Can you imagine ‘Sex And The City’ without Sarah Jessica Parker’s flawed fashionista and writer Carrie Bradshaw narrating every good, bad, and ugly aspect of being a woman? Her bond with her friends and New York City is unforgettable. But when HBO picked up the show, Parker “panicked,” and thought it was an “oppressive idea.”
What was supposed to be great news made Parker lose her mind. She scrambled to get out of it and set a trial period for herself. We all know how that turned out. Beginning in 1998, the show ran for six seasons, was followed by two movies, and now has a reboot titled ‘And Just Like That…’ Neither Parker nor fans could quit the story.
Sarah Jessica Parker “Panicked” When HBO Picked Up ‘Sex And The City’
Today, Sarah Jessica Parker might be known for ‘Sex And The City,’ but she had forgotten about it after shooting the pilot. On her co-star Kristin Davis’s ‘Are You a Charlotte?‘ podcast, she rewinded to 1997 when a successful female producer approached her on the streets of New York to praise the pilot. The optimistic response didn’t mean much for Parker who just went about her day. But, things soon got real when HBO took a shine to it.
“I panicked,” Parker admitted, continuing, “When the show was picked up, I was like, ‘I can’t be on a TV show! I don’t think I’m suited for that life.’” Of course, by this time she had done a couple of shows like ‘Equal Justice,’ ‘A Year in the Life,’ and ‘Square Pegs,’ but she wasn’t fond of the small screen format. In fact, it “depressed” her. In Parker’s mind, she was repulsed by “the idea of doing the same thing over and over and over again.”
Related: ‘Sex And The City’: Why The Iconic Show For Millenial Women Has Become Pure Cringe Now
She was grateful that she met talented people, built up experience, learned from other actors on set, and told a good story, but in the end, they got over in one or two years. The seasons didn’t drag, nor did the demands on Parker’s time.
“And then I moved on and I would do a play or I’d do some readings, and then I’d do a part in a movie, and then I’d do, you know, a movie of the week. And I just kind of bounced around and I really thought, ‘That is the goal. The journeyman is the goal. You want to be moving.’So the idea of a television series meant that I couldn’t do all those things,” before admitting that she was wrong for thinking that way because actors “can still do [other] things on their hiatuses,” she explained.
So, she asked her agent to get her out of the show. She was ready to sign a contract with HBO for any number of movies for a certain number of years as long as it spared her from committing to the comedy-drama series. But, her agent convinced her to do it for a year and then leave if she didn’t like it. And, she loved it.
How The Show Changed Sarah Jessica Parker’s Life
‘Sex And The City’ became a phenomenon for its take on fashion, friendships, and relationships in a world where women went after what they wanted. It was unapologetic about its independence and absurdities, too. The cast became overnight stars and Sarah Jessica Parker was the TV sensation that carried her career for years.
Sure, Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, and Charlotte made questionable decisions, but the show afforded everyone room to explore. Through their imperfections, a whole generation of women embraced their raw selves. The show changed the status quo. Here were women who chased what was right for them personally, and professionally. They demanded a raise and respect with equal aplomb.
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Parker recognizes that, and in retrospect, she is glad she had a change of heart. “It went from being this kind of oppressive idea to this one with endless possibilities. And the first day we started shooting as a series, the location was up the street from my house. I remember thinking, ‘I can walk to work. I’m not driving on to a lot. I’m not getting on a freeway and hoping I get myself there.’ And I walked up to the location and I never looked back,” she said.
Fans are surely glad that she never looked back. ‘Sex and the City’ won multiple Emmys, and Parker bagged the Best Actress award. It’s still loved by a huge faction. After all, the series gave us the story of women through a modern, vibrant lens. It might be campy in parts, but the characters’ lives and experiences are resonant.
