Oh no he didn’t! Chris Noth is very “big” into fielding questions about Sex and the City, but isn’t as quick to confirm that a third film is on the way. Amid rumors that Carrie Bradshaw may be coming back for round three, Noth is reminiscing about the HBO series and clearing up misconceptions of his Mr. Big role.
While recently in Australia, the 59-year-old explained that he doesn’t worry nor does he try to escape being typecast anymore.
“In the beginning, Law & Order was the hit, but then when I did Sex and the City, that was a whole other thing. The reaction to that was just overwhelming and shocking, frankly,” he told News.com.au. “I don’t think I’ve ever gotten over it; it completely changed my life. When I was younger I resented that — ‘Oh, I’ve got to destroy that image’ — but people want to see you as they want to see you.”
Noth now plays Illinois Governor Peter Florrick, the amicably estranged husband of Julianna Margulies’ Alicia Florrick on the CBS hit The Good Wife. Many may compare Florrick — ambitious, adulterous but still a mostly likable family man — to that of Mr. Big, but the actor doesn’t see it that way.
“Even with The Good Wife people accuse me of always playing powerful men. But they’re flawed. Big was powerful because he had a lot of money and he seemed to have the upper hand in the relationship, but emotionally he was a wreck,” he said. “Actually, no: he was what he was. One of the things I tell people is that he never tried to pretend he was anything other than what he was. It was [Carrie] who tried to pretend he was something he wasn’t,” he added.
“He was always honest about himself — he never cheated on her. The relationship just didn’t work, and he went on to get married while she went on to — how many boyfriends did she have? She was such a whore!” he teased. “There’s a misconception that Carrie was a victim of him, and that’s not the case — she was a strong, smart woman.”
As Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte lovers know, Mr. Big and Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) finally got their happily ever after in the Sex and the City movies. However, getting through the reviews for the second film (2010) proved to be a bit tough.
“I don’t think it was a bomb, but I think because they’re greedy, it didn’t make as much money as they wanted. But I think it was considered an indulgence and a distraction because it hit right when the recession happened,” Noth said to News.com.au. “The critical response was overwhelmingly negative. There was not one good review of that film. Not one. And I think it was very hurtful for the girls, because [the reviews] got personal.”
The sequel may have left a bitter taste in his mouth, but Noth kept mum on whether a third installment is in the works. He noted that Parker and Kristin Davis were “naughty” for tweeting about the rumors, and that he won’t believe it until he hears “action!” on set. More importantly, the actor thinks the realistic way the HBO series Girls portrays NYC may hinder the chances for another movie. Read more about the Sex and the City 3 rumors.
“The New York that Sex and the City depicted is not the New York that I love — New York was a much bigger, more interesting place than just fashion and glitz and all that crap. It’s become its own nightmare,” he said. “Manhattan used to have a real rainbow coalition of class and ethnicity, but it’s being pushed out. It’s almost like New York became the [fantasy] city that Sex and the City depicted, which I find particularly boring.”
He added: “You’ve got Girls now, which is much tougher and more realistic. I’m not sure there’d be an appetite for it? It’s kind of had its day. [Writer Michael Patrick King would] have to be really smart to make it relevant. I mean, we’re all getting older. What would it be? ‘Carrie, goddamnit, my bladder!'”
