‘NCIS’ Star Sean Murray Tells Hilarious Story About His ‘Hocus Pocus’ Character

More than 30 years after playing Thackery Binx in the first Hocus Pocus film, NCIS star Sean Murray tells a hilarious story about the famous role.

Try Paramount+ FREE for a week. Subscribe here to watch your favorite shows.

During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Murray admitted that he’s abused by his status as the “first crush” for elderly millennials. “It always cracks me up,” the NCIS star declared. “That has been brought up to me a couple of times.”

Sean Murray then spoke about how his stepsister, Troian Bellisario, had a crush on his character as well. He even recalled the Pretty Little Liars actress was weird around him when they first met. “She then told me years later it was because when she was a kid, she had seen Hocus Pocus and had a crush on me and she was trying to work that out,” Murray shared.

Along with discussing his role as a teen heartthrob at one point in time, Murray spoke about how he and the rest of the Hocus Pocus cast didn’t expect the film to become a cult classic. “At the time, we were just doing our thing,” he stated. “We didn’t know what it would become. It was a bomb when it was first released.”

However, after the film hit cable TV, it became a major hit. Murray further stated he didn’t know that there was going to be a sequel. “I’ve always been asked, and I’d say, ‘I don’t know anything about it. As far as I know, nothing’s happening,’” Murray explained. “And then Bette green-lit it and gave the go-ahead to do the sequel.”
Sean Murray Shares His Thoughts About the ‘Hocus Pocus’ Sequel

Meanwhile, Sean Murray spoke about how his longtime Hocus Pocus fans were excited about the September 2022 release of Hocus Pocus 2.

“I was seeing the kids that grew up on Hocus Pocus, they now have kids, and they’re showing their kids Hocus Pocus,” Murray said. “It’s really cool seeing the second generation discover Hocus Pocus and be like, ‘You know what? This is like the greatest Halloween movie ever made.’”

Although he wasn’t involved in the Hocus Pocus sequel, Sean Murray understood why he wasn’t in the second film. He noted that the film was really about the Sanderson Sisters. “It actually makes total sense to me that you would have a newer group with the witches and not necessarily from the original group,” he said. “You know, we’re all old and wrinkled now. Who wants to see us?”

Joking about his looks, Murray added, “I still kind of look like I’m 14 years old to a certain degree. So I’m somewhat recognizable from the Hocus Pocus days.”