"My Contract Was Complete. I Was Waiting": This Actress From House Almost Played Carrie Bradshaw On Sex And The City

An actress who starred in the hit medical drama House nearly appeared in another beloved TV series, Sex and the City, as Carrie Bradshaw. Carrie Bradshaw and Sarah Jessica Parker are inseparable at this point, and it's hard to imagine anyone else taking the lead role in the groundbreaking and timeless HBO series. For a certain cohort of people, The Sopranos represents peak '90s and early 2000s prestige television on HBO, but for a whole other group, Sex and the City defines the era of television. While House may not have quite the cultural cache as Sex and the City, it's not too far off and is generally ranked among the greatest medical dramas ever. It's a fun game to play: if you were an actress in the late '90s and early aughts, would you rather star in a raunchy prestige romantic comedy-drama like Sex and the City or in a massively popular network TV series like House? They both have their advantages, and while most people would never have the chance to be a part of two major shows like this, one actress nearly did. House's Lisa Edelstein Was Signed On To Play Carrie Bradshaw In Sex And The City Edelstein Would Have Gotten The Role If Sarah Jessica Parker Refused It Lisa Edelstein, who plays Dr. Lisa Cuddy on House, was also signed on to play Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City at one point (via VanityFair). While Sarah Jessica Parker was always the number one selection for Carrie, producers at HBO weren't going to let the series slip away if she proved unavailable. They had a backup plan in the form of Lisa Edelstein. Edelstein said, "I was either going to do it or not. It all depended on whether she [Sarah Jessica Parker] said yes. My contract was complete. I was waiting." Related Sarah Jessica Parker: Net Worth, Age, Height & Everything You Need To Know About The Sex And The City Actress Sarah Jessica Parker has been one of TV's biggest stars for over 25 years, and the Carrie Bradshaw actress certainly has a fabulous net worth. As we all now know, Parker did end up saying yes and taking the career-changing role. Edelstein refrained from ever watching the series as it aired, saying the whole experience was "too painful." Cuddy has a lot of Carrie in her, and it's not too far of a stretch to imagine Edelstein doing a great job with the role. Why Sarah Jessica Parker Almost Turned Down Sex And The City Parker Was Afraid Of Being Tied Down To A TV Show It's strange to imagine why Sex and the City would be waiting on Sarah Jessica Parker at all. Carrie Bradshaw seems like the role of a lifetime. However, back in 1997, television was not in the place it is now. Television was where movie stars' careers went to die, and Parker was building an impressive film résumé with roles in Hocus Pocus, Ed Wood, and Mars Attacks!. Going to television probably felt like a step down. Parker said, "Do I really want to go back to making a television series when I'm maybe held hostage signing a long-term contract?" HBO was also known for being a place with mature-rated content, including foul language and nudity, which Parker was not keen on doing. She said, "I met with Darren, and there were a couple of concerns that I had — like I really wasn't keen on doing nudity and language issues — but Kevin continued to say to me, 'This is different. You have never done anything like this before. No one’s ever done a part like this. Do this.'" Kevin Huane was Parker's agent at the time and, therefore, gets some credit for putting Parker in the role. Darren Star is the creator of Sex and the City, and he clearly listened to Parker's concerns because she is the only one of the four main actresses who had zero nude scenes, thanks in part to the "no nudity" clause in her contract. Kristin Davis & Cynthia Nixon Also Auditioned For The Role Of Carrie Bradshaw The Two Actresses Played Other Characters In The Show Lisa Edelstein was not the only other person to read for Carrie Bradshaw. When it looked like Sarah Jessica Parker may not be interested in the part, Darren Star had Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis read for the part (via THR). Star asked Davis to read, but Davis knew right away the character wasn't for her, saying, "I remember one line in the script it said, 'Carrie has the body of Heather Locklear and the mind of Dorothy Parker.' And I was like, 'That is adorable, but I can't play that part. Like, what [are] you thinking?'" Instead, Davis convinced Star that she was more in tune with Charlotte York. Nixon had a much different experience, and after she auditioned for Carrie, the casting team said something along the lines of, "Yeah, not so much". She also read for Miranda Hobbes, and while producers liked her, they took months to confirm the casting, and in that time, Nixon nearly had to accept another job. Once again, it was an agent who saved the day, badgering the SATC executives until they finally cast the role. The cast of Sex and the City could have looked very different, particularly if an actress best known for her work on House ended up being cast in the critical Carrie Bradshaw part. Sex and the City 9/10 Release Date 1998 - 2004-00-00 Network HBO Max Showrunner Darren Star Writers Darren Star

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