Chris Noth Believed the Media Killed the ‘Sex and the City’ Franchise

The Sex and the City franchise may have experienced a recent resurgence thanks to its Max spin-off. But there was a time when Chris Noth felt there was no coming back for the show. 

Why Chris North felt ‘Sex and the City’ was done for

Before being written off the series, Noth was a major part of the hit HBO show. His character, Mr. Big, carried over to the series’ two movies. Before And Just Like That, some fans wondered if there might be a third installment in the film series. Noth was one of many actors who was asked about the possibility of a second sequel. 

“Everybody always asks me and I’m always the last to know. Really! I’ll believe the film when they call ACTION and until they do that its all just useless chit chat,” Noth once told Vogue. “There was some twitter conversation, I don’t know why they’re doing twittering in the first place. That’s an excellent way of looking at it, it’s Twitter – chirp, chirp.”

However, he would’ve been interested in doing another film if he’d been asked.

“I think I would. I mean, you know you want to make sure it’s relevant and as good as it can be. I don’t want to do it just cause they’re doing it. I want to do it because its that good and irresistible. It’s all about the writing and usually the writing is pretty damn good. But, I usually don’t do anything any more just because people think I should, you know, I’m done with that,” he said.

But at one point, Noth doubted a sequel would’ve been made because of the media. The second movie didn’t enjoy the same praise that the first one did. Noth felt this played a big part in delaying both the movie and the franchise.

 “It’s over. The franchise is dead. The press killed it. Your magazine f***ing killed it,” Noth once told New York Magazine (via Irish Examiner). “New York Magazine. It’s like all the critics got together and said, ‘This franchise must die.'”

Noth also questioned the credibility of the critics’ negative reviews.

“They all had the exact same review. It’s like they didn’t see the movie,” he said.

Chris Noth suggested that his and Sarah Jessica Parker’s characters go on a road trip

Noth wasn’t one to come up with ideas for his projects. But he admitted that he once pitched his own idea for his and Sarah Jessica Parker’s married characters. If Noth had his say, the couple would’ve had their own little adventure together.

“That’s why I’m not a writer, because I don’t know. Sorry. Actually I’ll give you this, originally I thought why don’t you get Carrie and Big to do a road trip. That would be fun. I remember saying it cause I’ve also said, ‘Have them go to Bali because I want to go to Bali’. No, Rio,” Noth remembered.

But the Law & Order star seemed displeased with how the media spread more rumors about the franchise based on his pitch.

“And the next thing the media picked up on it and the media was saying Big goes to Rio, it was ridiculous. But it’s like, where would I like to go, yeah let’s get them to go there. Put them in a villa in Italy for a few weeks and then they decide to do a road trip through Europe,” he said.

How Chris Noth reacted to the big plot twist regarding his character in ‘And Just Like That…”’

Noth was one of many who’d end up reprising their Sex and the City roles in Max’s And Just Like That. But as fans of the series know, Noth didn’t get to stay reunited with his castmates for long. His character’s death came as much of a shock to Noth as it did to audiences. When Michael Patrick King initially brought the idea to him, he was less than pleased.

“I think the important thing for Michael and me, when we were in discussions about it — because at first I balked at even the idea of coming back and dying,” Noth said in a separate Vogue interview. It just was like, ‘Well, just let it be, you know?'”

Still, Noth eventually warmed up to the idea. After he came to terms with his character’s fate, he wanted to make sure his Mr. Big at least had an honorable exit.

“We both called it the Bonnie and Clyde moment, which is that moment when Bonnie and Clyde are about to be eviscerated by bullets,” he said. “They have that look with each other, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. They both know that it’s the end. We knew that we had to have that, that I just shouldn’t die alone in the bathroom.”