Willie Garson’s Stanford Blatch and Sarah Jessica Parker‘s Carrie Bradshaw has been an iconic best friend pair on screen. Garson and Parker have been inseparable on-screen and off-screen since ‘Sex and the City’ started in 1998. We have seen Carrie and Stanny’s being each other’s anchor and fashion critic. As Carrie once quoted:
“Seasons change, so do cities. People come into your life and people go. But it’s comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart.” – it only deems fit to this situation as the ‘And Just Like That’ star tips hat to her old real and reel life friend after his untimely demise in the most recent episode of the HBO series. Read more to find out how.
Willie Garson’s and SJP’s friendship will never go out of Style
The late Sex and the City actor Willie Garson, who died in September 2021, from pancreatic cancer, had only filmed three episodes of And Just Like That‘s first season prior to his death. In addition to dedicating the fourth episode of the show to Garson, helmer, Michael Patrick King and the writers crafted a new storyline for his character, Stanford, to keep him alive in some form on the show. The sex columnist is wrapped in the robe while answering the door for her Met Gala designer Smoke (Bethlehem Million), who pays her the compliment. Carrie gets a compliment on her ‘stunning kimono’ and glowingly replies: ‘Oh, thank you! My friend Stanford (Willie Garson) sent it to me from Japan.’
Willie Garson’s final on-screen appearance in the show was in Season 1 Episode 3. In Episode 4 of the first season, he had an off-screen “appearance” with a written letter to his BFF Carrie, telling her of his departure amid the death of her husband, Mr. Big, following a tragic Peloton ride. “Dearest Carrie, By the time you read this I’ll be in Tokyo,” the note read. “I couldn’t tell you — not without crying. And you have had enough crying,” referring to Carrie’s emotions over the death of John “Big” Preston (Chris Noth).”
Oldie but a goodie back in ‘Sex and the City’ house
Another oldie but a goodie who will make an appearance is Kim Cattrall’s Samantha. Although Cattrall had made it very evident she won’t be part of the spin-off but for some shift in the universe Cattrall agreed to drop by for old times sake. According to People, King said, “I don’t know what happened, because we didn’t start the season thinking this,” the two-time Emmy winner said.
“Some sort of universal magic shifted. I don’t know whether the fans manifested this. I don’t know what happened. Maybe something about the 25th anniversary brought a lot of energy forward, and all of a sudden Kim was like, ‘All right, I’ll make a stop by.’”
It’s easy enough to see a name appear on the phone alongside a text and imagine the person on the other end of the phone, but hearing her voice and realizing that she’s actually a part of this season is far preferable to having to use our imaginations to imagine her via the one text we see from her, or having to infer her emotions via flowers she sent to be draped over Big’s coffin.
‘And Just Like That’ airs on HBO.
