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Sarah Jessica Parker recently revealed that she almost walked away from Sex and the City before it even began. In a candid chat with her co-star Kristin Davis on the Are You a Charlotte? podcast, Parker admitted that despite having a great time filming the pilot back in 1997, she panicked when HBO picked up the show for a full season.
She recalled calling her agents in a frenzy, saying, “I can’t do this. Get me out of this.” At the time, she just couldn’t see herself committing to the pace and structure of a long-running TV show. In fact, she was so serious about stepping away that she even offered to do several movies for HBO to fulfill her contract instead.
Parker explained that she wasn’t unhappy with the project itself—she was just overwhelmed by the idea of doing the same role day in and day out. “It kind of depressed me,” she admitted. The thought of locking herself into one character felt creatively limiting, and she feared she wouldn’t be able to pursue other roles or explore different paths.
Luckily, her agents calmed her down and convinced her to try it for at least one year. They promised that if she still felt trapped after that, they’d find a way out. But once filming truly began, something changed. Parker fell in love with the experience—especially the cast, crew, and creative energy on set. She went from dread to devotion, saying she wanted to be there every single day.
That leap of faith turned out to be life-changing. Sex and the City became a cultural phenomenon, turning Parker’s character, Carrie Bradshaw, into a pop culture icon and earning her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. The show ended in 2004, but the legacy continued with two movies in 2008 and 2010.
Now, Parker has stepped back into Carrie’s heels for the sequel series And Just Like That, which is returning with Season 3 later this month. Reflecting on her earlier doubts, she laughs at how wrong she was—because that “one show she wanted out of” ended up defining her career.