In an onstage speech Wednesday at the Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, Sarah Jessica Parker teased season 3 of “And Just Like That” and her recent appointment to the jury of Britain’s prestigious literary prize, the Booker Prize.
In a wide-ranging discussion, Parker talked about her extensive acting career that started when she was just 8 years old and how she ventured into film and TV production and entrepreneurship in the fields of book publishing, fashion and perfumery.
The ‘Sex and the City’ franchise had a major impact around the world, including an entire generation of women in Saudi Arabia, which was highlighted during the session. Parker talked about how the show revolutionized the American TV landscape, as much of television until then had focused on sports and movies and had less room for female voices and more intimate forms of conversation.
“It was the female audience, what we called the gang of 10 million, that made the show possible,” Parker said. “We took the audience on a unique adventure and I have had the privilege of portraying a character over a long period of her life, spanning some 25 years.”
Speaking about the third season of ‘Sex and the City’ spinoff ‘And Just Like That’, which premieres next year, Parker said it was a seven-month shoot with “crazy long hours.”
“It feels very big, very robust and exciting. There are so many interesting stories with additional characters that rightfully find a real home,” she teased. “There is growth with new faces. Carrie has a wonderful storyline. The story has some big swings and we fold some big ideas into those big swings. Some male characters are back and there are some new men.
Speaking about her recent appointment to the five-person jury of the Booker Prize, Parker explained how her love of books started with her mother, who made sure her eight children always left home with a book.
“Books are a gateway to empathy, compassion, to other worlds, other people, to faraway places, different dialogues and cultures and stories that seem small but have a big impact,” she said.
Parker started a book club about seven years ago and then launched her own publishing company.
She beamed that appointment to the Booker Prize jury is “the honor of a lifetime, I can’t believe it. I have 170 books to read in the next seven months – I can’t wait!”