1 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the thing, 2 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: My chance to talk with artists, policymakers and performers, to 3 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: hear their stories, what inspires their creations, what decisions change 4 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:25,240 Speaker 1: their careers, what relationships influence their work. On Sunday nights 5 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: in the late nineties and early two thousand's, you would 6 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:34,280 Speaker 1: hear this in homes all over the country. In six 7 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 1: seasons and two feature films, Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha 8 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:42,240 Speaker 1: navigated the complexities of single life in New York City. 9 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: When HBO's Sex in the City wrapped in two thousand four, 10 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: it left millions of empty Cosmopolitan glasses in its wake 11 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: and changed brunch conversations forever. All four of its actresses 12 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: became major stars, most notably the show's narrator and my 13 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: guest today, Sarah Jessica Parker. I Am someone who is 14 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: looking for love, real love. Parker's professional career began long 15 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:15,280 Speaker 1: before she became Carrie Bradshaw. At eleven, she made her 16 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: Broadway debut in The Innocence. She went on to star 17 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:21,839 Speaker 1: in films opposite Bruce Willis, Nicolas Cage, and Steve Martin, 18 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:24,680 Speaker 1: but Sex in the City brought Parker a different kind 19 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 1: of success. Parker the actress became Parker the celebrity, fashion 20 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:34,319 Speaker 1: icon television producer. Today, Sarah Jessica Parker is also a mother. 21 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: She has three kids under third Team. The decision to 22 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 1: become a mother was not one Parker took lightly. When 23 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: you're one of eight children and there isn't a lot 24 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: and you are struggling, you don't think that this I'd 25 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:51,560 Speaker 1: like to replicate this. Yeah, you don't want to give 26 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: your siblings your real address? No, you think, gosh, I 27 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: can't wait to have my own space. I can't wait 28 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 1: to own address that was mine to begin with. That 29 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: wasn't seven or eight other people's. You have that now, though? 30 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 1: Don't you address that your own? Do? And I understand 31 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: that actually that isn't as fulfilling as one might have 32 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 1: imagined as an eight year old. But I really wanted 33 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:18,240 Speaker 1: a lack of chaos. I wanted I enjoyed it my 34 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 1: siblings and I'm in I'm mad and really quite taken 35 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: with them now and have been for many years. But 36 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:29,080 Speaker 1: I didn't think at the time that I wanted to 37 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: recreate that. When it last I was on my own. 38 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 1: You know, it was insane in our home and in 39 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 1: your childhood. You started working very young, you were you 40 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: were a child actor your eight and what do you 41 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:47,079 Speaker 1: remember about your childhood. I'm not certain how we sort 42 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: of recreate how we felt about our childhood, because I 43 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: wouldn't want it any other way. I wouldn't want I 44 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: wouldn't want to sort of fix the things that were painful, 45 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:03,080 Speaker 1: or change the disappointments to triumphs or the struggles to ease. 46 00:03:03,560 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: I remember everything about my childhood, and I think the 47 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: memories are vivid because it was a very vivid life. 48 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 1: It was a colorful, energetic, unpredictable, exciting, scary, sad, ebulent life. 49 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:24,919 Speaker 1: And um, I think I benefited from that in countless ways, 50 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,359 Speaker 1: far more than I would have if it had been 51 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: easy and care free and without concern and worry. I 52 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 1: think I loved working because it allowed me something of 53 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: my own time to myself, something that I felt was mine. 54 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: Were your siblings performers, any of them? My brother Toby 55 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: was an actor, um, and was started working before me, 56 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: and then we eventually worked together a number of times. 57 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: And I think he would also say that he loved 58 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 1: this independence from his siblings money. Knowing that we had this, 59 00:03:57,840 --> 00:04:00,120 Speaker 1: we were creating like a past. Remember your past. Look 60 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:02,160 Speaker 1: at the bank you you and I have that in Comay. 61 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 1: So all of those were wonderful. Going home was a 62 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:11,839 Speaker 1: little dreary after a day of independence. But I think 63 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: about days that I didn't want to be in my home, 64 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:16,600 Speaker 1: and I think about days that I got to be 65 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:20,159 Speaker 1: out working as an actor, that you know, getting through 66 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:26,040 Speaker 1: the days that that I found not always super pleasant. Um, 67 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 1: I earned those days away. I earned the five dollars 68 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,920 Speaker 1: they gave me from my dinner money or this opportunity 69 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:34,720 Speaker 1: to pretend to be somebody else. So I liked the 70 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:39,320 Speaker 1: balance of the suffering and the reward. Is that crazy? No? No, 71 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 1: I think that. I remember when when I worked and 72 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 1: I got a job, and I remember I just felt strange. 73 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 1: I mean they I did a television soap opera in 74 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 1: New York. There was the lowest rated soap opera. I 75 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,480 Speaker 1: did the Doctors on NBC before they were canceled. Were 76 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 1: you a doctor? No, I was the bastard son. I 77 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 1: was a swindling son of a doctor, this scion, and 78 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: I get this job they pay you. I was twenty 79 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: and I get the job and they pay me the 80 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: minimum and I get a check for whatever. Like the 81 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:16,640 Speaker 1: first year, I remember sitting there thinking I make more 82 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 1: money than my dad, who's been teaching for twenty eight 83 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:22,159 Speaker 1: years at a public school. And I felt funny. I 84 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 1: felt weird, Like people will always sometimes smack you or 85 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:29,280 Speaker 1: swat you and say, what do you know? You're out 86 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 1: of touch because you all you people are so overpaid 87 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 1: And there's a part of me sits there and yeah, 88 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:37,040 Speaker 1: I mean it is kind of crazy, but but I 89 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:38,599 Speaker 1: have to ask you a question. Wait, let me just 90 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:41,840 Speaker 1: go back, because I think it is curious when you're 91 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: criticized or or there's a conversation around sort that you 92 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:48,120 Speaker 1: might be out of touch or you're not you know, 93 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:51,560 Speaker 1: you don't recognize what it means to work hard. On 94 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: one hand, you can say it is true, um, lots 95 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:58,039 Speaker 1: of people make absurd amounts of money, and none of 96 00:05:58,040 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: it's just none of it makes sense and none of 97 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:03,039 Speaker 1: it's fair and it's but I think the accusation of 98 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:05,240 Speaker 1: your being out of touch or you're not aware of 99 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:07,000 Speaker 1: what it means to work hard, that's the part of 100 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 1: that kind of charge that I am most frustrated by. 101 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 1: Because a lot of people I know who work in entertainment, theater, 102 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:21,200 Speaker 1: show business didn't come from anything and simply worked incredibly hard. 103 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 1: And we're willing to work hard and earn nothing, and 104 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:27,160 Speaker 1: every now and then a job comes along that does 105 00:06:27,240 --> 00:06:30,479 Speaker 1: pay and that you know, that's wonderful, and almost everybody 106 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:34,320 Speaker 1: I know is thrilled and appreciative. So the idea that 107 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:39,480 Speaker 1: you know, we're sort of blithely going through life, you know, 108 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 1: not aware of um out of whack it is and 109 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: how lucky we are too. And then and the other 110 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 1: part of that I find is that other people have 111 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:53,120 Speaker 1: jobs where there's a meritorious system of a sentencing. You 112 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:55,039 Speaker 1: go to high school, you do well, you get the 113 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:56,920 Speaker 1: good s, A T s, you get the g p A, 114 00:06:57,120 --> 00:06:59,839 Speaker 1: you get the right scores, You go to Harvard, and 115 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,039 Speaker 1: in our business you can be great and do great work. 116 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 1: It doesn't mean anything. Do the mean you're gonna move up. 117 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:07,400 Speaker 1: Sometimes the most successful people are not the most talented 118 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 1: people in terms of the kind of complexity they're acting. 119 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: If you will, Yeah, and I think I'm predictable nature, 120 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:15,280 Speaker 1: I mean, and it's it's impossible, you know, to compare 121 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,720 Speaker 1: career trajectories and paths and choices. But there are things 122 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:22,240 Speaker 1: that are you know, obviously very unstable about making these 123 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 1: life choices. And and most people, you know, really everybody 124 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: I admire basically has not really you know, hit the 125 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 1: pay dirt the way that I think they should have. 126 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 1: And so, you know, I'm particularly sensitive to the idea 127 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 1: that I that I'm not aware of what it means 128 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:43,000 Speaker 1: to work hard, and that I'm not aware of the 129 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 1: imbalance of you know, the sort of It's not you know, 130 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: for me, what is interesting is you and men. Eventually 131 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:54,880 Speaker 1: you become very famous. It's you, it's Mary Tyler Moore, 132 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 1: it's Gene Stapleton, and you become one of the most 133 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:02,960 Speaker 1: prominent women in the history of television. Before Sex in 134 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,840 Speaker 1: the City, when someone hired you, what were they hiring 135 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: you for? Well, they were usually hiring me to play uh. 136 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:16,520 Speaker 1: For a while, I was the cerebral best friend of 137 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:22,840 Speaker 1: the pretty lead girl, subversive or UH. Could be a 138 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 1: clever person, witty, um, maybe bitter, uh, you know, funny, buoyant, um, wise, cracking, 139 00:08:37,120 --> 00:08:41,199 Speaker 1: but not overly confident UM. So that I found enormous 140 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:46,080 Speaker 1: pleasure in and I felt, why would I complain? You 141 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: know this is the career. This is the journeyman career 142 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:50,720 Speaker 1: I always dreamed of having. This was the career I wanted, 143 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:55,800 Speaker 1: And so that was the kind of Those were the roles, 144 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:59,480 Speaker 1: never the lead, you know, foot loose. I was the spirited, 145 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:03,480 Speaker 1: best end of Lorie Singer. She was the beautiful, withholding, 146 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:09,200 Speaker 1: I don't know, desirable lead. And but one once again 147 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:11,680 Speaker 1: I will say, and I couldn't mean this, And it's 148 00:09:11,679 --> 00:09:14,199 Speaker 1: not that I'm looking back on it fondly and kind 149 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:18,560 Speaker 1: of creating affection for a time or a place. I 150 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: really I thought I had it all. I would work 151 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:23,280 Speaker 1: in the theater all the time, I would play these 152 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:27,480 Speaker 1: smaller parts in movies, I would do television shows. Um, 153 00:09:27,520 --> 00:09:30,920 Speaker 1: I thought I had everything a person could ever want 154 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:33,000 Speaker 1: and hope for. And I would never have been so 155 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:35,600 Speaker 1: bold as to as to say I did want more 156 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 1: than that. I assumed that the leads were really only 157 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 1: made for a particular type of girl and then woman, 158 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 1: and I understood that I just wasn't going to ever 159 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:52,679 Speaker 1: be that person. And I talked myself into believing that 160 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:56,120 Speaker 1: the roles that I got to play were more complex people. 161 00:09:56,480 --> 00:10:01,480 Speaker 1: They were more nuanced, they were more interesting. Sometimes that 162 00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 1: was the case, not always, but the opportunity to work, 163 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:07,880 Speaker 1: to move from job to job was the best because 164 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: I was constantly figuring out new relationships, new people. How 165 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 1: did they work? How do I work? What do I 166 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:15,720 Speaker 1: want to do? Like they do? What? I think? You 167 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: make a lot of films, I remember that, but all 168 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:20,559 Speaker 1: the people you could those days of like running to 169 00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:23,920 Speaker 1: a pay phone checking your voicemail I mean sorry, checking 170 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:28,120 Speaker 1: your answering machine. It was like you're like, oh, there's 171 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:29,720 Speaker 1: a lot of calls. It's a lot of calls. You 172 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 1: have thirty nine messaging messages. Just the potential of that 173 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:39,160 Speaker 1: next job. Also the romantic relationships that exist when you're 174 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:42,040 Speaker 1: moving that quickly and you're young, and you're I don't 175 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:45,960 Speaker 1: know all of it. I think was I couldn't have 176 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:48,880 Speaker 1: planned it any better in a way. And then what happened? 177 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: And then um, Kevin Euvaine, my agent of twenty or 178 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 1: thirty years now, rang me and said, there's this pilot 179 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:00,120 Speaker 1: script a guy named Darren starred you know who and 180 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:03,199 Speaker 1: star as. I said, yes, I know, certainly do Melrose Place, 181 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:06,120 Speaker 1: um Beverly Hills nine at two and oh he he said, 182 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:07,960 Speaker 1: he's written this pilot. He says he's written it with 183 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 1: you in mind. So Starr told you, Vane, he wrote 184 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:14,240 Speaker 1: this with you in mind. Correct. Kevin Evane told me 185 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:17,480 Speaker 1: that that's what Darren Starr had had shared with him. 186 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:21,240 Speaker 1: Would I read the script? Um? I read the script 187 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:26,480 Speaker 1: right away. I was really kind of confounded by the 188 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 1: idea that I was a voice that would have come 189 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:32,000 Speaker 1: to mind because she was so this part of Carrie 190 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:35,200 Speaker 1: Bradshaw was so unlike anything I'd ever played. And the 191 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:38,839 Speaker 1: book had come out before before um, I would say 192 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:41,439 Speaker 1: maybe a year and a half, two years to the script. 193 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:44,720 Speaker 1: He had been clever enough to go to Candice and say, 194 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:46,719 Speaker 1: can I buy the rights to this and use this 195 00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:48,840 Speaker 1: as a jumping off point. I had been sent the 196 00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:52,520 Speaker 1: book anonymously, I mean just you know, as publishers sometimes 197 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:55,720 Speaker 1: send people books. I was familiar with this column. I 198 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:59,680 Speaker 1: thought it was a really clever, interesting take on sexual 199 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:02,640 Speaker 1: pole ticks. I love the way she wrote. And so 200 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:06,559 Speaker 1: I met with Darren, and you know, I was busy. 201 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:08,800 Speaker 1: I was doing a Broadway musical at the time. I 202 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:10,880 Speaker 1: was shooting movies during the day and going to the 203 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:13,199 Speaker 1: theater at night, and you know, had two or three 204 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:16,520 Speaker 1: movies coming out, and he said to me, you know, 205 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:18,719 Speaker 1: I would love for you to consider this. We met 206 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:21,000 Speaker 1: at eat on the Upper east Side, which I thought 207 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:23,240 Speaker 1: was kind of a fancy place. It's expensive, you know, 208 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:26,920 Speaker 1: the menu is pretty dear like everything on the menu, 209 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:30,720 Speaker 1: and uh, I said, you know, I don't feel comfortable 210 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:32,600 Speaker 1: doing nudity. I don't. I think we can be more 211 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 1: thoughtful about this language. She's a writer. Does she have 212 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:38,079 Speaker 1: to use the effort? It Isn't she more thoughtful about? 213 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 1: You know? He kept just saying to everything, every possible 214 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:43,600 Speaker 1: obstacle I can throw it his way to talk him 215 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:48,040 Speaker 1: out of hiring me. He had a relatively great convincing 216 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:50,040 Speaker 1: And have you been successful at talking people out of 217 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 1: hiring you previously? I think I'd given people lots of 218 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:58,839 Speaker 1: other ideas, like don't you think Patty clarkson the same one. 219 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:01,160 Speaker 1: I'm always offered up having Sarks And because I don't 220 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:03,640 Speaker 1: know about you, but I always have these actors in 221 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:06,079 Speaker 1: my head that I think are more deserving or better 222 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:10,640 Speaker 1: Frank simply better. I always I always think that. And 223 00:13:10,679 --> 00:13:12,800 Speaker 1: I always think that there were like four or five 224 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:16,040 Speaker 1: other three named actresses that either they may be meant 225 00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:18,000 Speaker 1: to go to first, and that when I showed up 226 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:20,760 Speaker 1: there like we didn't mean that, we meant Mary Louise Parker. 227 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:25,720 Speaker 1: But anyway, he was very convincing and um and really, 228 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,679 Speaker 1: uh just so tenation. He just never let the idea go. 229 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:32,679 Speaker 1: And and I said, oh, and by the way, between 230 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:34,520 Speaker 1: you and me and I'm actually getting married, I think 231 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:36,400 Speaker 1: next week. It was I think I'm getting married next 232 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:39,040 Speaker 1: week on my night off. He got the day off. 233 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:42,200 Speaker 1: We're gonna get married. So I don't want to start 234 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:44,840 Speaker 1: shooting until after we get married. And he said, that's fine, 235 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 1: we'll figure it out. We'll push it a few days. 236 00:13:47,320 --> 00:13:51,240 Speaker 1: And so I went and did this pilot and, um, 237 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:53,360 Speaker 1: you know, are you ready to do a TV show? No? 238 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:55,840 Speaker 1: And to be honest, at the time, HBO is a 239 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:58,720 Speaker 1: very different network. It was a place that was a 240 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:04,640 Speaker 1: primarily mailed, mainated um uh network. It was there was 241 00:14:04,760 --> 00:14:07,320 Speaker 1: heavy on the sports and boxing. There were a few 242 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:13,120 Speaker 1: scripted shows dream on, UM a football show. Um there 243 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:17,160 Speaker 1: was a football show about a football team. You know. 244 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:19,640 Speaker 1: It was skewed towards the male audience that existed for 245 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:23,000 Speaker 1: the for their sports, their great special sports events. And 246 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:25,480 Speaker 1: so I thought, you know, I'll do this pilot and 247 00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:27,960 Speaker 1: I loved. I thought the script was spectacled, and actually 248 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:30,120 Speaker 1: I gave it to Matthew and my oldest brother Pippin, 249 00:14:30,680 --> 00:14:33,240 Speaker 1: and they both read it and said, without a doubt, 250 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:36,520 Speaker 1: you should do this. You've never been offered anything like this. 251 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 1: The writing is is really really good, it's smart, it's different. 252 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 1: There's nothing else that they could think of that was 253 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:45,040 Speaker 1: like it. So I did the pilot. Went on with 254 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:47,600 Speaker 1: my life and one day I was walking down the 255 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 1: street and I ran into Merrill poster and she said 256 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:51,600 Speaker 1: to me. I think I was on my way to 257 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:54,360 Speaker 1: see a play and she said, oh, I I saw 258 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:58,520 Speaker 1: your television show. And I said her, what what television show? 259 00:14:58,560 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 1: And she said, did you do a pilot it called 260 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:03,400 Speaker 1: Sexton City. I was like and I literally said, oh, 261 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:06,240 Speaker 1: that's right, I did. And she said it's good and 262 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:08,800 Speaker 1: I said it is. I haven't seen it and she said, 263 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:10,400 Speaker 1: oh no, I just thought I think it's really good. 264 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:14,560 Speaker 1: I said, okay. So after Merril post the pilot, what 265 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:17,200 Speaker 1: happens next? I think eventually I saw it or was 266 00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:20,520 Speaker 1: forced to see it, and um, there was this discussion 267 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 1: of it, you know, going to series, and I then 268 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:25,760 Speaker 1: tried to get out of it. I went to Kevin Euvaine, 269 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:29,280 Speaker 1: and I went to, uh, who's a great television agent 270 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:33,840 Speaker 1: at CIA who ran the televison Lee. Oh God forgive me. Um. Anyway, 271 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:36,880 Speaker 1: I went to them, called a meeting and said to them, gentlemen, 272 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:38,400 Speaker 1: you have to help me get out of this. I 273 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:42,320 Speaker 1: don't want to do a television series. I've rethought this. UM. 274 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:45,440 Speaker 1: I would like to offer myself up to HBO basically free. 275 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:47,240 Speaker 1: I will work for them for the next four years. 276 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:49,280 Speaker 1: I'll do any television movie they want. But I just 277 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:51,360 Speaker 1: don't think I want to be caught up and tied 278 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 1: down in a television series. This is after you've seen 279 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:56,640 Speaker 1: the pilot. After i'd see the pilot. I might not 280 00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:58,840 Speaker 1: have seen the pilot yet. And I just sort of 281 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:04,360 Speaker 1: rethought my future and panicked, and eventually they producer ended 282 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:06,200 Speaker 1: up coming on the show. Who I did a movie 283 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:09,640 Speaker 1: with Miami Rhapsody. They said to me, Look, this is 284 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 1: We'll tell you about this kind of home. HBO is 285 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 1: a place where it doesn't feel good. After season one, 286 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,040 Speaker 1: we don't do season two. Don't worry about that. Just 287 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:20,320 Speaker 1: let's try. They're not going to hold you hostage. I 288 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:22,320 Speaker 1: went to the set on the first day and I 289 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:24,760 Speaker 1: never looked back, and every day I got in the 290 00:16:24,760 --> 00:16:29,000 Speaker 1: shower to go to work, I was I was gobsmacked 291 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: by the idea that I didn't want to be anywhere else. 292 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 1: There wasn't a day that I spent on that set 293 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 1: that I didn't want to be there. When I think 294 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:40,200 Speaker 1: of that show, because it was a lot of practical locations, 295 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:41,480 Speaker 1: and when you guys were on the streets a lot, 296 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:44,640 Speaker 1: you weren't on the stage much, and I always think 297 00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:48,080 Speaker 1: of you like four chicks in a trailer changing your 298 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:54,800 Speaker 1: clothes and outside of you here. Yeah, but I loved it. 299 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:57,640 Speaker 1: I loved it. I loved the work. I love the people, 300 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 1: I love the storytelling, I love the character I loved it. 301 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 1: When did you know you guys had gotten them well? 302 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:06,400 Speaker 1: I felt at the end of the first season, Um, 303 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:08,720 Speaker 1: we produced the whole first season without being on the air. 304 00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:11,800 Speaker 1: We went on the air, I think while we were 305 00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:16,000 Speaker 1: already into our second season shooting, and even though there 306 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:19,080 Speaker 1: wasn't a terribly large audience at that time, I just 307 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:23,199 Speaker 1: felt that the stories we were telling were successful. And 308 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:26,280 Speaker 1: I think it became really necessary for us as we 309 00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:29,359 Speaker 1: started to face a second and possibly third season that 310 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:32,080 Speaker 1: it had to get You couldn't hang your hat on 311 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:34,960 Speaker 1: being titillating. You couldn't hang your hat on, you know, 312 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:39,080 Speaker 1: Nor did we want to on the story of clothes 313 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:42,160 Speaker 1: and carrying the story that told. But rather she had 314 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:46,800 Speaker 1: to start revealing why she was floundering, why why was 315 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:51,480 Speaker 1: she a mess? And Michael just had some innate, sort 316 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:54,240 Speaker 1: of preternatural instinct about carry Bradshaw and how to tell 317 00:17:54,280 --> 00:17:58,679 Speaker 1: her story. And he was here. I think Michael was 318 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:00,680 Speaker 1: you know, grew up with a lot of bun A sisters, 319 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:04,159 Speaker 1: a lot of important women in his life. He is 320 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:07,960 Speaker 1: deeply curious about women's stories. He can write women. It 321 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,760 Speaker 1: doesn't really make any sense, although there have been some great, 322 00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:13,360 Speaker 1: great screenwriters who have written I mean, we know them. 323 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:19,879 Speaker 1: But he just was very, very First of all, he 324 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:23,639 Speaker 1: loved Carrie Bradshaw. He loved telling her story and was 325 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:25,760 Speaker 1: as invested in it as I was. And I think 326 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:28,440 Speaker 1: that's why we were such great partners and producing partners, 327 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:32,160 Speaker 1: because we were both bitter enders. We will work until 328 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:35,879 Speaker 1: we were bloody and bloody crossing the finish line. We 329 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:37,960 Speaker 1: cared about it being as perfect as possible. But he 330 00:18:38,119 --> 00:18:42,960 Speaker 1: loved that girl and he loved those stories, and I 331 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:46,880 Speaker 1: think when you were that interested and curious about when 332 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:49,440 Speaker 1: you're a writer like that, it just makes the writing 333 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:52,920 Speaker 1: that much richer. So King's the head writer, and he's 334 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:55,560 Speaker 1: a guy with an eye and an ear toward women's stories. 335 00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 1: Was the writing staff a lot of women or was 336 00:18:57,600 --> 00:19:01,600 Speaker 1: it mostly women? The top of each season they would 337 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:04,480 Speaker 1: meet in a writing room Los Angeles, where a lot 338 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:07,480 Speaker 1: of them lived at Michael Patrick's you know, home base 339 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:10,840 Speaker 1: was when he wasn't you know, shooting our show, And 340 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:13,680 Speaker 1: every now and then a fellow would come along and 341 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:15,240 Speaker 1: he would sit in the writing room I think at 342 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:17,400 Speaker 1: the top, you know, and they're breaking story and just 343 00:19:18,119 --> 00:19:22,680 Speaker 1: um kind of give a perspective that was important for 344 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:24,600 Speaker 1: people to be familiar with because there was such a 345 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:28,600 Speaker 1: strong female sensibility, and a couple of scripts were written 346 00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:31,439 Speaker 1: by men. We had one young man for a while, 347 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:35,200 Speaker 1: but they weren't as consistent year to year as as 348 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:38,160 Speaker 1: our women were. At what point the ten staff too 349 00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 1: very tiny relative for television, considered quite small. Yeah, you know, 350 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:46,159 Speaker 1: at some point the show becomes this huge hit, And 351 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:47,960 Speaker 1: at what point in the process did they start to 352 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:49,760 Speaker 1: turn to you and say, well, now you're a producer 353 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:52,760 Speaker 1: now we're going to factor in your import. When I 354 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:54,680 Speaker 1: first met with Darren, he said to me, why don't 355 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:57,520 Speaker 1: you be a consulting producer on the show or consultant? 356 00:19:57,520 --> 00:19:58,879 Speaker 1: And I said, you know, He said it would be 357 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:00,720 Speaker 1: good for you. You You could learn about television, You could 358 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:03,120 Speaker 1: learn about producing television. So I said, well, who would 359 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:05,760 Speaker 1: say no to an opportunity to learn? And so I 360 00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:09,520 Speaker 1: was very devoted to that idea. And second season they 361 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:12,760 Speaker 1: said do you want to start producing? And I did, 362 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:17,440 Speaker 1: and I I said yes if they continued to let 363 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:20,040 Speaker 1: me learn, And that sort of the understanding was that 364 00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:23,160 Speaker 1: I kind of laid out, was that I would only 365 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:25,600 Speaker 1: contribute if and when I thought I had something valuable 366 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:27,600 Speaker 1: to say. Really, it was an opportunity for me to 367 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:31,280 Speaker 1: now sit be more part of the conversation and learn 368 00:20:31,359 --> 00:20:36,080 Speaker 1: about producing. And I just did and loved it, loved 369 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:38,960 Speaker 1: And one aspect of that that I comes to mind 370 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:41,560 Speaker 1: for me, is it in your career prior to this, 371 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:44,959 Speaker 1: number one on the call sheet is a guy and 372 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:49,840 Speaker 1: you're the girl. So Nick Cage approves you, and Bruce 373 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:54,720 Speaker 1: I was hired before Nick. What I mean, but for 374 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:57,800 Speaker 1: many times in your career, whether you're working with Tim 375 00:20:57,880 --> 00:20:59,400 Speaker 1: and you're working with all these people you made movies, 376 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:01,600 Speaker 1: or you made a lot of movies. You're the girl 377 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:04,919 Speaker 1: and now you're number one of the call sheet and 378 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:06,840 Speaker 1: you get to decide who the men are that are 379 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:08,880 Speaker 1: coming to the door. How did that work with you? 380 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:12,560 Speaker 1: You know? I mean you have like kind of um 381 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:15,800 Speaker 1: tastes and you react in ways that you didn't even 382 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 1: know you would. I would have, you know, feelings about 383 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:23,080 Speaker 1: certain names, and and Michael would have feelings and that was, 384 00:21:23,320 --> 00:21:27,320 Speaker 1: you know, sometimes hard because he would write it, so 385 00:21:27,400 --> 00:21:31,320 Speaker 1: he imagined things, and so I couldn't argue with what 386 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:33,600 Speaker 1: what he saw in his head. My problem was that 387 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:36,680 Speaker 1: I knew what I was going to have to do 388 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:39,760 Speaker 1: on screen with them, and I think there's something very 389 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:42,359 Speaker 1: interesting about that which is hard to explain to people. 390 00:21:42,359 --> 00:21:44,960 Speaker 1: But you and I can get into it now. So 391 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:48,880 Speaker 1: you know, when they've given you somebody to play opposite, 392 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:55,000 Speaker 1: and everybody wanted them but you because and what you know, 393 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:58,040 Speaker 1: I would allow it under dress when someone's holding me 394 00:21:58,040 --> 00:21:59,680 Speaker 1: down and saying you have to trust me, you have 395 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:01,280 Speaker 1: to try me. I know you haven't seen this out 396 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:03,439 Speaker 1: of this person. I think he or she can do. 397 00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:07,400 Speaker 1: Trump is perfect for this part of your boyfriend. So 398 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:11,879 Speaker 1: what I think it's hard to explain to these people, 399 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:16,680 Speaker 1: right the Senate that believes in their choice, is that 400 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:21,440 Speaker 1: you know what they won't bring, and you know what 401 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:24,200 Speaker 1: you will then have to do is tell the story 402 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:28,000 Speaker 1: for two people on camera. And I think what's really 403 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:31,960 Speaker 1: really dangerous about that is you end up projecting onto 404 00:22:32,040 --> 00:22:35,480 Speaker 1: the other person what you wish they were bringing into 405 00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:37,680 Speaker 1: the scene. And what I think happens is you become 406 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:43,080 Speaker 1: a bad actor. You overact. You try to create chemistry 407 00:22:43,119 --> 00:22:46,680 Speaker 1: and romance and love, and you imbue the scene with everything, 408 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:49,320 Speaker 1: and you can't because when you feel it, even if 409 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:51,240 Speaker 1: you're not in love with this person. I've worked with 410 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:54,840 Speaker 1: countless actors who I'm not in love with them. I 411 00:22:54,920 --> 00:22:57,359 Speaker 1: really mean it, but I love working with them and 412 00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:01,000 Speaker 1: I can. I don't care what they look like, smell like, 413 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:04,720 Speaker 1: where they come from, who they are, how tall, how short, 414 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:09,200 Speaker 1: If they're smart and interesting and talented actors. I do not. 415 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:13,000 Speaker 1: Talent is the greatest ephrodisiac. It's But then this is 416 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:15,680 Speaker 1: the weird part, right, This is the fork in the road, 417 00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:18,840 Speaker 1: is that I don't need to I don't even care 418 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:20,840 Speaker 1: if I don't want to have sex with them. I'm 419 00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:24,119 Speaker 1: using you have to play with them, some romance. You 420 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:29,320 Speaker 1: just want to feel some friction, some kind of or 421 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:34,600 Speaker 1: some love, sword player love, some capturing of something. I 422 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:37,000 Speaker 1: did street Car Name Desire with Amy Madigan, and Amy 423 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:41,439 Speaker 1: Madigan's a real antiochally flinty cow girl. You know, this 424 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:45,359 Speaker 1: really kind of tough little girl. And I loved Amy 425 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:47,520 Speaker 1: every night. I was in love with her. And I've 426 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:52,440 Speaker 1: got to have that some feeling. It's just so wonderful 427 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:57,600 Speaker 1: to have that. And when you don't, it's it's a 428 00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:01,880 Speaker 1: kind of hard work. What would you do? I would 429 00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 1: be you know, it would be very hard and earn 430 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:07,159 Speaker 1: your money that week. I guess, so, I mean, I 431 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:11,320 Speaker 1: don't I don't know. I think it would be hard, 432 00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:13,440 Speaker 1: and it would be a different kind of hard work, 433 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:15,639 Speaker 1: Like I would work so hard on that show. I 434 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:17,680 Speaker 1: worked hours. I would do a hundred and hundred and 435 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:20,880 Speaker 1: ten hour weeks. I didn't care this kind of hard 436 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:25,320 Speaker 1: work shows. It made me a bad actor because I 437 00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:29,280 Speaker 1: would try to keep it alive and sort of yourself 438 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:34,119 Speaker 1: parties and I think it makes you over animated, surface 439 00:24:34,200 --> 00:24:37,680 Speaker 1: e and fake and it's just awful and it would 440 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:42,439 Speaker 1: upset me and it would make me pouty. It's really 441 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:47,000 Speaker 1: bizarrely hard. My code word with him. I was doing 442 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:49,040 Speaker 1: the series. I'd say to them, I go, you decide 443 00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:51,480 Speaker 1: if I didn't like the person. That's what I said. 444 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:53,080 Speaker 1: They say to me, we were thinking of so and so. 445 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:56,399 Speaker 1: I take a long pause and I go, well you decide, 446 00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: so you decide meant? No, you decide, you decide meant 447 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:03,479 Speaker 1: I don't like that idea. Now, so you're number one 448 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:06,320 Speaker 1: of the call sheet. Now you're producing the show. What 449 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:08,840 Speaker 1: do you decide if anything in terms of the text, 450 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:12,280 Speaker 1: because the show did get glorified and it also got 451 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:15,359 Speaker 1: some criticism for what you're saying about single women and sex. 452 00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:18,919 Speaker 1: Did you think about that? I mean I thought about 453 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:21,720 Speaker 1: what I knew and heard about. I didn't read anything. 454 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:26,639 Speaker 1: I didn't really. We didn't talk about peripheral chatter. We 455 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:29,760 Speaker 1: just Michael and I had a kind of agreement, like 456 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:33,200 Speaker 1: a blackout. We just really The only things we ever 457 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:36,760 Speaker 1: spoke about, press wise was when we were first in 458 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:42,159 Speaker 1: Maureen Dowd's column and we thought, Wow, this show is 459 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:46,000 Speaker 1: familiar enough for her to talk to reference, for her 460 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:50,680 Speaker 1: to reference reference that this is, yeah, this is But 461 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:52,720 Speaker 1: what about the content of the scripts. Did you say 462 00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:55,560 Speaker 1: to them, I don't want to say that about women 463 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:57,840 Speaker 1: that always say about sex. You know what I was 464 00:25:57,880 --> 00:25:59,879 Speaker 1: most concerned about, and what I was super vigilant of 465 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:03,679 Speaker 1: out and a super gatekeeper, was the choice of language 466 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:07,440 Speaker 1: after the table read. I would say, and I don't 467 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:10,639 Speaker 1: mean just you know, salty language. I was real watch 468 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:12,679 Speaker 1: talk about that, because I thought, you know, she has 469 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:14,679 Speaker 1: an HBO. You could have gone blue. You could have 470 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:16,679 Speaker 1: and you know, it's really kind of easy, but you 471 00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:19,439 Speaker 1: have to be kind of smaller than it's lazy. So 472 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:21,440 Speaker 1: and also Carrie was a writer. I wanted her to 473 00:26:21,480 --> 00:26:23,800 Speaker 1: be thoughtful about the choice of words, but also I 474 00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:27,240 Speaker 1: wanted her to be smart. And even though she was 475 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 1: a mess, and even though she made mistakes and even 476 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:31,920 Speaker 1: though she showed poor judgment, that didn't mean she couldn't 477 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:36,280 Speaker 1: use interesting language when she was trying to talk about 478 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:40,280 Speaker 1: feelings and her own feelings and sexual politics and the 479 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:43,560 Speaker 1: um the mess that is her relationships romantically, or how 480 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:47,119 Speaker 1: she fell short in her friendships. I wanted her choice 481 00:26:47,119 --> 00:26:50,440 Speaker 1: of words to be as complicated as she was, and 482 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:56,919 Speaker 1: sometimes she got and that used to really freaking upset me, 483 00:26:57,040 --> 00:27:00,280 Speaker 1: and I would get very strident about it. I was 484 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:04,320 Speaker 1: a gatekeeper. I felt like I had this familym in 485 00:27:04,359 --> 00:27:11,480 Speaker 1: my hands that someone said to me, your responsibility. And 486 00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:15,600 Speaker 1: Sarah Jessica still feels responsible for the character she helped create. 487 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,080 Speaker 1: In two thousand thirteen, when a Sex in the City spinoff, 488 00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:23,240 Speaker 1: The Carrie Diaries premiered, featuring a sixteen year old Carry, 489 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:27,040 Speaker 1: Parker admitted finding that odd. The show was canceled after 490 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:43,399 Speaker 1: two seasons. This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to 491 00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:47,000 Speaker 1: Here's the thing. My guest today is Sarah Jessica Parker, 492 00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:50,000 Speaker 1: who became a household name when she starred on HBO 493 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:53,160 Speaker 1: as a Sex in the City. Her character, advice columnist 494 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:56,280 Speaker 1: Carry Bradshaw, dated many different men over the run of 495 00:27:56,320 --> 00:27:58,800 Speaker 1: the show, but it was her on again, off again 496 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:02,159 Speaker 1: relationship with Mr Big that fans could not get enough of. 497 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:06,000 Speaker 1: Have you got a smoke? I quit? Oh? We always 498 00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:08,560 Speaker 1: used to share a cigarette together. We did a lot 499 00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:12,800 Speaker 1: of things that were bad for me together. Chris Note 500 00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:15,520 Speaker 1: played Mr Big and he was a central figure in 501 00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:19,680 Speaker 1: the show from the very first episode. I knew Chris 502 00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:23,080 Speaker 1: and uh so we did this table read, and I 503 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:26,240 Speaker 1: knew after the table read I thought, Wow, this could 504 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:30,240 Speaker 1: be good, This carry big thing could be really good. 505 00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:32,920 Speaker 1: And my greatest concern was that I was going to 506 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:38,440 Speaker 1: appear like a twinkie, that he was so earthbound and 507 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 1: so so masculine, so virile and um kind of truculent 508 00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:48,120 Speaker 1: and force of nature that I was going to my 509 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:51,840 Speaker 1: voice would somehow go up, you know, two octaves higher, 510 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:54,640 Speaker 1: and um. But I loved the story. I said, Oh, 511 00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:57,080 Speaker 1: this is good. The last you know, these last three 512 00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:01,840 Speaker 1: four lines of the script were perfect. And um. But 513 00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:06,960 Speaker 1: he but he is a so so special and we'll 514 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:08,800 Speaker 1: get back to the girls in a second, or the women, 515 00:29:08,800 --> 00:29:11,240 Speaker 1: I should say, But since we got on to Chris, 516 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:17,120 Speaker 1: you know, the thing that surprised me most about Chris was, um, 517 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:19,560 Speaker 1: how I would never have predicted that we would have 518 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 1: become that close, that he and I would have become 519 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:25,280 Speaker 1: so reliant upon one another, that it would be my 520 00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:29,080 Speaker 1: job to take care of him on more than you know, 521 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:31,880 Speaker 1: four or five six dozen occasions, that I was really 522 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:37,640 Speaker 1: responsible for keeping him happy, that I could negotiate his 523 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:40,959 Speaker 1: worst moments and and bring him out of them. That 524 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:44,640 Speaker 1: that was that he was my charge in some way. 525 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:48,640 Speaker 1: I love a great fellow actor and always and wouldn't 526 00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:53,440 Speaker 1: have wanted to see anybody else do it. Play it, um, 527 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:55,800 Speaker 1: and all these people we meet and you can have 528 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:58,040 Speaker 1: love with them, and Tony Hopkins I did a movie 529 00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:00,600 Speaker 1: with them. I mean, I can't tell you, like every 530 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:02,320 Speaker 1: day I was around and I was like, oh my god, 531 00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:04,320 Speaker 1: I want to enjoy every minute this. I mean, he's 532 00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:06,240 Speaker 1: I won't be doing this forever, you know. And it's 533 00:30:06,240 --> 00:30:09,920 Speaker 1: funny because you just can't maintain those relationships. It's such 534 00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:12,960 Speaker 1: a lesson to learn when you're first starting out and 535 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:16,160 Speaker 1: you're on a movie set and it's all done and 536 00:30:16,280 --> 00:30:19,960 Speaker 1: everybody goes home, and you think, these are the people 537 00:30:19,960 --> 00:30:21,840 Speaker 1: I'm going to know for the rest of my life, 538 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:26,480 Speaker 1: and you know, write long letters and longhand and and 539 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:30,200 Speaker 1: page after page of you know, the documentation of your day. 540 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:32,360 Speaker 1: And I'm gonna get a house together on a lake 541 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:38,760 Speaker 1: friendships and yeah, the lake house would be nice and um. 542 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:42,000 Speaker 1: But the truth is someone said, if you leave and 543 00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:44,120 Speaker 1: you stay in touch with one person from a job, 544 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:47,200 Speaker 1: that's like a miracle. You know, people just go on 545 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:52,240 Speaker 1: and um. So these relationships are are funny and very unusual, 546 00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:56,040 Speaker 1: and therefore I think more special because they are this 547 00:30:56,600 --> 00:31:00,239 Speaker 1: kind of um finite little and how we to pick 548 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:02,320 Speaker 1: up where we left off. I'd be in an award 549 00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:05,120 Speaker 1: show and I'd see someone go, oh, my god, Cynthia. 550 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:08,840 Speaker 1: You hug Cynthia, Kiss Cynthia. My daughter would say, when 551 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:10,440 Speaker 1: was the last time you saw I go, I don't know, 552 00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:14,080 Speaker 1: three years ago. You got to just pick up right 553 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:17,680 Speaker 1: where you left on the gypsy kind of transient thing. 554 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:19,960 Speaker 1: I call them the girls because I once joke with 555 00:31:20,040 --> 00:31:21,960 Speaker 1: Christen that the four of you were like the Beatles. Actually, 556 00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:23,840 Speaker 1: any quartet I compared to the Beatles. You all had 557 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:28,960 Speaker 1: distinct personalities and distinct idiosyncrasies, and even the imperfections were 558 00:31:29,040 --> 00:31:31,719 Speaker 1: kind of perfect too, because we were all really different 559 00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:35,880 Speaker 1: and and we had to figure it out and create 560 00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:39,320 Speaker 1: friendships on screen, you know, kind of prematurely before it 561 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:41,200 Speaker 1: meant anything in our real lives. You know how you 562 00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:44,200 Speaker 1: kind of go backwards. You know, there's a whole history 563 00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:47,760 Speaker 1: that brought these women together, and we eventually caught up 564 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:51,440 Speaker 1: with our characters. Basically, Um, we were together for ten 565 00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:55,640 Speaker 1: eleven years telling these stories, and you know, by the end, 566 00:31:56,840 --> 00:31:59,320 Speaker 1: the kind of feelings that we had for one another, 567 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:03,360 Speaker 1: We're like, what we were doing on screen. It was 568 00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:06,920 Speaker 1: very weird and it took a long time to figure 569 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:11,080 Speaker 1: out who we are with one another. But I remember 570 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:16,920 Speaker 1: sitting in Morocco for the last movie. We all had trailers, 571 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:22,760 Speaker 1: but we preferred to share a hotel room, and I thought, Wow, 572 00:32:22,840 --> 00:32:26,560 Speaker 1: this is um this is the best it could be. 573 00:32:27,440 --> 00:32:30,000 Speaker 1: Kim might be lying down for a minute, or Cynthia's 574 00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:33,400 Speaker 1: lying down and I'm reading a book or eating some 575 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:36,800 Speaker 1: some eating something more likely than not, and we're all 576 00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:39,920 Speaker 1: just in a room, completely comfortable, the very thing you 577 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:41,880 Speaker 1: hope for in romance. You're like, I just want to 578 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:44,240 Speaker 1: get to that time with this fellow where I can 579 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:46,680 Speaker 1: eat in front of him, or where I can just 580 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:48,480 Speaker 1: read a book and I don't I'm not worried about 581 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:52,120 Speaker 1: entertaining him or And that's where we were as women 582 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:54,719 Speaker 1: and friends and fellow actors. And a lot had been 583 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:57,000 Speaker 1: written that was untrue and it has been painful for 584 00:32:57,040 --> 00:32:59,400 Speaker 1: all of us, and we've been all through it. We 585 00:32:59,440 --> 00:33:02,920 Speaker 1: had traveled to this other side together and without trying 586 00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:06,120 Speaker 1: that hard, because you can't really try that hard in 587 00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:09,520 Speaker 1: real relations, like you can't focus it that way, you 588 00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:12,040 Speaker 1: can't be that result oriented because they're people, they're human. 589 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:14,200 Speaker 1: You know, what are you gonna do? You can't force it. 590 00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:19,320 Speaker 1: But I really thought at that moment, Wow, like if 591 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:23,280 Speaker 1: this is it, this is the best, this is and 592 00:33:23,360 --> 00:33:25,880 Speaker 1: honest and when you get that honest wave, I mean 593 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:27,520 Speaker 1: it's I always tell people it's like that moment in 594 00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:29,560 Speaker 1: West Side Story when he says to her at the dance, 595 00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:31,880 Speaker 1: he says, you're not lying, are you? And she said, 596 00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:34,440 Speaker 1: I have not yet learned to lie about such things. 597 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:38,000 Speaker 1: And it has to be those people. I have a 598 00:33:38,120 --> 00:33:41,880 Speaker 1: very strange metaphysical feeling about those. Like McCartney said to 599 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:45,080 Speaker 1: me about the Beatles, he said, everyone was pressuring them 600 00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:47,040 Speaker 1: to hire the guy that was the best drummer in London. 601 00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:49,680 Speaker 1: And the guy came and played a few tracks for them, 602 00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:53,000 Speaker 1: and they didn't really like him very much. And Ringo 603 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:55,560 Speaker 1: Star was off fulfillming other commitments he had to other 604 00:33:55,640 --> 00:33:58,840 Speaker 1: bands and he was associated with, and he came back 605 00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:00,840 Speaker 1: to record with them, and the alsaid, it's got to 606 00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:02,480 Speaker 1: be him or we're not doing it anymore. It has 607 00:34:02,520 --> 00:34:05,920 Speaker 1: to be us four now for you. Well, the fifth 608 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:09,239 Speaker 1: Beatle for you guys, was the designer who was um, well, 609 00:34:09,280 --> 00:34:10,960 Speaker 1: there was a toss up, was it was it the 610 00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:14,560 Speaker 1: city of New York or was it Pat Field? Well, 611 00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:17,760 Speaker 1: the clothes were such a huge Yeah, the clothes were 612 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:19,520 Speaker 1: Was that presented to you up front that she was 613 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:22,279 Speaker 1: going to become this style master. Actually we brought her 614 00:34:22,280 --> 00:34:26,360 Speaker 1: in after the pilot because she had designed um She 615 00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:28,839 Speaker 1: had designed Miami Rapsody, a movie I shot with David 616 00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:31,839 Speaker 1: Frankel that he wrote and directed in Miami. We knew 617 00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:36,120 Speaker 1: we were going to um rehire the costume designer, and 618 00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:39,440 Speaker 1: he said Pat Field, and I was like, of course, 619 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:42,240 Speaker 1: it's Pat Field, of course. And I had loved working 620 00:34:42,239 --> 00:34:44,759 Speaker 1: with her, like fallen in she had that Remember when 621 00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:46,400 Speaker 1: I went to n y U. She had a very 622 00:34:46,480 --> 00:34:49,440 Speaker 1: very idiosyncratic boutique on eighth and eighth Street which was 623 00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:52,799 Speaker 1: still open, and I did had many meetings with her there. 624 00:34:53,200 --> 00:34:56,080 Speaker 1: And only later, well into this life of the series 625 00:34:56,160 --> 00:34:58,279 Speaker 1: or even the movie, did did she have to leave that? 626 00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:01,400 Speaker 1: It was the landlord worked her out after all those years, 627 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:03,440 Speaker 1: I think thirty some years. There was she with you 628 00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:05,279 Speaker 1: all the seasons of the show, all the seasons and 629 00:35:05,320 --> 00:35:07,279 Speaker 1: the movies. And at what point does it come to you? 630 00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:10,840 Speaker 1: Do you become We're really kind of getting further and 631 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:13,439 Speaker 1: further untethered from the mother ship here of fashion, because 632 00:35:13,480 --> 00:35:17,680 Speaker 1: obviously wore a lot of very stylized clothing. Well she 633 00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:20,960 Speaker 1: she would have always told the story the same way, 634 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:23,200 Speaker 1: no matter what, I think, the only difference being that 635 00:35:23,719 --> 00:35:27,080 Speaker 1: in the very beginning, we couldn't get our hands on anything. 636 00:35:27,120 --> 00:35:32,200 Speaker 1: Nobody wanted to give us a thing, nobody, And we 637 00:35:32,239 --> 00:35:35,680 Speaker 1: had a teeny teeny teeny we talk about anemic. We 638 00:35:35,719 --> 00:35:39,680 Speaker 1: had a tiny, tiny budget for the whole per episode. 639 00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:43,200 Speaker 1: And so that's why I wore so many thrift clothes 640 00:35:43,239 --> 00:35:46,040 Speaker 1: from thrift stops, and that was the only way to fulfill, 641 00:35:47,040 --> 00:35:51,200 Speaker 1: you know, something unique. So so she was very clever. 642 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:54,680 Speaker 1: Thrift stores by necessity, thrift stores by necessity. We went 643 00:35:54,719 --> 00:35:58,200 Speaker 1: to some rental houses in Miami, in New York, she 644 00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:02,000 Speaker 1: had apartment in Miami, she had resources in Miami, and 645 00:36:02,719 --> 00:36:05,480 Speaker 1: frankly all over and we just pulled and pulled and pulled. 646 00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:08,720 Speaker 1: And it was about I think towards the end of 647 00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:11,200 Speaker 1: the second or even the beginning of third season, I 648 00:36:11,239 --> 00:36:14,560 Speaker 1: can't remember which. Someone will correct me that it was 649 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:18,160 Speaker 1: Fandy that loaned us a baguette and that was like 650 00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:24,400 Speaker 1: the gateway. That was, you know, the floodwaters. Everything shifted. 651 00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:26,919 Speaker 1: We were able to get our hands on pieces that 652 00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:29,839 Speaker 1: could help us tell the story maybe a little bit 653 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:32,399 Speaker 1: more clearly. And so the woman who started the show 654 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:35,440 Speaker 1: that had a that wore a thrift store closed because 655 00:36:35,440 --> 00:36:38,000 Speaker 1: you had a thrift store budget for the show. As 656 00:36:38,040 --> 00:36:40,560 Speaker 1: soon as Sex in the City really starts to conquetize 657 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:42,919 Speaker 1: in the culture and Maureene Downlalls, do you have people 658 00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:44,640 Speaker 1: coming to you going, we're gonna do this and this 659 00:36:44,719 --> 00:36:46,879 Speaker 1: and this and this. How are we going to monetize 660 00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:49,279 Speaker 1: or did all of it come to you slowly? I 661 00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:51,640 Speaker 1: think the world was really different than so all of 662 00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:54,680 Speaker 1: that didn't really exist in the same way. I wanted 663 00:36:54,719 --> 00:36:58,439 Speaker 1: to do a fragrance, and that was that. That was mine. 664 00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:01,560 Speaker 1: I long dreamed of doing a fragrance for lots of reasons. 665 00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:05,840 Speaker 1: I won't barro your listeners with so I actually eventually 666 00:37:05,880 --> 00:37:08,719 Speaker 1: had the courage to to say this to somebody. But 667 00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:11,640 Speaker 1: this was in the days before actors were doing it. 668 00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:14,480 Speaker 1: There was one. There was the great Elizabeth Taylor signature 669 00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:17,480 Speaker 1: fragrance white Diamonds, and really wasn't And Jennifer Lopez had 670 00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:21,480 Speaker 1: very been really smart about business and fragrance business in particular, 671 00:37:21,960 --> 00:37:25,359 Speaker 1: but all of that stuff, anything that came to me 672 00:37:25,440 --> 00:37:31,239 Speaker 1: because of the show. I was super vigilant about not 673 00:37:31,320 --> 00:37:33,719 Speaker 1: doing what was easy just because it was lucrative. I mean, 674 00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:37,880 Speaker 1: that's always a great challenge. What is the real connection 675 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:40,160 Speaker 1: to it? And I would have had them name a 676 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:42,080 Speaker 1: doughnut after me, a Duncan Donuts if they would have 677 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:43,920 Speaker 1: written me a seven figure I'm not like you. You 678 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:46,360 Speaker 1: have a lot of integrity and sex, and that carry 679 00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:49,080 Speaker 1: Bradshaw is this iconic figure me. I would have let 680 00:37:49,120 --> 00:37:52,480 Speaker 1: them name like a tie with whales on it after 681 00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:54,320 Speaker 1: me at Brooks Brothers. Well, that would have been actually 682 00:37:54,360 --> 00:37:57,320 Speaker 1: really cute. Okay, Okay, that's a word for it. The 683 00:37:57,400 --> 00:38:01,239 Speaker 1: connection that isn't so ridiculous. Actually, I was ready to 684 00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:03,680 Speaker 1: cash in. I was ready, let's let's have a Jack Donneghee. 685 00:38:04,239 --> 00:38:06,200 Speaker 1: I was a right okay, But but you have to 686 00:38:06,239 --> 00:38:09,960 Speaker 1: remember forty Rock came after third. But the time thirty 687 00:38:10,040 --> 00:38:11,479 Speaker 1: Rock was on the air, and the time you're talking 688 00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:15,120 Speaker 1: about people presenting you with crazy opportunities, the world had shifted. 689 00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:18,600 Speaker 1: When Garnier came to me Tina's now that spokes first 690 00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:21,640 Speaker 1: and four and said to me, we want you to 691 00:38:21,640 --> 00:38:27,920 Speaker 1: do hair care commercials. I was like and and actually, 692 00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:31,880 Speaker 1: this actor who I adored and admired and thought like 693 00:38:32,120 --> 00:38:34,120 Speaker 1: hung the Moon and I will not say his name, 694 00:38:34,200 --> 00:38:36,960 Speaker 1: Sad just said to me, well, you know, you're being 695 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:39,279 Speaker 1: really smart. At least you're not doing hair care commercials. 696 00:38:39,640 --> 00:38:42,400 Speaker 1: And then they came to me with this crazy offer 697 00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:46,120 Speaker 1: and I said no immediately no, because this actor I 698 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:50,799 Speaker 1: admired said to me, well, at least you're not well 699 00:38:50,960 --> 00:38:53,279 Speaker 1: version an American version of Colin Firth. Let's put it 700 00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:56,399 Speaker 1: that way. And then I said to Kenny Lonergan, who's 701 00:38:56,400 --> 00:38:59,080 Speaker 1: my husband's best friend, I said, you know this an 702 00:38:59,080 --> 00:39:02,839 Speaker 1: ex actor said no, said are you idiots? Are you? 703 00:39:03,480 --> 00:39:05,120 Speaker 1: And I was like, is it too late to collect? 704 00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:07,799 Speaker 1: I not, wasn't practiced that. Do you actually pick up 705 00:39:07,800 --> 00:39:11,000 Speaker 1: the phone and say I've been thinking? So I called 706 00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:13,239 Speaker 1: Richard love It and I said, like, I've made this. 707 00:39:13,320 --> 00:39:15,480 Speaker 1: I think this grave error and he said, oh it 708 00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:17,720 Speaker 1: was interesting. Is it interesting how you go from talking 709 00:39:17,719 --> 00:39:20,160 Speaker 1: people out of hiring you to talking them back into 710 00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:23,000 Speaker 1: high You come full circle? Sarah Jessica Parker fill circle. 711 00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:26,080 Speaker 1: Is you calling up the Fructis people saying I fructiased 712 00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:29,800 Speaker 1: up here? Yeah? Exactly. Anyway, they were nice and um 713 00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:33,480 Speaker 1: forgiving and in rest is history. But I want to 714 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:36,280 Speaker 1: talk to you about um. Is it kind of not ruined? 715 00:39:36,320 --> 00:39:38,399 Speaker 1: But does it affect you? Does it? Because I think 716 00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:40,880 Speaker 1: it does? It can't? Does it affect you in terms 717 00:39:40,880 --> 00:39:44,480 Speaker 1: of um acting and actions? To be married to? Who 718 00:39:44,480 --> 00:39:48,120 Speaker 1: you're married to, who's so talented and so polished and 719 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:51,520 Speaker 1: so smart and so elegant? And do you sit there 720 00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:54,360 Speaker 1: sometimes and go I always have an image of you, 721 00:39:54,440 --> 00:39:55,799 Speaker 1: like lying in there with your husband. I have these 722 00:39:55,880 --> 00:39:58,360 Speaker 1: very romantic Woody Allen movie images. You're in bed and 723 00:39:58,400 --> 00:40:00,759 Speaker 1: you have a specially squeezed great to juice in the 724 00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:04,279 Speaker 1: times who squeezed it? And your son, of course, his 725 00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:07,400 Speaker 1: parents are stars with the paper ironed, give me the 726 00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:11,439 Speaker 1: newspapers by a butler, of course, by a butler named 727 00:40:11,480 --> 00:40:14,440 Speaker 1: James Wilkie, James, that juice isn't gonna walk over here 728 00:40:14,440 --> 00:40:17,200 Speaker 1: by itself, son, And you're in bed, and the sun 729 00:40:17,239 --> 00:40:20,880 Speaker 1: brings you the trail to keep stock trotting, as they say, 730 00:40:20,960 --> 00:40:23,200 Speaker 1: and he brings you the juice. And you're sitting there 731 00:40:23,239 --> 00:40:24,719 Speaker 1: and your husband and you were just giving each other 732 00:40:24,760 --> 00:40:26,560 Speaker 1: notes about scripts, and don't you don't want to work 733 00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:29,080 Speaker 1: with him? Who do they want you to work with? No? No, no, no, 734 00:40:29,440 --> 00:40:32,160 Speaker 1: you really can. I mean, I'm so flatter, do you you? 735 00:40:32,440 --> 00:40:35,280 Speaker 1: I actually picture that in other people's lives, and perhaps 736 00:40:35,400 --> 00:40:39,800 Speaker 1: even yours, but including yours, would be a physical My 737 00:40:39,880 --> 00:40:43,319 Speaker 1: wife was a yoga instructor. I'm sorry. Yeah, um no, 738 00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:45,879 Speaker 1: I mean we don't have that kind of leisure time 739 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:48,960 Speaker 1: and no, none of that has ever happened, although I 740 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:51,840 Speaker 1: will say there was a time before we had children. 741 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:54,960 Speaker 1: Remember that where we would sleep? I mean, do you 742 00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:56,320 Speaker 1: remember not being in bed with us? But do you 743 00:40:56,360 --> 00:40:58,600 Speaker 1: remember that time before you had children where you were 744 00:40:59,160 --> 00:41:01,200 Speaker 1: I'm trying to envision being in bed with you? Go 745 00:41:01,200 --> 00:41:05,120 Speaker 1: go go. You woke up like eleven, You're like, yeah, 746 00:41:05,239 --> 00:41:09,920 Speaker 1: crack of twelve eleven and um. Then you would get 747 00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:11,919 Speaker 1: the paper and you would sit with someone you liked 748 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:15,000 Speaker 1: or loved hopefully and you would read and you talk 749 00:41:15,040 --> 00:41:18,560 Speaker 1: about coffee and put another log on the fire, go 750 00:41:18,640 --> 00:41:20,759 Speaker 1: to cinema the village and watch a movie. Yeah, go 751 00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:25,880 Speaker 1: to you film forum, or go to Chinatown on Sunday's. Um, 752 00:41:25,880 --> 00:41:29,120 Speaker 1: you know all of that. I'm so glad we did that, though, 753 00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:30,880 Speaker 1: you know, as much as I'd think, wow, that was 754 00:41:31,560 --> 00:41:33,880 Speaker 1: sometimes I miss it a lot. At least you did it. 755 00:41:34,080 --> 00:41:37,799 Speaker 1: You did it. One thing I always never ceased to 756 00:41:37,840 --> 00:41:40,480 Speaker 1: amaze me was that in my single days, when I 757 00:41:40,560 --> 00:41:43,280 Speaker 1: was married, got divorced, I was single for several years, 758 00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:45,759 Speaker 1: and whenever I would date women, regardless of it, they 759 00:41:45,800 --> 00:41:49,959 Speaker 1: had law degrees, they worked in biotech, whatever they were doing, 760 00:41:50,080 --> 00:41:52,440 Speaker 1: we would talk about their television viewing and they would say, well, 761 00:41:52,440 --> 00:41:54,120 Speaker 1: I don't watch television. I don't really have time for television. 762 00:41:54,160 --> 00:41:56,799 Speaker 1: I mean, I think you can disconnecting my cable. Well, 763 00:41:56,840 --> 00:42:00,600 Speaker 1: I watched sex in the cinema. That story telling, that's 764 00:42:00,600 --> 00:42:02,600 Speaker 1: the writing, that's the stories we got to tell. We 765 00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:06,520 Speaker 1: were just the repository. We were the lucky enough you 766 00:42:06,520 --> 00:42:09,359 Speaker 1: never want to do a series again? Um, I used 767 00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:11,560 Speaker 1: to say never. Now I think would they let me 768 00:42:11,600 --> 00:42:14,520 Speaker 1: do six or eight episodes? Then I could do it. 769 00:42:14,520 --> 00:42:16,520 Speaker 1: It's just hard with the kids right now in school 770 00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:18,520 Speaker 1: and we need to be there for the kids. I 771 00:42:18,560 --> 00:42:20,560 Speaker 1: have two five year olds and a twelve year old, 772 00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:23,279 Speaker 1: And um, if I could do it the way I 773 00:42:23,360 --> 00:42:26,160 Speaker 1: like to do things, which is splitting the atoms the 774 00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:30,719 Speaker 1: bitter ender and still be a good parent and wife, yeah, 775 00:42:30,800 --> 00:42:34,480 Speaker 1: I think I would. You know, it's just about timing 776 00:42:34,520 --> 00:42:36,520 Speaker 1: and choices now that I have kids, that's the thing. 777 00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:39,960 Speaker 1: But it's you know, Extrasberg says in the Girlfriend, this 778 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:44,440 Speaker 1: is the life that we've chosen. Yeah, it's a dream, really, 779 00:42:51,600 --> 00:42:55,200 Speaker 1: Sarah Jessica Parker is living her dream again. She said 780 00:42:55,200 --> 00:42:57,120 Speaker 1: she was on the beach with her family just the 781 00:42:57,200 --> 00:42:59,759 Speaker 1: day before. The tide was way out. You know, so 782 00:42:59,840 --> 00:43:02,120 Speaker 1: the if you're a small child, there's just no sense 783 00:43:02,160 --> 00:43:04,520 Speaker 1: of danger and the ocean is no longer this formidable, 784 00:43:04,520 --> 00:43:07,520 Speaker 1: awful thing. But your friend and we were on the 785 00:43:07,560 --> 00:43:12,000 Speaker 1: beach building what we call drippy castles. The feeling was 786 00:43:12,120 --> 00:43:15,280 Speaker 1: close to those Sunday mornings lazing in bed over coffee, 787 00:43:15,600 --> 00:43:19,239 Speaker 1: but the circumstances were very different. Sarah Jessica seemed to 788 00:43:19,239 --> 00:43:22,080 Speaker 1: think it was a consequence of getting older. Maybe it's 789 00:43:22,080 --> 00:43:25,760 Speaker 1: finally time for another spinoff, one about an older wiser, 790 00:43:25,880 --> 00:43:31,120 Speaker 1: Carrie Bradshaw, who navigates the complexities of motherhood than marriage. 791 00:43:32,040 --> 00:43:34,719 Speaker 1: This is Alec Baldwin and you're listening to here's the 792 00:43:34,760 --> 00:43:34,960 Speaker 1: thing