New York Restoration Project/Everett Collection
"Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, what the hell am I doing there? I have no idea!"
For the long-awaited "Hocus Pocus" reunion at this year's Hulaween benefit, Bette Midler turned to the Hostess with the Mostess to emcee the whole thing: Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
The iconic Queen of Halloween was tapped to host this weekend's bewitching event, which raises funds for the New York Restoration Project and will feature not only Sanderson Sisters Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy getting back into costume, but also a ton of appearances and performances from some A-list stars.
"They just called me out of the blue and I was through the roof, because I freakin' love Bette Midler and the whole Hocus Pocus thing, I just love it," Elvira -- out of costume as her alter ego Cassandra Peterson -- told TooFab.
"I was like, 'Oh my god, I can't believe I'm involved in this,'" she continued. "And the list of people in it, hello! Glenn Close, Meryl Streep, what the hell am I doing there? I have no idea!"
In addition the the names above, others participating in the event include Adam Lambert, Sarah Silverman, Billy Eichner, Jennifer Hudson, Tiffany Haddish, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Stamos and Bella Hadid.
"It was so fun to do," added Peterson. "I actually got to leave my house and go into a studio, social distanced from everybody there, but the writing is funny, the whole interaction I have with the Sanderson Sisters is hilarious and I was really having a great time shooting it."
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"And not everything I shoot, I have a great time, let me tell you," she added with a laugh. "Some things are challenging, this was super fun because it was just so funny, the writing was so great."
"I never thought I'd hear the words, 'Welcome Meryl Streep,' come out of my mouth," she exclaimed. "I was fortunate and thankful to be included and it's for a good cause."
Despite the pandemic shutting down Halloween celebrations around the country, Peterson has managed to be more booked than ever this spooky season -- something she wasn't necessarily expecting.
"It's the weirdest thing. I was kind of like, this is so great because for the first time I'll have a few days off at Halloween. I might even be able to sleep, eat, who knows, all of those things could happen," she said. "No, it's not working out that way. It's, if anything, a little crazier."
"I'm not traveling, but everybody, every person I've ever met in my life ever and their mother and their daughter and their next door neighbor's mailman have asked me to do a Zoom video with them for Halloween," she added.
In addition to Friday night's Hulaween, she's also doing an "Elvira's Haunted Hills" screening benefitting the Los Angeles LGBT Center, has been raising funds for a special quarantine comic book via Kickstarter, recently dropped a music video, participated in the horror doc "In Search of Darkness Part II," is working on her autobiography ... and is also, apparently, running for President.
