It's been a long and wild ride as Carrie Bradshaw on Sex And tThe City, but Sarah Jessica Parker is perfectly happy moving on with her life. Even though her series co-star Kim Cattrall nixed the idea of a Sex And The City movie, Parker is hardly wallowing in nostalgia. She's anxious to exploit her new-found creative freedom and enjoy more down-time with husband Matthew Broderick and their two-year-old son, James Wilkie.
Are you suffering any withdrawal pains now that Sex And The City is over and done with?
No! I miss the camaraderie on the set and the kind of close friendships you make over the years doing a series like that, but once the decision was made not to do another year, you pretty much start looking forward rather than back. The last week of shooting was obviously very emotional, because we were all holding back the tension that comes with knowing that this is it, this is the last time we'll be doing this show. But after that I was fine, and I was happy that I had had the good fortune to be part of that kind of success.
Did all the post-series rumours about an on-again, off-again Sex And The City movie prove distracting?
It was a bit frustrating, but a lot of the talk was overdone. I think it would have been a great project, but in the end there's a sense of relief that you're closing one chapter of your career and moving on to another. The worst part was dealing with all the gossip about who did what, who killed the project, and things like that. I just don't care any more and my focus is on a lot of other things now.
Is there any bitterness towards Kim Cattrall from you or the other cast members?
No, no. But I really don't want to talk about that issue any more. It's honestly the furthest thing from my mind.
What's life like now that your days are free again?
It's much more relaxed. I tend to put a lot of stress on myself and now I have a completely different rhythm to my day. I have so much more time to be with friends, enjoy the day with my husband, look after our son, and just hang out. Your energy level is more balanced and there's this odd sense of not having a lot of urgency to your day. It's taking me a while to adjust to that, but I love having the freedom to do pretty much whatever I want to, read scripts, work on my own writing, and not feel any stress.
How has your husband Matthew Broderick reacted to your new-found freedom?
Oh, he's pretty happy to have me look after him full time again! [Laughs.] There's been a lot of time pressure on us the last few years after the birth of our son and his working on The Producers and me on the series, so we've both been looking forward to this moment. Matthew's from a show-business family, so he's always been completely comfortable with the idea of my working long hours at the same time as he's been working very hard on Broadway and with some of the films he's made during the last year. We've always had this smooth rapport, so spending a lot of time together now isn't creating any kind of emotional shock or domestic disturbance. It's really nice to be home together.
How does it feel to have been projected into the role as a fashion trend-setter over the years and to be equated with your Carrie TV role?
I've loved being able to use my Carrie alter ego to get me to be less conservative in my choice of clothes. She's always expressed my sexier self! [Laughs.] So I've grown in some ways by thinking about the situations and experiences she's had. I think every interesting character you play can have that effect on you if you enjoy being that character and the kind of vicarious relationship you have with that other side of yourself. On the other hand, I never had any problem separating Carrie's perspective on the world from mine. She had this running internal quarrel with herself, which is a state of mind I got through a long time ago. I also respect the fact that if you play a role well, the public will always project your character's characteristics onto you. But the real me is a lot more subdued and conservative and maybe a little less insecure than Carrie.
