By World Licence 
Sarah Jessica Parker admits to a certain sentimentality toward Carrie Bradshaw. When the third season of “And Just Like That…” aired in May, it had been 28 years since she filmed the pilot for Sex and the City . Yet, in the nearly three decades between the original series and its popular spinoff, she was one of the few women (perhaps the only one) who never binge-watched an episode on HBO Max. In fact, Parker, now 60, says she’s never watched an episode more than once, and sometimes not at all. “When you’re studying for a test, you move on,” she tells W. editor Lynn Hirschberg. Bradshaw, on the other hand, has always been more inclined to look back. Case in point: In the final season of “AJLT…” , she finds herself once again in a sticky situation with Aidan. Here, Parker reflects on her many years as Carrie; why her husband, Matthew Broderick, encouraged her to accept the role in the first place; and whether she personally identifies with the character.
How did you discover Carrie Bradshaw? Did you read Candace Bushnell’s book or the New York Observer column?
Everything. I read the Observer. I didn’t subscribe. I hate to use the phrase “back then,” but newsstands were a part of our lives. We relied on them. That’s how I discovered Candace’s column. I wasn’t a regular reader, but I knew her work. So when Darren Star came along with a pilot script, I didn’t need any tutoring or a lecture on Candace Bushnell’s point of view.
At the time, you were a movie star. Very few stars transitioned to television; you were a bit of a pioneer. Was that a big decision?
Not really. I was a real actor, and all the actors I admired worked in every field. If they got a part, they did it. Big, small, it didn’t matter. At the time, HBO was primarily a sports network: it was a male-dominated network, and all the scripted shows were male-centric. To me, HBO was like an object that wealthy families had in their homes. I didn’t have one. An HBO pilot had a special aura. So when the script for Sex and the City came to me, I found it really captivating. I gave it to my older brother, Pippin, and Matthew. They both read it and said, unequivocally, without hesitation, “You have to do it.” The last moment in particular, in my opinion, was undeniably gripping: the exchange between Carrie and Mr. Big.
Was the fashion element present from the beginning?
Not really. I only saw the pilot episode once, but fashion isn’t a factor. It wasn’t until we decided to make a series that we met Pat Field, because I’d done Miami Rhapsody with her. That’s when fashion started to play a bigger role. We didn’t have a budget the first season. Everything came from [the consignment shop] Ina, Century 21, and Pat’s favors. But not favors from fashion houses—favors from friends’ warehouses in Miami and a few jars of honey in New York. Fashion played a big role in Carrie Bradshaw’s life, but the ways of illustrating it evolved over time.
Sarah Jessica Parker on the set of Just Like That…
José Pérez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images
People identify with a Sex and the City character they resemble. Even if you’re Carrie Bradshaw, would you say you’re a “Carrie”?
Who am I? I’m probably a mix of both. I share some of Carrie’s interests, including her love of New York and, less frantically, her affection for shoes and fashion, but Carrie’s is intense and otherworldly. As a wife and mother, I appreciate what Charlotte says sometimes, even though she often says it hysterically. I may not communicate in the same way, but there are concerns and aspects of her mother and wife that I can relate to. There are things about Miranda that I really appreciate. She’s also serious and a mother. So I share a little bit of both, but obviously, there’s a certain sentimentality around Carrie that might muddy the waters, even for me.
Do you let your daughters borrow your shoes?
The sad truth is, they don’t fit anymore. Their feet aren’t the right size, and that’s not going to change. Right now, they’re not exactly raiding my closet. They’ll be 16 in June, and they like clothes, but they don’t play too big a role in their lives. They definitely have ideas about how they want to feel and look when they go out, but they don’t seem to be particularly distracted by it.
When you were little, who did you have a crush on?
Robert Redford. Specifically, in Our Most Beautiful Strange. Hubbell Gardiner. I had a life-size poster of him. He has a magical beauty—I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but when he smiles, the light sparkles off his front tooth. In Hollywood, there was talk of a sequel to Our Most Beautiful Strange, and I always thought I was supposed to play [Redford and Barbra Streisand’s] daughter. About 20 years ago, there was a rumor that they’d cast someone else, and I thought I was going to have to be hospitalized. I thought, “What?!” It was so obvious to me that I was their daughter.
Was it your love for Redford that led to the Hubbell reference at the end of Season 2 of Sex and the City?
No. It’s not related.
It’s a great scene.
I’ve never seen an episode more than once, and some I’ve never even seen. But I always remember that line: “Mr. Big says, ‘I don’t understand.’ And she says, ‘And you never did.'” I remember the dress. We were barely able to afford it. Pat threw herself on the purse strings and said, “We’re going to buy this new dress.” It was a bias-cut Christian Dior gown, which is not very typical of the Carrie Bradshaw look. I think it was from Bergdorf Goodman. It works really well, because it’s the strangest dress we’ve worn up to that point for that scene.
Have you had any fashion moments you sincerely regret?
I don’t regret anything, because what’s the point? I’m sure there’s a long list of things I should tell you: mistakes, blunders, errors, clumsiness, unflattering things. All of it has been a gift; all of it has been ridiculous. All of it has been exhausting; all of it has been exciting. All of it has made me feel like I’m in a world barely anchored to reality. What is there to regret?
Hair by Serge Normant for Serge Normant Hair at Statement Artists; Makeup by Mariel Barrera at Forward Artists; Manicure by Gina Eppolito.
Produced by AP Studio, Inc.; Executive Producer: Alexis Piqueras; Producer: Anneliese Kristedja; Production Manager: Hayley Stephon; Production Coordinator: Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick; Lighting Technician: Eduardo SilvA; Lab: picturehouse+thesmalldarkroom; editing: picturehouse+thesmalldarkroom; fashion assistants: Tyler VanVranken, Amir La Sure, Celeste Roh, Lila Hathaway, Natalie Mell; production assistants: Linette Estrella, Ariana Kristedja, Sammi Kulger, Ryan Carter, Cameron Bevans, Chase Walker, Rory Walsh; hair assistants: Courtney Peak, Austin Weber, Simone Domizi; makeup assistants: Mika Iwata, Anna Kurihara, Nana Hiramatsu; manicure assistant: Rieko Smith; set assistants: Kevin Kessler, Cedar Kirwin, Paul Levine; tailor: Lindsay Amir Wright; tailor assistant: Natalie Wright.