"Sex and the City" creator Candace Bushnell: "I didn't marry Mr. Big - and that was a good thing"
Candace Bushnell, creator of the hit US series Sex and the City, talks to blue News about the parallels between her and Carrie Bradshaw, dating apps like Tinder - and confirms: Mr. Big really did exist.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- "Sex and the City" creator Candace Bushnell confirms that there was a real "Mr. Big" and stresses that she doesn't share her own shoe obsession with Carrie Bradshaw.
- She sees dating apps as entertainment rather than real dating and believes Carrie Bradshaw would use them today.
- In her one-woman show on March 22 in Zurich, bestselling author Candace Bushnell tells the true story behind "Sex and the City". A must for fans of the cult TV series featuring Carrie Brandshaw and her friends in 1990s New York. You can find all the information here.
When you wrote your columns for the "Observer", did you ever think that "Sex and the City" would become a worldwide phenomenon?
Candace Bushnell: No, not at all. It was intended for a very specific New York audience - media people, culturally interested people who know who the celebrities of the "New York Post", the Page Six, are. We thought it was just about New York, but then it happened everywhere - even in Switzerland!
How much of you personally is really in Carrie Bradshaw?
That's the question everyone asks me! That's exactly why I do my one-woman show "True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex in the City". I answer everything there: Was there a real Mr. Big? Yes, but I didn't marry him, that was a good thing. And do I have three girlfriends, just like in the TV series? I'll tell you that on stage. I'll also reveal whether I have a shoe obsession like Carrie Bradshaw.
Carrie Bradshaw from her cult series is a fashionista, loves fashion and luxury. What does luxury mean to you?
I like few but very good things. I own bags that I've been carrying for 20 years. And Manolo Blahniks, of course.
How many in total?
Let's put it this way: more than 20 pairs, but fewer than Imelda Marcos.
What is the most important dating rule from "Sex and the City" that still applies today?
If you don't do it, someone else will! Dating may have changed, but this principle still applies. Relationships used to come first for women - often only third or fifth for men.
Would Carrie Bradshaw be on Tinder today?
Definitely. Everyone would be using dating apps.
Would you describe Carrie and her friends as modern feminists?
Yes - at least for the 90s. Back then, the pressure to be married by 30 was enormous. Today, that has changed, partly thanks to "Sex and the City". Women are more independent, more focused on their careers. There is even a movement to de-center men in relationships.
Are you a feminist yourself?
Yes, absolutely.
What advice would you give your younger self?
To earn more money! In the 80s, I still thought I had to shape my career in such a way that it wouldn't jeopardize a relationship. That was a mistake. I would definitely start earning money earlier.
In an interview, you said that you once visited Gstaad and fell in love with the place. Would you move there?
I was at Ernesto and Kirsty Bertarelli's wedding, which was in Gstaad. Yes, I have thought about moving to Gstaad. But maybe Zurich is better for me, less rural. Better for a single woman.
What are you working on at the moment?
I've just sold the rights to the book "One Fifth Avenue". That means it will become a new TV series. But we're still at the very beginning.
You are coming to Zurich on March 22 with the show "True Tales of Sex, Success, and Sex and the City" at Theater 11. You revealed a lot about your performance at the beginning of our interview. What else can your fans expect?
The whole truth behind "Sex and the City": how I wrote the column, why I invented Carrie Bradshaw and what happened afterwards. And we play a game: real or not real? Because many things from the series actually happened - but sometimes worse, sometimes better.
