#20. It Started As A New York Column
The TV show is based on a book written by author Candace Bushnell. She started writing the homonym book for her weekly column for the New York Observer, which she wrote for two years and which was based on her own real-life experiences. So, we can say that Carrie Bradshaw and Candace Bushnell are the same person!
As her alter-ego, Candace started writing her weekly column in 1994, only two years before the book became a bestseller and HBO purchased the rights to make the successful TV show we know today. Do you know what the craziest part is? Bushnell sold the TV rights for only $60,000! If we consider how much money the franchise made, that doesn’t seem like a fair price at all.
#19. There Was An Impressive Wardrobe
Who hasn’t dreamt of having an incredible wardrobe like Carrie Bradshaw’s? Throughout the whole six seasons, none of the main characters wear the same outfit twice… except for the final episode, when Carrie wears a fur coat she used in the first season.
The producers and costume designers really thought things through when it came to picking Carrie’s outfits. Generally, her clothes were meant to reflect her mood. Every single one of Carrie’s outfits had a purpose and played into the scene just as heavily as her whirlwind of words.
#18. The Addresses Don’t Exist
We may all have dreamed of living in Carrie’s Upper East Side apartment located on 245 East 73rd Street between Park and Madison, but sadly the address doesn’t exist in real life. The exterior shots were filmed in West Village at 66 Perry Street.
And guess what? Samantha’s 300 Gansevoort Street, Charlotte’s 700 Park Avenue and Miranda’s 331 West 78th Street were all fictional addresses too, so none of them exist in real life. Here’s another fun fact: Carrie’s apartment’s real location is actually marked with a plaque.
#17. The Cupcake Shop Needed A Bouncer
Remember the scene where Carrie and Miranda stop off and eat a cupcake outside Magnolia Bakery at 401 Bleecker Street? Magnolia Bakery was Carrie’s favorite pastry shop in the show, and after Miranda and Carrie eat their cupcakes while sitting on that bench on the sidewalk, everyone in NYC wanted to taste them.
Crazily enough, this episode made the shop so popular that people drew lines out the door to taste a single cupcake. Eventually, the bakery had to employ a bouncer to keep the crowd under control.
#16. Samantha Was Almost Very Different
It’s almost impossible to imagine how the show would have been with anyone but Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones, but the actress actually turned down the offer twice. She met up several times with Sex and The City producer Darren Star to discuss the script but at first, she wasn’t convinced. It was only three weeks before they started shooting that Cattrall changed her mind.
Although Kim declined the job several times, she was eventually persuaded by her old friend Dennis Erdman, who is also Darren Star’s boyfriend. He called her and convinced her to meet up with Darren again, and asked her to give the show a chance. She finally accepted and ended up playing the role for 13 years!
#15. They Had To Recast Pete The Dog
Do you remember the beautiful hairy little thing that we all wanted as our pet? It turns out that the first dog who played Aidan’s pet Pete loved Carrie but was terrified of Aidan, so they eventually had to fire him and bring in a new dog. Firing a dog sounds like something I would never wanna do!
The crew had to constantly give John Corbett, who played Aidan, dog treats so that Pete would forget his anger and act playfully. But this didn’t work and they were left with no choice but to recast him. As crazy as it sounds, they had to go through many castings in order to find the perfect candidate. Sadly, this wasn’t an ‘a dog is man’s best friend’ situation.
#14. Sarah Jessica Parker Almost Quit
Have you noticed that Carrie was the only one out of the four leads who always wore a bra in bed, while her castmates have shown a lot more? That’s because Sarah Jessica Parker made sure there was a ‘no nudity’ clause in her contract, that stipulates she would never have to do a full nudity scene.
When asked about this in an interview, she said, “I was not comfortable with nude scenes, scenes with sex toys, or vulgar language – so I didn’t do any. My character Carrie kissed a lot of men – but that’s as far as it went.”. She also considered rejecting the part due to the large amount of sexual content it had, but we’re all glad she finally took it!
#13. The Only Cable Series To Win An Emmy For Outstanding Comedy
Sex And The City has been nominated a total of six times to an Emy and won the category once in 2001. The show has won seven of its 54 Emmy Award nominations, eight of its 24 Golden Globe Award nominations, and three of its 11 SAG Award nominations but, to this day, the show is still the only cable series to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy.
Also, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kim Cattrall have won at least one individual award during their time on the show. However, Kristin Davis, who played Charlotte York, was the only one of the four leads who never received any awards. We still love you Charlotte, you’re the best!
#12. The Engagement Was At Fake Tiffany’s
Remember that romantic scene where Trey proposed to Charlotte in front of the iconic Fifth Avenue Tiffany’s store? Well, it wasn’t the real Tiffany’s. The store wouldn’t allow them to film its front for security reasons, so they had to design a set that looked just like the front window.
So, it turns out that Tiffany’s were all smoke and mirrors, and the set designers even had to design a fake window. Of course, they had to get Tiffany’s employees’ approval before filming the scene. They made it so similar that no one could have guessed it wasn’t the real store.
#11. Charlotte And Trey’s Prenup Could Have Been Real
Even though the proposal wasn’t at real Tiffany’s, the prenup that Trey’s mother, Bunny, made Charlotte sign before marrying Trey was written by a real lawyer. This clearly proves that the show paid too much attention to small details, and maybe that was one of the reasons behind the show’s major success.
Madly in love with the man of her dreams, Charlotte is shocked to be presented with a prenuptial agreement that offers her 500,000 dollars in case of divorce. After a little encouragement from her friends, she plays hardball and doubles her settlement amount to a cool million. This girl knew how to play!
#10. The Iconic Tutu Came from A Bargain Bin
The white tutu Carrie wears in the Sex And The City opening scene has become iconic, but if you thought this was a designer ballet skirt, let me tell you that you couldn’t be wronger! It was actually bought from a thrift shop for $5. Thanks to costume designer Patricia Field, this tutu became a legend and today it’ll cost you $140.
Patricia Field and Sarah Jessica Parker have revealed that four outfits were brought to set for the intro shoot, but while they were keen for the tutu, almost nobody else was. Still, they decided that Jessica Parker would use the tutu and everyone ended loving it! In fact, producer Michael Patrick King now has it framed in his office.
#9. 5th Season Gets Cut Short
Ever wondered why the 5th season ended up so fast? Well, they had to go on a hiatus because Sarah Jessica Parker found out she was pregnant with her son James while filming the first episodes of the season. Besides, there was no way that making Carrie pregnant on the show would make sense.
And here’s another fun fact! When Carrie bumps into Aidan carrying his baby in season 6, it was actually Sarah Jessica Parker’s child. I’m sure that’s why the baby looked so happy and pleased to see her!
#8. Matthew McConaughey’s Role Wasn’t Meant For Him
Have you watched the episode Escape From New York? Remember the scene where Carrie goes to L.A. to discuss the film version of her book and ends up chatting with Matthew McConaughey? Well, it turns out that the role was originally meant for Alec Baldwin but he turned it down.
After Balwin said no, producers then offered it to George Clooney, who was interested but unavailable at the time. Then, they offered it to Warren Beatty, who also declined. Only then was it offered to Matthew, and thankfully he said yes and showed his handsome face on the episode. He was not even plan B, but plan D!
#7. The Post-It Note Breakup Actually Happened
When you think about the worst breakups ever, it’s almost impossible not to think about the scene where Jack Berger breaks up with Carrie over a legendary post-it note. “I’m sorry. I can’t. Don’t hate me”, said the unfortunate piece of paper. Did you know that moment was inspired by a real-life experience one of the show writers had to go through?
Despite this heartbreaking yet hilarious scene, there were always relatable moments in Sex And The City, and the writers have said that this idea appeared one day while talking about real-life worst breakups. They decided to use the post-it breakup scene in the show because it was tragic and comic at the same time.
#6. Carrie And Samantha Aren’t Friends In Real life
Though their on-screen friendship looks almost perfect, Samantha and Carrie’s real-life relationship is far from different. So it’s not one of those cases in which fiction imitates life. However, their talents as professional actresses allowed them to disguise this.
Kim Cattrall insisted on several interviews that her relationship with the cast has always remained professional. “We’ve never been friends, we’ve been colleagues and in some ways, that’s a very healthy place to be because then you have a clear line between your professional life and relationship and your personal”, she claimed.
#5. Corbett Went From The Steel Mill To The Silver Screen
When he graduated from high school, John Corbett -aka Aidan Shaw in the show-, moved to California to live with his father and work in a steel mill for the following six years. Meanwhile, he spent a year training to become a County Deputy Sheriff but failed the exams. Corbett stopped working at the factory after injuring his back and wanted to try something else.
He also went to hairdressing school by day and studied theatre at night at Cerritos College. He started acting in commercials and since then he landed several roles in series and movies. This truly paid off big time for him and all the Sex And The City fans, since his character was great!
#4. The Last Episode Cut It Close
If you ever feel you’re over the limit just remember that the filming for the final episode of Sex and the City wrapped four days before it got aired. There was almost no room for errors. But despite all the effort, not everyone in the crew was satisfied with the ending.
Surprisingly, director Darren Star was one of these. In his words, the show ended “like a conventional romantic comedy [which]betrayed what the show is about”. Let’s be honest, Carrie and Mr. Big weren’t really meant to be together!
#3. Sarah Jessica Parker Ruined Her Feet With All Those Heels
Carrie’s love for designer heels is out of this world. In fact, she once said “I’ve spent $40,000 on shoes and I have no place to live? I will literally be the old woman who lived in her shoes!” But this insane love for Manolos and Louboutins made Sarah Jessica Parker pay a painful price…
SJP opened up about the serious damage that years of nonstop strutting in stilettos took on her feet. “I literally ran in heels,” she explained. “I worked 18-hour days and never took them off. I wore beautiful shoes, some made better than others, and never complained”. However, it wasn’t until she twisted her ankle on set that she realized just how much damage her heels had caused. Now that’s what I call true passion and work ethics!
#2. There Is A Real Mr. Big
If there is a real-life Carrie, then there must be a real-life Mr. Big. The memorable character played by Chris Noth was actually based on Candace Bushnell’s real ex-boyfriend, magazine publisher Ron Galotti. The pair met at a Wolfgang Joop party in 1995 and dated for over a year. Although Bushnell changed Big’s career, the character and her ex were almost the same.
Bushnell described real Mr. Big as “one of those New York guys with a big personality -you just notice him as soon as he walks in the room. I called him Mr. Big because he was like a big man on campus”. But unlike the devotion his character had from her loved one, Galotti broke up with Bushnell and ended up moving to Vermont.
#1. Miranda’s Doctor Is Actually A Doctor
Cynthia Nixon, who played Miranda Hobbes, was pregnant on and off-screen during season 6, with her character Miranda expecting a baby with his on-and-off boyfriend -and later husband- Steve.
But it looks like Miranda’s pregnancy wasn’t the only thing that was real on and off-screen! The doctor who helped her deliver her baby happened to be a real-life doctor. Isn’t that funny?
So, how many of these facts did you already know?