Bullock has now returned to the spotlight to promote Practical Magic 2, her first film role since the death of her longtime partner Bryan Randall.
Randall was 57 when he died in August 2023 following a three-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Bullock recently described the experience on the SmartLess podcast with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett.
She said: “Where he was in his journey, both physically and mentally, I started grieving Brian four years before he passed. There was something that had shifted.
“My person left a lot earlier than the body left. I don’t think I ever dealt with that until after he passed, because you’re just on this treadmill.”
Bullock, mother to adopted children Louis, 16, and Laila, 13, said Randall wanted his diagnosis kept private – leaving her increasingly isolated while caring for him and raising her children during the pandemic.
She eventually confided in close friends Amanda Anka and Jennifer Aniston, describing the combination of responsibilities as a “trifecta that was pretty dark.”
Bullock recalled promoting a movie during that period, saying: “I had to release a film at the same time and – talk about gray! I saw myself on the red carpet, and I was like, you just look at my face. And I am, I’m a woodblock.”