How Will ‘And Just Like That…’ Deal With Willie Garson’s Real-Life Death?

Willie Garson’s death during the filming of And Just Like That… shocked the world. Garson, who played Stanford Blatch in Sex and the City, was thrilled to be a part of the reboot and remained on set as long as his health allowed. Still, much of his planned storyline was cut short due to his declining health. In a recent interview, Michael Patrick King revealed that fans wouldn’t be getting a big explanation for Stanford’s sudden absence, but that was entirely due to circumstance. 

‘And Just Like That…’ fans won’t be getting a final goodbye with Garson 

Garson appeared as Stanford in the third episode of And Just Like That…, and he was every bit as delightful as usual. While fans found much of the first two episodes to be heavy and depressing, Garson sparkled in his role and lit up the room. He continued to do so in episode 3, where a rivalry between Charlotte York and Stanford began to form. That, however, seems to have been his last appearance. 

In an interview with Vulture, the cast and crew of And Just Like That… discussed Garson’s shocking death. Michael Patrick King, the famed showrunner, explained that he had asked Garson to come to the set for a final scene. The scene, between just Stanford and Bradshaw, was written explicitly to explain his sudden absence. Garson told the showrunner that he couldn’t do it. King recalled that Garson was almost apologetic. He told the publication that Garson said, “Please, don’t think I don’t want to do it — I can’t.” 

King previously alluded to a large storyline for Stanford in the reboot. Parker echoed those thoughts. She told Vulture that Stanford was set to be more involved than ever before. Parker revealed that he had his own storyline that was exciting and interesting. That storyline, unfortunately, never got to unravel. Garson was last seen on set in August 2021 and died the following month from pancreatic cancer.  

How will the series explain Stanford’s sudden absence? 

While the team behind And Just Like That… planned a scene to explain Garson’s absence, Garson and Parker never shot it. By all accounts, episode 3, “When in Rome,” was the final episode Garson appeared in. How they’ll deal with his absence now is still a mystery. 

Presumably, the show will explain his sudden disappearance somehow, but King, nor the cast, are willing to share that information, at least not yet. One thing is for certain; they will not be killing off the character. King has clarified that killing off Stanford is not in the cards. Fans of the series, and more specifically of Garson, are happy with that, for now.