Fans of the Sex and the City universe couldn’t help but wonder why Sarah Jessica Parker hasn’t watched the new spinoff — but she says it’s for good reason.
Parker, 60, was grilled about her recent revelation during her Sunday, July 13, appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. “I wonder if that keeps you in the zone of being Carrie [Bradshaw]?” Andy Cohen — a longtime pal of Parker’s — asked.
The actress kind of agreed, but went on to explain her thought process further. “I don’t not watch it because I’m being cavalier about my relationship [to the project],” she said. “I don’t watch it because I don’t love watching my work [and] myself. It doesn’t touch on how I feel about the experience or how much I care. In fact, it’s because I care that I can’t watch it.”
In May, Parker confessed to E! News that she’s “never seen” most of SATC and hasn’t dived into the followup series, And Just Like That, despite playing its central character. One month later, she shared more insight into her hesitation during an interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.
Is ‘And Just Like That’ Ignoring ‘The Carrie Diaries’ Story Lines?
Parker told host Alex Cooper that she watched some of SATC “in the beginning” when producer and director Michael Patrick King would ask her for notes.
“I realized that I wasn’t being helpful because it was so unpleasant for me to watch myself that I couldn’t see the work, and that’s not a good producing partner,” she said, admitting that she “wasn’t watching at all” by season 2.
The exception? “I saw the final episode ever because Michael had a screening of it live, as it was happening live,” she said of the SATC finale, which aired in 2004. According to Parker, it was the “only time” she was able to fully comprehend how popular the show was.
The original SATC series ran for six seasons and spawned two movies. AJLT premiered on Max in 2021 with Parker returning as Carrie, Cynthia Nixon as Miranda and Kristin Davis as Charlotte.
Parker was “really nervous” to step back into Carrie’s designer shoes. “Doesn’t matter how many times I’ve played a part. You just start constantly like, ‘Is this how I walk? Is this how I talk? Is this how she walks? Is this how she talks? Does she run this way? What feels right and correct now?’” she said on the podcast. “That’s just the way I examine everything anyway.”
The third season of AJLT debuted in May and focuses on Carrie’s long-distance romance with Aidan (John Corbett) following the death of Mr. Big (Chris Noth) in season 1.
‘AJLT’ Showrunner Defends Breaking Up Carrie and Aidan in Season 2 Finale
When asked on WWHL whether she thought Carrie and Aidan are “end game,” Parker played coy. “Like, bitter enders? Together forever?” she mused on Sunday before pretending to speak into a microphone. “My lawyer has advised me not to answer that question.”
Parker revealed just as little about where Carrie might be living by the end of the season after Cohen wondered why her new home in Gramercy Park is still unfurnished. “My theory is she likes the old place better,” Cohen said, earning a shrug from Parker.
“Oh, my God, is she moving back into the old place?” Cohen asked as Parker teased, “I dunno. Maybe.”
And Just Like That airs on Max Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.
