Big was powerful because he had a lot of money and he seemed to have the upper hand in the relationship, but emotionally he was a wreck. Actually, no: he was what he was. One of the things I tell people is that he never tried to pretend he was anything other than what he was. It was [Carrie] who tried to pretend he was something he wasn’t. He was always honest about himself—he never cheated on her. The relationship just didn’t work, and he went on to get married while she went on to … how many boyfriends did she have? She was such a whore! There’s a misconception that Carrie was a victim of him, and that’s not the case—she was a strong, smart woman.”
— Actor Chris Noth, who played Mr. Big on Sex and the City, telling an Australian reporter what he really thinks of Carrie Bradshaw and indicating he missed the point of the long-running series
LadyL
Really, Chris? So Carrie was a “whore” and Big “was what he was?”
It’s been a long time since I’ve watched SATC episode to episode, but remembering what I do, I’m having a little trouble with Chris Noth’s characterization of Mr. Big as “honest.” I found Big one of the most emotionally manipulative and dishonest guys ever, and that was never more true than on his and Carrie’s wedding day. Remember that? Supposedly Big was increasingly alienated by Carrie’s insistence on having a huge society wedding with a dress worthy of a Vogue magazine spread. In all the hoopla she had forgotten what was most important.
So how did this successful, charismatic, educated, most cosmopolitan of men express his concern to his bride-to-be? Oh, wait, it’s coming back to me–BY STANDING HER UP AND HUMILIATING HER. Until he showed up at the last minute, which had the effect of humiliating her even more.
Chris—shut up. Just shut up.
james_in_cambridge
I agree and I think the writers would agree, that Carrie saw what she wanted to in Big. He was, from the beginning, emotionally unavailable but he was straight up with her about being unavailable, about not wanting marriage or a commitment of any kind. But, like many women, she thought she could fix him.(There was actually an episode about Big being a “fixer-upper”.) The real problem in their tumultuous relationship was that Carrie was too busy thinking about, and talking about herself, to really pay attention to who Big was. She was self-centered and often unlikable. It really was ballsy of the writers to make such a flawed character their lead but the show worked because the characters were always interesting!
One of my favorite episodes of “Sex…” is when new mother Miranda, tired of Carrie going on and on about her love life while she, utterly exhausted by her newborn, was a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown, screams at Carrie for being a self-involved bitch! Even Samantha let Carrie have it later on in the same episode for going on and on about what Aiden’s girlfriend might, *might*, be saying about her while Samantha was babysitting Miranda’s baby. It was a tart and funny episode. It felt honest, an example of “Sex…” at it’s finest.
vive
@LadyL, I think from the context he meant “whore” in the positive sense of the word.
susanz
@vive: whore is not a positive word… So woman that have a few relationships are whores while men “it’s a man thing” ..
vive
@suzanz, he isn’t slut-shaming. Read it in context. His very next sentence says “There’s a misconception that Carrie was a victim of him, and that’s not the case — she was a strong, smart woman.”
Who said “it’s a man’s thing”? I don’t see it in the quotation. By the way, your assertion isn’t even true, at least not for the case of gay men. Just read the comments section of any article about HIV on this site to see all the slut-shaming and blame directed at sexually liberated gay men.