Key Points

Sarah Jessica Parker almost walked away from her legendary role as Carrie Bradshaw. She panicked when the show got picked up, fearing the repetitive nature of TV work. Her agent convinced her to commit for just one year—which turned into six seasons and two movies. The role ultimately became one of the most iconic in television history.

Key Points: Sarah Jessica Parker Almost Turned Down Sex and the City Role

  • Parker feared TV series commitment after pilot
  • Nearly asked agent to release her
  • Felt trapped by repetitive work
  • Agent convinced her to try for one year
3 min read

I don't think I'm suited for that life: Sarah Jessica Parker on almost turning down her role in 'Sex And The City' TV series

Sarah Jessica Parker reveals she panicked when Sex and the City got picked up, nearly quitting the iconic role that defined her career.

"I don't think I'm suited for that life. It's very hard to explain. It also kind of depressed me. – Sarah Jessica Parker"

Washington DC, May 18

Actress Sarah Jessica Parker revealed that she almost turned down her iconic role in 'Sex and the City', reported Deadline.

Parker, a six-time Golden Globe winner, shared that after filming the pilot episode in 1997, she initially asked her agent to release her from the project once it was picked up as a series.

In a podcast with her co-star Kristin Davis, the actress shared that she had a "lovely" time filming the first episode, but she got "panicked" when the show got picked up.

"When the show was picked up, I panicked. I was like, I can't be on a TV show. I don't think I'm suited for that life. It's very hard to explain. It also kind of depressed me," said Parker as quoted by Deadline.

More than the series, the actress was depressed about the idea of doing the same thing "over and over again" while working in a television series.

"I think that it was the idea of doing the same thing over and over and over again. And I think I'd always been lucky that I got to be in a television series, and then it was over. I met great people, had a great experience, worked with great actors, great directors, thought the stories were interesting, wanted to do the shows, and they had shorter lives, maybe one or two seasons. And then I moved on," said Parker as quoted by Deadline.

The actress said that she felt "weird" working in the television series.

"The idea of a television series meant that I couldn't do all those things. And it just kind of felt like somebody was, you know, putting their hand over my mouth or something. It was very weird," said Parker as quoted by Deadline.

"I talked to my agents and I said, 'Hey, can you get me out of this?'" recalled Parker, noting she offered to do multiple movies for the network instead, but her agent told her, "Do it for a year, and if you don't want to do it anymore, we won't do it."

Based on Candace Bushnell's New York Observer column, Sex and the City ran for six seasons on HBO from 1998 to 2004, followed by two theatrically-released feature films in 2008 and 2010

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya K.
Interesting to hear her doubts! As an Indian viewer, I can't imagine anyone else playing Carrie Bradshaw. The show actually changed how many urban Indian women saw relationships and careers. Glad she stuck with it! ✨
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Rahul S.
Shows how even successful people have imposter syndrome. But 6 seasons and 2 movies later - clearly she was perfect for the role! Sometimes life knows better than we do.
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Ananya M.
The show was quite bold for its time, especially for conservative Indian audiences. Many of my friends' parents wouldn't let them watch it! But it definitely started important conversations about women's independence.
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Vikram P.
Honestly, I never understood the hype around this show. The characters seemed too self-absorbed to me. But I guess it resonated with urban audiences globally, including in India's metro cities.
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Neha T.
This makes me appreciate her performance even more! To think she was reluctant but still gave us such an iconic character. The show was like a window into Western dating culture for many of us in India.
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Sanjay R.
The show's influence reached India in interesting ways - suddenly everyone wanted those Manolo Blahnik shoes! Though the lifestyle was unrealistic for most Indians, it definitely impacted fashion trends here.

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