Sarah Jessica Parker's latest film, 'The Family Stone', sees her playing an uptight career woman who comes to blows with her future in-laws on a Christmas visit. So how does it feel to have stepped out of Carrie Bradshaw's Manolos and into a business suit?

As you'd imagine, Sarah Jessica Parker is immaculately dressed and coiffed when I meet her. She exudes a charm and grace that borders on old fashioned, nothing like the brash Manhattanite Carrie Bradshaw, who she played for six years in 'Sex And The City'.

For many, Carrie and SJP were synonymous, so when the show ended in February 2004, we all wondered whether she'd be able to shake off the persona of Carrie Bradshaw. But, as Sarah explains, her character in 'The Family Stone', Meredith, is the polar opposite of Carrie - she's socially inept, bigoted, awkward, cold and conservative, or so it seems. Invited to her boyfriend Everett's (Dermot Mulroney) home for Christmas, Meredith soon finds herself under attack from his all-American family-with-a-twist.

Was it hard for you decide which role you were going to play after 'Sex And The City'?
Well, I felt that the decision was very important, not only for my career, but for myself, and I was encouraged by those who I listen to as some sort of counsel to take my time and not worry about working, but really take my time and make a smart decision, the kind of choice I would want to make.

The thing is, it was a very hard decision to end the show, and the reason I ended it was because I felt that I was extremely happy there and I would have stayed there forever. I was very comfortable and very satisfied creatively, and I was obviously well paid. I thought those were the very reasons I should probably not stay and that it was really incumbent upon me now in my life to do something that was really new and challenging, and put myself in an unfamiliar environment with people I didn't know and actors who would set a different standard for me.

So when I was making the decision about what to do next, I read this particular script. I loved the way he wrote Meredith so much. Not only that, but how she was part of this bigger story that dealt with such nice, sophisticated, adult themes and things that I thought were important as an audience, but also it's such a challenging role. She was so different from anyone I knew, had met or played. All the criteria that I was looking for were immediately filled, and it was just one of those perfectly wonderful opportunities.

It seems like the hardest role, because your character goes on such a journey in the film.
Well, I think everybody had their own challenges. Tom did such a nice job of not writing archetypes, but really people who were complicated and had very strong feelings, whatever their point of view was. But yeah, it was a very hard part because she's complicated and she's not immediately likeable. I didn't want to make her likeable before it was appropriate to see all her complexities and dimensions and how human she really was.

Tom was incredibly skilled - having little or no experience with a movie of this size - really good at reminding me of her physical carriage, which suggests so much about her. I move a lot when I talk and Meredith just doesn't move, she's so tight. I think all those things are rather exhausting to do all day long every day, but he sort of made it harder in a good way. I frankly really like things being hard, I think I operate best from feeling really challenged and terrified, so yeah, it was hard, but that's what I wanted, I didn't want to do something that was familiar and easy.

Have you ever had any awful experiences meeting a boyfriend's parents?
I've not. Not to my face. There may have been awful things said behind my back and that was certainly their right to do and I may have even earned that, but you know I didn't date a lot, I kept my odds pretty good by just not meeting many parents!

You became an icon for a certain kind of feminism on 'SATC' - do what you want, don't get tied down, who needs a husband? How do you feel about that message?
I think what the show did was not really encourage a sort of cavalier attitude about sex and a sort of false empowerment, but really what it was about was feeling comfortable with your sexuality. Feeling comfortable talking about the intimate things in your life, feeling like you weren't depraved, or dirty, or naughty by having certain feelings, which are generally associated with men. And just being able to discuss sex and decipher sexual politics was really also a huge part of the show - that's the part that was titillating and colourful and provocative, but if the show had only been all of those things, it wouldn't have lasted.

People don't come back week after week, and in our case pay to watch our show because something is slightly vulgar or colourful or there's language used that they're not accustomed to hearing or someone takes their shirt off. They connect because it's about characters and a search for something, a meaning that's resonant. That's why I think the bigger message of the show is about contentment and what does that mean to you - and that doesn't mean a man and settling, or a woman and settling, it means what fulfils you.

Meredith is very career-focused; a lot of her behaviour in the film wouldn't have been considered uptight if it were a man. How do you feel about the challenges that face working women?
Well, I think it remains this ever-surprising moment in industry when someone is called a bitch because they have ambition - and some say blind ambition - or because they tend to be less cuddly and warm in critique, or because they are driven in a way that has masculine connotations. Anytime it happens and we see it and we discuss it, we're a bit further along. I think there's progress all the time and things change as quickly as we're able to function and take them on and absorb them, and so it doesn't seem to hamper women's desires, as far as I can tell.

I still think that a certain generation, mine in particular, feel like we can try to have it all - it's what we were fed. We reap the benefits of the feminist movement, they did all the legwork and now we're going to try to be parents and successful business people and great wives and good friends and go to a cooking class. Changes happen slowly and I always think we get ahead of ourselves and expect more.

Everett's family are brutally honest with him about their dislike for Meredith. Do you think honesty is the best policy in situations like that?
No. I think that kind of thing has to be solicited first of all. Secondly I think it depends on the relationship. I'm one of eight children, so I know what it's like to think you have your sibling's best interests at heart, but I also know that adults have to make adult decisions. I also know it's very treacherous waters, because I'm sure we've all had friends come to us and ask advice about someone who has broken their heart, questioning, on the fence, and you have to tread carefully because the odds are they're going to stay together.

What you need to do is support your friends and your family and hope that people have the ability to make good judgements. Part of being an adult is some degree of honesty, but also you have to let adults make their own adult decisions. No matter how much you love them, often you can be misguided. I think it's very tricky and I think, obviously, each case is its own unique conversation.

You're known for your comedic roles, is that what you want to keep doing?
I don't really think of Meredith as comedic; I think whatever happens is environmental, circumstantial, rather than something like 'LA Story' - that's really classic comedy.

I've done three movies back to back, all very different. And I did them for those reasons: one's a romantic comedy, one is this movie, which is more in this new genre of 'dramady', and one is a real serious drama about a racial incident at a college in New England. So that's kind of the way I make my decisions, rather than trying to convince people of what my skills may or may not be. But, by the way, I love comedy and grew up loving comedy as an audience, and I'm sure I'll always be drawn to that as long as I have those opportunities.

What will you be doing this Christmas?
I love Christmas - not for any religious reasons - I just happen to love it and we've always celebrated Christmas with my family. I'll be with my son (James) and my husband ('The Producers' star Matthew Broderick) in the morning and then we'll just go to my parents' house. We always cook and eat, open presents for hours and go home feeling stuffed and over-indulged. And start counting the days down until next Christmas!

Home is New York for you - would you ever consider a move?
You know, when I read about people that do I think, 'Wow it's so glamorous,' 'Oh my God, she lives in London and what's that like?' But I have problems with change, I don't want anything to change ever and my whole family is in New York and Matthew was born and raised there and it would be very hard for us to imagine living elsewhere, but it sure is nice to visit!