‘Hope Floats’ Co-Stars Harry Connick Jr. And Sandra Bullock Are Still Friends Nearly Thirty Years Later

Twenty-six years after Harry Connick Jr. swept Sandra Bullock up in his arms in the small town of Smithville, Texas—albeit as lovers in the 1998 Southern rom-com Hope Floats—the film stars are still friends.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, New Orleans native Harry Connick Jr. reminisced fondly on his days filming Hope Floats with Bullock and said that, by far, the best part of the experience was walking away with their friendship. “She's a very special person,” he said. “I loved doing that movie with her and I loved everything about it, but coming away from that with her as a friend was definitely my favorite part.”

Set in small-town Texas, Hope Floats centers around Birdee Pruitt (Bullock) who leaves her life in Chicago, IL after finding out her husband is having an affair with her best friend. Birdee returns to her hometown of Smithville with her young daughter, Bernice, and tries to rebuild from the ground up. As she processes her recent heartbreak, an old high-school classmate, Justin (Connick), helps her believe in love once more. The film is chock-full of iconic quotes about love, connection, family, and—you guessed it—hope. We’ve also gathered a few fun facts about the feel-good film that you may not know.

Hope Floats was Connick’s first major leading heartthrob role, he shared on The Graham Norton Show in 2018. And it was Bullock who broke the news back in the late ‘90s—with a bit of cheek, of course. “She starts raising her shirt up,” Connick told Norton. “On her stomach was written, ‘You got the part.’” Bullock played a significant role in the choice for her co-star as one of the film’s producers. In fact, Hope Floats was the first film made under her own production company, Fortis Films. “She was excited about him from the idea through the first audition,” Sandra’s co-producer Linda Obst told E! News. “He was Sandra's first choice, and because chemistry has a lot to do with that, her vote was crucial.” 

Their friendship has endured decades, Connick shared, and he “still keeps in touch” with Virginia-born Bullock. “She’s just amazing,” he said. The friendship has now extended to Connick’s wife and three daughters, as well, though it’s harder to stay connected than it once was. “She's busy and I'm busy, but when we do talk or text each other, it's always great to hear from her,” Connick told PEOPLE.

In an interview with Decider, Connick said that he “would jump” at the chance to work with his friend once more—perhaps even on a Hope Floats sequel. “She’s kind and generous, and she’s an incredible mother and just a wonderful human being,” Connick said.

We’d be thrilled to see the pair reunited for a sequel. After all, as Birdee said: “Just give hope a chance to float up.”