‘Sex and the City’: Sarah Jessica Parker Initially Had No Interest in Portraying Carrie Bradshaw
Sarah Jessica Parker has had a successful acting career since she was a child. However, her role as Carrie Bradshaw in HBO’s Sex and the City made her a global sensation. For six seasons, two films, and now with the reboot series, And Just Like That, Parker has brought Carrie to life. Fans have watched her trials and triumphs, relationships, friendships, and everything in between.
However, things could have been very different; Parker initially had no interest in portraying the writer/fashion lover.
Carrie Bradshaw was extremely relatable in ‘Sex and the City’
For six years, fans watched Carrie Bradshaw make all kinds of mistakes and missteps in Sex and the City. From her financials to her love life, Carrie didn’t always put her best foot forward. However, this is what made her human and, in turn, so relatable.
From her on-again, off-again relationship with Mr. Big (Chris Noth), including their sordid affair when he was married and she was in a serious relationship with Aidan, Carrie didn’t understand that she deserved better until the very end.
More than that, as much as Carrie invested in her wardrobe, she allowed her passion for fashion to consume her over being prepared for the future financially. Moreover, though she didn’t always do the right thing, she could sometimes be judgemental to her friends. In the end, though, Carrie recentered herself.
Sarah Jessica Parker didn’t want to play Carrie Bradshaw
A movie actor and a Broadway star, when Parker was first offered the role of Carrie on Sex and the City, she was deeply conflicted. According to the book, Sex and the City and Us, Parker could not “see herself in Carrie Bradshaw or any of Carrie’s friends.”
She was also unsure about committing to a TV series that could put her film and Broadway career in jeopardy. However, after a meeting with show creator and executive producer Darren Star, Parker changed her mind. Star welcomed the actor’s input on the character and even offered her the opportunity to produce the show.
Sarah Jessica Parker kept all of Carrie’s clothes from ‘Sex and the City’
In addition to starring in and producing the show, Parker also kept Carrie’s extensive wardrobe that was displayed across six seasons. She explained to Vogue that she “kept every single solitary thing” from the franchise.
More than that, some classic SATC clothing items can be spotted on And Just Like That because they were borrowed from Parker.
“We didn’t want to toss them around or treat these items poorly, because they’re beloved,” costume designer Molly Rogers told Insider. “There’s no show really like this, that has these iconic pieces where people say, ‘Ooh, the cupcake handbag from Judith Leiber.’ … Viewers almost have relationships with them.”
