SARAH JESSICA PARKER

Q: Given that this movie takes place four years since we last saw the girls, in what ways do you think your character has evolved?

SARAH: She’s evolved in a lot of ways. She’s experiencing a life in New York that she never though she’d have. She’s pursuing a grown up relationship on her terms. And I think they’re really a modern couple. They’re not married, they haven’t talked about having children, they seem content with one another and they really like each other. She’s had enormous success in publishing and she’s working on her fourth book and the work is very fulfilling and she still has these vital relationships. I think she’s just a grown up and I think what this movie is about in many respects is what it means to be a grown up and what it means to suffer a loss and how are you conflicted in these disappointments versus when you’re twenty and you can distract yourself from those kind of losses.

Q: Did you like Carrie’s addition of having an assistant?

SARAH: I loved her! I loved the addition of Jennifer Hudson. I think she was so necessary she’s so lovely on screen and she’s so buoyant. And off screen, as well as on, she just wanted so much to be there. It’s funny that  a 22 year old can come on set and play a role that’s really supposed to be about being young and still bring a maternal quality to Carrie’s life and still remind the character what she was 20 years ago and what the city of New York promised. 

Q: What was your first reaction after you first read the script?

SARAH: I couldn’t really believe what he (Michael Patrick King) had done. I really felt like he had written the role of a lifetime for me. Separate from the show, if this script stood alone it was really incredible, his efforts. I was really excited to try and get it done. It’s really been a lot over the past two years trying to get this movie up and the only certainty in my brain the entire past two years has been Michael’s script. Before he wrote it, after he wrote it, and while we were shooting. Everything else was just an enormous question mark. Could we get it done? We had so many obstacles and dead ends; this movie has been resuscitated so many times. And the entire time, there stood the steadfast script.

Q: What was your role on set as a producer?

SARAH: Well, you kind of have to go back a couple years, it’s more complicated than on set. I picked up the phone in April of 2006 and I started putting the pieces back together again. And in the latter stages of the summer of 2006 I got Michael involved, and I didn’t get him involved before that because unless there was some sort of certainty that this was going to happen. It would’ve been too reckless to ask him to visit the idea because I knew he would go and write a script. And I didn’t want to do that to him until I knew we had a shot. And for the next year I was finding a home, finding the financing, securing the sound stages, getting the actors back, getting the crew members back, negotiating contracts, getting hair and makeup, getting Patricia Fields back, getting product placement. And, I mean, I don’t do all of this as a producer all the time, but on this job, this franchise, it’s what I do. And for better or worse this is the movie we fought to make, this is the story we wanted to tell and the actors we wanted to tell it with. I kinda can’t believe it’s actually happened. I can’t believe we’ve actually arrived at this day because there were so many times that Michael and I had put this thing away.

Q: Do you find any similarities between you and Carrie?

SARAH: Well, we really are very different. She’s just so different than I am. But, I love what a great friend she is. And I hope and wish that I am that kind of friend. I don’t understand how they find that much time to spend together. People say “The fashion is the most unrealistic thing in the show,” and I’m like, no, really the most unrealistic thing is how much time they have together. I just the like kind of friend she is. I love the kind of friend all of them are. So I wouldn’t mind having a little more than that.

KRISTIN DAVIS
 

Q: Has your personal style changed since the movie?

KRISTIN: Well not since the movie, but definitely since the show. I was like a scared little girl and I would go to the fittings and Pat (Patricia Field) would be like “Wear this, wear this!” and I would be like, “No, I can’t!” And she’s pretty bold. I had never been a designer person, and this sounds strange, but they never really cut for any type of woman with any type of curves at all. Everything was super-stick straight and I was like “I can’t wear any of this!” and she’d be like “Yes you can!” and I think that’s what’s great about Pat is that she doesn’t try to make everyone look the same. She doesn’t try to make everyone look stick-skinny. So it took a while, but she finally had her way with me. 

Q: Which of the character would you say you relate to the most?

KRISTIN: I used to say Charlotte, but I think now, probably Carrie. Because she’s still searching and figuring out certain things and I love how she’s always questioning. She’s a writer so she’s always questioning and analyzing her place in the whole mix. 

Q: You were on Oprah recently and you said that you are loving your forties because you feel more grounded. Do you have any advice to the twenty years olds out there watching your show?

KRISTIN: First of all I think for the women in their twenties, I feel like it’s a strange time. We have this insane media circus happening at all times and for us when we were young it wasn’t really like that. So I worry about the young people being influenced by that and not having a different situation to compare it to. I feel like it’s gotten to a level where it’s toxic. I hope that they’re not being overly influenced and they can feel like they can be themselves and be who they want to be and feel good in that.

Q: Do you think about the possible cultural impact that this movie can have?

KRISTIN: I don’t feel like the movie is saying “think about commitment”. I think the movie is saying that we are getting older and we’re not pretending that we’re not getting older and they’ve all found these people. So, how does it work?  How hard is it? What happens next? And I think that’s what happens in life. In the beginning you’re trying to find the people that you might want to connect with and then you try to make it work and maybe it works and maybe it doesn’t. And it’s not so easy, it might look perfect, or it might be perfect for a while and the something happens and there are many different scenarios. And I think the movie is following the progression of what happens after you do find that person. But I think we’re trying to say that not everyone needs to be coupled up. I think we’re trying to say “Learn who you are and what you want.” Whatever it is, if it’s coupledom, if it’s marriage, learn what that is and get better at it. 

Q: Was there anything in the movie that you wish they had changed or you were surprised by?

KRISTIN: I was a little surprise by some things that were on the screen. That I was not present when they were being shot. I was like…huuuh! Because people would ask me what I thought the movie would be rated and I thought it would be PG! I mean that sounds so silly! I mean when you see something on the page you can’t quite tell… But I’m glad (for the R rating) because we are "Sex and the City" and I don’t want to disappoint. But I guess we aren’t rated PG!

No, but to get back to your question I wasn’t too surprised by anything in the movie. I was really just bowled over by the whole thing. It’s big! And even though I was there, it’s just big on that screen! So I was really awed and impressed with our production designer because you could never really see on the small screen all of those details and layers that he was always putting in. So now on the big screen you can see everything. Everybody just rose to the occasion. After I saw it I really just couldn’t wait to see it again. 

Q: As you were shooting the film, how did it feel from going to episodic to a larger, longer format?

KRISTIN: It didn’t feel that different because we were really never like episodic television. That’s why everybody loves HBO so much. We shot for many many more days than a normal TV show shoots for. So it was sort of like shooting little movies. We would shoot overlapping episodes, so it was like shooting a movie in a lot of ways. Not in terms of Michael’s writing, he had to make sure that in thirty minutes there was and episode. But for us acting it was all in one. So it didn’t feel that different. It felt different in that we felt the pressure of we finally get to make this movie and we need to make it great. We felt that pressure, but we kinda felt that in the show as well. But the big difference was the crazy crowds. I mean I have pictures on my camera phone, it’s just hard to believe. I would hold my camera just like a fan and start taking pictures. We did not anticipate that and we did not anticipate it carrying through. We thought it would be like, the first day we got back together, and then we were like ok, maybe the first week. That part was a surprise and really flattering. Those people are the reason the movie got made.

Q: Do you like doing the red carpet?

KRISTIN: In certain circumstances, yeah. I mean Hilary Swank is a friend and I remember seeing her at an award show and thinking, “She’s all by herself!” I mean we have each other and we have Michael and we’re like a pack so it makes it fun. We check in with each other and we’re with each other. If I had to do that by myself I would probably feel really intimidated. But because we have each other it kinda makes you feel strong and confident. 

KIM CATTRALL

Q: Are you happy with how the movie came out?

KIM: Oh my god, yes! I can’t wait to see it with an audience; I’ve seen it in a screening room holding my breath. So I’m really looking forward to seeing it because it really is for the fans and it’s for us too because we had such a great time doing it. But to get the audience’s reaction to it. Because I think we left on such a high note, so just to reach it and go beyond is just great.

Q: When you got the script was there anything that surprised you? 

KIM: I was really surprised that he wrote scene where Samantha turns 50. Because she had always lied about her age. And I had recently turned 50 as well and I thought it was a very brave move. Because I don’t know of a Hollywood movie that would celebrate a 50th birthday unless she’s like, dying! So I loved that, I was really surprised by that. 

But at the end of the series I was very skeptical that Michael left her in a monogamous relationship, and I could tell that wouldn’t last. And to see her trying to be somebody else, it really wrenched my heart. I thought, poor girl, she gave up her apartment, she gave up her business, she moved to the West Coast for a man! And she finally figures it out: she can’t be who she’s not. 

Q: Was there anything else you would’ve liked to see happen in the movie?

KIM: It’s so hard to say. I was having so much fun I just wanted to be able to do some more. Whenever I had to do a phone scene I thought, “Damnit, why can’t I be in that scene? Why do I have to be on the West Coast?” Not that I don’t like LA, especially Malibu. Whenever the girls get together it’s kind of that celebration, they’re always having fun. That’s why I really like when the girls go to Mexico, that’s my favorite part. That’s when you get that “Sex and the City” high. But I also like the way he ended it. There are more possibilities for more scenarios in another decade. We’ll see how it goes.

Q: Was it ever hard to trust [costume designer] Patricia Fields?

KIM: Pat and I have become close friends and when I first met her I went on a four hour fitting for the show, and I came back with a blouse. And I thought, this is going to take forever! And it was a vintage blouse and I thought, I want to wear something new! And then I sort of understood how she worked. She was putting pieces together, almost like a puzzle.

And even on the movie she would bring something to me last minute, it could be a broach, it could be a hat and she just puts things together that don’t really seem to make sense at the time. 

But I remember in the first season I was wearing a suit that was a loaner from a designer and we had decided not to do the hem, it was just tacked very loosely because the shot was just from here up. And they changed the shot and it was 3:30 in the morning and she was on her hands and knees hemming this suit! And I said, “You’re Pat Fields! Get somebody else to do it!” And she goes “Somebody’s gotta do it.” I just went, “Who are you?!” The attention to detail and the passion for what she does and the look that she brought, it keeps evolving. 

Q: What message do you want fans to come away with after the movie?

KIM: I think the message that has always been, for me at least, it’s about friends and family. And you can’t pick you’re family, God knows! You can pick your friends and your closest friends. I think we have shown women getting tighter and supporting each other.

Q: Do you ever watch the edited syndicated versions of the show?

KIM: I don’t. I’ve heard that they are great and people are really into them. But, I don’t think I’m in it much! I love the language and at the end of every season we would sit there and voice over the swears, and the other girls would have 20 or 30 and I would have 180! And you would have the f-word and you would have to say “friggin”, or “freaking” or “freegin” and it would ruin the whole rhythm of these beautiful lines that Michael Patrick King and Darren Star had written for these characters. And I thought they’re putting the slash in it. So, I have never brought myself to sit in front of TBS, as much as like TBS, to watch, what would you call it- “the poor cousin” of the original.

Q: You have some steamier scenes in the movie- was it difficult shooting those?

KIM: I don’t know if I have the confidence as Kim, but I know Samantha does. There has to be a fearlessness. And I know in the hands of John Thomas and Michael Patrick King they’re going to make me look good. If I were not as confident and comfortable with the people I was working with I would be even more tentative. But I just feel so protected, I feel as though I have a safety net. Not just for the way I look but for the circumstances they put the characters in. So I feel like when I get the script, “How are we going to do this? Is this going to work, has it gone too far?” So I was very cognizant of how far Samantha would go and it would still be in the realm of reality. You have to really take yourself out of it. And I find the more I’m able to do that the easier it is to play this outrageous character.

Q: Are you ever amazed at how well Michael Patrick can write in a women’s voice?

KIM: He knows these women really, really well. He lived with them for seven years, we did too. He lived the whole cycle of who these women are and who we are. Because he would write scenes and he would get really excited about thinking about doing them together. I think his imagination, as far as these characters are concerned, is endless. I’m sure he’s already making notes for a sequel, at least I hope he is!

Q: Are you contracted for more films?

KIM: It’s all open, right now. So we’ll see. I think it’s really up to Michael. And the box office! That’s the real test. I think somebody told me that we are neck and neck with Indiana Jones, and I thought that’s a dynasty! That’s pretty exciting!

Q: Was there a moment in the film that you thought captured the spirit of the show?

KIM: The first day it felt like that, walking down the street. And the response from the fans. And just putting the high heels on, knocking against the concrete. And all of us walking down the sidewalk- one up, one down. We were a team, we were back.

CYNTHIA NIXON

Q: Has you fashion sense evolved since this series?

CYNTHIA: Of course it’s evolved because I have a closet full of clothes! But some of Pat Field’s know-how has probably rubbed off on me. 

Q: Even Miranda’s fashion has evolved from the first season till now. 

CYNTHIA: Yeah I think early on with Miranda’s clothes and Miranda’s hair I think we tried really hard to what a junior lawyer might be wearing. And at a certain point, Pat couldn’t handle it anymore. She would say, “If I see another suit I’m gonna puke.” I mean they put me in suits for years but then they decided I needed more glamour.

Q: What character would you say you relate to the most?

CYNTHIA: I would say I relate to Miranda the most. Although I think I have a large gullible streak which is very like Charlotte.

Q: Do you have a favorite episode from the series?

CYNTHIA: I really love the episode where Miranda’s mother dies, not because of the just my plotline, but all the girls were given such great things to do in that episode. There are a lot, but it’s hard to say. 

Q: Sarah Jessica Parker mentioned that it was a bit unrealistic how much time these characters are able to spend together... 

CYNTHIA: I think people have always pointed to the never ending pool of attractive men being one of the slightly unrealistic aspects of the show. But this is even more so, the thought that there four very high powered women had the time to get together 3-4 times a week seems far fetched. But I think in a way, we’ve addressed that in the movie. I think they do get together a lot. Samantha is in California, Miranda is in Brooklyn, Charlotte is really wrapped up in her family, and I think that the movie goes out of its way to bring extraordinary circumstances to bring them together. I think the idea is the women are still very devoted to each other but they still have a lot less face time than they used to.

Q: If there was a sequel where would you like your character go?

CYNTHIA: I would like to see Miranda try and calm down. I would like to see her make more time for herself, make more time for her marriage and her kid. And if there’s anything she could do to cut down on her hours. 

"Sex and the City" opens in theaters May 30th.