Thursday, May 15, 2008
The SaTC Ladies Do Entertainment Weekly
Sarah Jessica Parker swears there's more to the new movie than closets, orgasms, and cosmos. "It can't be just about wanton lust—that's not the truth about these women anymore," she explains. "The top of the movie is like a dollop of cream—delicious imagery and scant narrative. It just tells you what we've been doing, and then: boom. It's a recovery operation. The movie goes to a very dark place that we've never done before." ... "There's a lot at stake for me personally," says Parker. "I want it to do well, but the bigger story for me here is that I want the people who hold the purse strings to believe that there are female audiences, that it's worth their money." ... No one wanted to relive the disappointment of the first attempt at a feature, which fell apart in 2004 when Kim Cattrall declined to commit. Reports said her reasons had to do with salary demands and script approval, which sent the tabloids into gossip overdrive, rehashing the same theories of catfighting that had plagued the series from the beginning. The costars vehemently deny those rumors. "What kind of uncivilized people do they think we are?" Parker fumes. For her part, Cattrall maintains that she based her decision on more than just a paycheck. "My dad was diagnosed with dementia and I was going through a divorce," says the actress, 51. "I really needed to take a break and be with my family." But in late 2006, when HBO's then CEO Chris Albrecht called to say the project might rise from the ashes, she was ready to return to Samantha. Laughing, Cattrall says: "That's how I am like Samantha — I just want to do it again. Insatiable!" ... Perhaps not coincidentally, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis also responded to Albrecht's proposal like their respective alter egos might. "When they said, 'We're going to do the movie,' I said, 'Yeeaah. I'll believe it when I see it,'" says Nixon with a laugh. Davis, on the other hand, never lost faith in the project—even if she was, as she says, "down to a tiny shred of optimism." Still, "I really believed it was going to happen because I play Charlotte, the hopeful one!" ... With talks of the movie underway, New Line started hunting down sponsors to help with the marketing budget. Parker herself courted Mercedes-Benz in order to realistically re-create New York Fashion Week, which the car company underwrites. "We needed them for credibility and financial reasons," she says. "I've learned [this is] the nature of making movies today." The series never accepted a penny for product placement, and neither did the film—but New Line did secure seven promotional partners who helped supplement the movie's ad campaign. Of course, some of their products appear on screen. King, along with everyone else, claims it's all entirely organic to the story: "There are no action figures. No Samantha in a Happy Meal." Sponsors and all in hand, shooting began, "On my first day, we all had to walk down the street together, and there were hundreds of people on Park Avenue, watching us," says Nixon, 42. "It was daunting." It also wreaked havoc on the schedule. "It took two to three times as long to shoot," says Parker. "It's flattering that anybody still cares about these characters. But it’s like an amoeba—ever-growing and out of control." ... What about those reports that someone dies in the movie? Contrary to what the trailer and recent chatter might have you believe, Carrie's true love does not die. "Why would I kill Mr. Big?" King says, shaking his head. "I'd be chased down the street with sticks!" ... If the movie's a hit, King isn't ruling out a sequel—but for now, he'd rather take it one cosmo at a time. "I just hope people think, 'Ahhh, it's nice to see the girls again.'"
See ... this is why Entertainment Weekly is one of my fave magazines ever. They know a good thing when they see one and really do their best to satisfy the ravenous cravings of rabid pop culture fans (ie. me). They also do a very good job of reporting information without spoiling anything the reader may not want to know so early on (and if they do publish spoilers, they do a great job of providing warnings). I can't wait to get my hands on this new issue of EW, I have a bit of catching up to do on the SaTC front before I head out to the theater to FINALLY see the movie :) [Source]
[Permalink]