Things .’ It was nice to see that energy in those moments when she was singing and it made me think about how I prepare when I ’ m performing in public . — J . C .
The film is nostalgic for Aliya Johnson , who watched the original Hocus Pocus as a child . She participated in a scene when the kids enter a magic shop built inside a giant warehouse in North Kingstown . Among her set mates was a trained black cat who performed choreographed scenes alongside human counterparts . ( It was unclear during filming whether this was Thackery Binx returned or another feline friend .)
“ The black cat was the most well-trained cat I ’ ve ever seen in my life . The trainer would get it to do things . That was very interesting to see because you always wonder how animals are in movies ,” Johnson says . “ There was a part where the magician is talking about the book that the sisters opened and it ’ s sitting in the shop , so the cat had to jump on top of the case . Cats are kind of stoic , but that one was on cue better than the humans were .” — Lauren Clem �
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l OCTOBER 2022 87