There would be no SATC without SJP! Sarah Jessica Parker revealed that she almost turned down her beloved, iconic role as Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City.
In an excerpt from James Andrew Miller’s new book, Powerhouse: The Untold Story of Hollywood’s Creative Artists Agency, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, the 51-year-old actress writes that her agent, Kevin Huvane, convinced her to take on the part of the Manolo Blahnik–obsessed, cosmo-sipping sex columnist in the HBO series.
“He called me up and said, ‘[SATC creator] Darren Star reached out to me. He’s written this pilot [Sex and the City] and he tells me he wrote it with you in mind — you were in his head when he was writing it. I’m going to send it to you. I’ve read it. I think it’s really good. You should meet with him,’” Parker recalled.
The Hocus Pocus actress — who starred on the TV show Square Pegs as a child actress — wasn’t exactly jumping at the opportunity, because she liked the flexibility that movies and plays offered. “Do I really want to go back to making a television series when I’m maybe held hostage signing a long-term contract?” she said.
She ultimately credits Huvane for pushing her to take a chance on Sex and the City, even though she was nervous about baring all for the cameras. “I met with Darren, and there were a couple of concerns that I had — like I really wasn’t keen on doing nudity and language issues — but Kevin continued to say to me, ‘This is different. You have never done anything like this before. No one’s ever done a part like this. Do this.’”
For the record, Parker was the only one of the four main actresses who did zero nude scenes. She had a “no nudity” clause in her contract.
We can all thank Huvane that Parker graced us with six amazing seasons of the HBO show and two movies.
