Sarah Jessica Parker shared a vital moment from her lucrative career in People’s newest cover story. The Sex and the City alum spoke up about refusing to star in nude scenes in one of her earliest movies.
“I don’t know if I had confidence or if I was being counseled by people. There was so much pressure for me to take my clothes off,” the 52-year-old actress told People.
She continued, “My agent [CAA’s Kevin Huvane] sent a car and a plane ticket [to the film set] and he said, ‘If anybody makes you do anything that you’re not comfortable doing, you don’t.’ Given what’s happening now and the stories told from that particular period, I know how lucky I am that there was someone—in this case, a man—who stepped in.”
The moment came up because she bumped into a woman from that film who remembered her "sobbing" because she felt pushed into being nude on camera.
“They were like, ‘Sarah Jessica’s going to be nude tomorrow,’ and I was like ‘I’m not going to be nude,’” Parker said.
Though she chose not to take her clothes off, she advocates for women who feel comfortable being naked on screen. “It’s not a value thing, or like I’m judging anyone else,” she explained. “I just never dug it.” She added, “I think it’s great when women feel comfortable doing it, and that’s their choice.”
Parker also discussed the controversy between her and her former Sex and the City co-star Kim Cattrall. Last year, after the third Sex and the City film was canceled, Cattrall told Piers Morgan that she had a “toxic relationship” with Parker and the other stars of the show. But Parker denies the feud.
“I never talked about it, except [to say] that some of us were disappointed [about the movie not happening],” Parker told People. “But I never responded to the conversation Kim had with Piers Morgan, where she said things that were really hurtful about me. We had this experience and it was amazing, and nothing will ever be like it. We had a connection with an audience, and we had a connection with the city and with this crew, and we got to tell these crazy stories with each other. So I don’t want to mess with that. I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing that part. So there was no fight; it was completely fabricated, because I actually never responded. And I won’t, because she needed to say what she needed to say, and that is her privilege.”
Recently, after Parker publicly expressed her condolences when Cattrall’s brother went missing and was found dead, Cattrall took to Instagram to post an explosive message directed at Parker. “I don’t need your love or support at this tragic time @sarahjessicaparker.” In the caption, Cattrall blamed Parker for “exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ‘nice girl’ persona.”
Parker refuses to respond to Cattrall, though a source told People that “when Kim’s brother went missing, Sarah called and texted Kim privately offering her support. When asked about her brother’s passing on a red carpet, Sarah conveyed again her condolences and love.”
