NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
Tobias Jelinek opens up to PEOPLE about his bond with Hocus Pocus costar Larry Bagby<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \n\n
In the movie, they played best friends (and bullies) Jay and Ice<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
- \n\n
Jelinek remembers some of the hijinks he and Bagby got into while filming, and how Bagby became his guardian<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Hocus Pocus made major memories for fans \u2014 and made Tobias Jelinek a lifelong friend.<\/p>\n
Jelinek, who stars in the new Netflix series Monster<\/a>, opened up to PEOPLE about filming his first movie, Hocus Pocus. In it, he played Jay, a teenage bully who\u2019s best friends with Ice, played by Larry Bagby.<\/p>\nWhen Jelinek, now 48, was cast in the movie, he was 15, living in Santa Barbara, Calif., and \u201cflirting with being a surfer.\u201d \u201cAt first, I went in to audition for Max,\u201d he said, the role played by Omri Katz<\/a>, \u201cand I think they took one look at me and they’re like, \u2018So we’ve got this other role we’d like you to audition for.\u2019 I was in there with a Red Lobster tee shirt and my skater shorts and long hair.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\u00a0Buena](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/5vvf765ZJbd9YouRshDS7Q--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/fdf796343a937b60b819aca12b66835b\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n\n Buena Vista<\/p>\n
Tobias Jelinek (left) and Larry Bagby in ‘Hocus Pocus’<\/p><\/div>\n
He looked over the lines for 20 minutes then went back in and read again. Then he waited to hear back. \u201cI remember the breakdown mentioned that Jay listened to Guns N’ Roses,\u201d he remembered. \u201c. . . I had my cassette tape and I would listen to \u2018November Rain; and think how cool it would be to be in a film.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he finally he got a callback. \u201cIt was just me and Larry Bagby,\u201d he said, noting he still as a polaroid of him and Bagby, 51, from that day. \u201cWith Larry Bagby, we hit it off immediately. I loved his sense of humor and we had great chemistry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just after he began his sophomore year of high school, Jelinek learned he\u2019d landed the part.<\/p>\n
Jelinek and Bagby got into plenty of hijinks during filming. Bagby turned 18 during filming, and he and Jelinek convinced his mom to make Bagby his guardian on set. \u201cIt was the two of us at Universal Sheraton with per diem, and you can imagine the rest,\u201d Jelinek says. \u201cA 15 and 18-year-old in 1992 while we were filming.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/gCbZOg6PBqphErfH4GcVRQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/41282e14163f4572b49024d89beedd79\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n\nAndrew Cooper\/Disney<\/p>\n
From left: Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker in ‘Hocus Pocus’<\/p><\/div>\n
After the movie wrapped, Jelinek eventually returned to a more typical teenage experience. \u201cNobody really saw Hocus Pocus in my circle. I remember nobody knew that I’d been in this film and there was no premiere,\u201d he said. He ended up taking one friend to the theater to see it when it was released in July 1993.<\/p>\n
He eventually made his way back to acting, moving to Los Angeles around 2005. But he \u201cnever talked about\u201d Hocus Pocus. \u201cI didn\u2019t even know how many fans there were,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Then in 2015, while he was filming Stranger Things in Atlanta, he got a call from Bagby. \u201cHe said, \u2018Did you know we’re trending right now on Twitter?\u2019 \u201d the actor remembered. \u201cLike, what do you mean? He’s like, \u2018Yeah, we’re being called ’90s fashion icons.\u2019 \u201d Jelinek went \u201cdown the rabbit hole\u201d and discovered the myriad fans of the movie.<\/p>\n
When the film turned 25 in 2018,\u00a0Jelinek says, \u201cthat’s what busted it wide open.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Bagby called with the news of their online fans, Jelinek admitted, \u201cWe hadn’t talked in some years, but every time we check in, it takes us right back to being 15 and 18.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tobias Jelinek opens up to PEOPLE about his bond with Hocus Pocus costar Larry Bagby<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
In the movie, they played best friends (and bullies) Jay and Ice<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
Jelinek remembers some of the hijinks he and Bagby got into while filming, and how Bagby became his guardian<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Hocus Pocus made major memories for fans \u2014 and made Tobias Jelinek a lifelong friend.<\/p>\n
Jelinek, who stars in the new Netflix series Monster<\/a>, opened up to PEOPLE about filming his first movie, Hocus Pocus. In it, he played Jay, a teenage bully who\u2019s best friends with Ice, played by Larry Bagby.<\/p>\n When Jelinek, now 48, was cast in the movie, he was 15, living in Santa Barbara, Calif., and \u201cflirting with being a surfer.\u201d \u201cAt first, I went in to audition for Max,\u201d he said, the role played by Omri Katz<\/a>, \u201cand I think they took one look at me and they’re like, \u2018So we’ve got this other role we’d like you to audition for.\u2019 I was in there with a Red Lobster tee shirt and my skater shorts and long hair.\u201d<\/p>\n Buena Vista<\/p>\n Tobias Jelinek (left) and Larry Bagby in ‘Hocus Pocus’<\/p><\/div>\n He looked over the lines for 20 minutes then went back in and read again. Then he waited to hear back. \u201cI remember the breakdown mentioned that Jay listened to Guns N’ Roses,\u201d he remembered. \u201c. . . I had my cassette tape and I would listen to \u2018November Rain; and think how cool it would be to be in a film.\u201d<\/p>\n Then he finally he got a callback. \u201cIt was just me and Larry Bagby,\u201d he said, noting he still as a polaroid of him and Bagby, 51, from that day. \u201cWith Larry Bagby, we hit it off immediately. I loved his sense of humor and we had great chemistry.\u201d<\/p>\n Just after he began his sophomore year of high school, Jelinek learned he\u2019d landed the part.<\/p>\n Jelinek and Bagby got into plenty of hijinks during filming. Bagby turned 18 during filming, and he and Jelinek convinced his mom to make Bagby his guardian on set. \u201cIt was the two of us at Universal Sheraton with per diem, and you can imagine the rest,\u201d Jelinek says. \u201cA 15 and 18-year-old in 1992 while we were filming.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrew Cooper\/Disney<\/p>\n From left: Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker in ‘Hocus Pocus’<\/p><\/div>\n After the movie wrapped, Jelinek eventually returned to a more typical teenage experience. \u201cNobody really saw Hocus Pocus in my circle. I remember nobody knew that I’d been in this film and there was no premiere,\u201d he said. He ended up taking one friend to the theater to see it when it was released in July 1993.<\/p>\n He eventually made his way back to acting, moving to Los Angeles around 2005. But he \u201cnever talked about\u201d Hocus Pocus. \u201cI didn\u2019t even know how many fans there were,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Then in 2015, while he was filming Stranger Things in Atlanta, he got a call from Bagby. \u201cHe said, \u2018Did you know we’re trending right now on Twitter?\u2019 \u201d the actor remembered. \u201cLike, what do you mean? He’s like, \u2018Yeah, we’re being called ’90s fashion icons.\u2019 \u201d Jelinek went \u201cdown the rabbit hole\u201d and discovered the myriad fans of the movie.<\/p>\n When the film turned 25 in 2018,\u00a0Jelinek says, \u201cthat’s what busted it wide open.\u201d<\/p>\n When Bagby called with the news of their online fans, Jelinek admitted, \u201cWe hadn’t talked in some years, but every time we check in, it takes us right back to being 15 and 18.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n