‘Hocus Pocus’ Actor Omri Katz Admits He Was Smoking Weed While Filming
Turns out 'Max Dennison' was high as a kite on set, and he almost got caught.
Hocus Pocus season continues as we near Halloween and enjoy the newest sequel to the film, released earlier this month on Disney+. The original cast was recently interviewed by Entertainment Weekly for Spooky Season and one surprising fact surfaced from the 1993 film was that the then 16-year-old Omri Katz, who played Max Dennison, was getting high before filming scenes on set.
That explains the tie-dye.
“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,” he explained, mentioning he couldn’t remember which scenes.
“I'll tell you what I do remember: I was mis-performing and not hitting my keys or marks. Kenny [Ortega, the director] 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," Katz added. "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!”
His co-star, Vinessa Shaw, who plays Allison, laughed and says she does remember a scene where he was under the influence, and it involved the scene with Bette Midler, where her character is zapping him with green energy.
“Yeah, but I didn't look like I was getting zapped," Katz responded. "I looked like I was getting high.”
Omri shared the interview on his Instagram stories, complete with laughing emojis and a bunny with red eyes from smoking marijuana.
Oh, the good old days.
Though the iconic Sanderson sisters returned for Hocus Pocus 2, fans were disappointed that some of the other core cast, including Katz, Shaw, and the voice actor for Thackery Binx, Jason Marsden, did not make an appearance. The actors admitted they weren’t even approached about the sequel. Thora Birch, who played the character Dani, was expected to appear in the sequel but later backed out.
“I would have loved to be involved. I feel bad for the original fan base saying we aren't because I'm sure they wanted to see us reprise our roles," Katz previously told Entertainment Weekly. However, he was very supportive of the new film, saying, “I think it'll be good for everyone who loved the original! I hope fans will go see it. I know I will.”
The group also discussed why Thackery Binx never tells his father he’s a cat, how the original script was originally darker than what was filmed, and how the scene for the song “I Put A Spell On You” was just as magical in person.
Both the original Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2 are currently available for streaming, and you can read the full interview with the cast over at Entertainment Weekly.
