It’s no secret that Sex and the City redefined pop culture in the 1990s and has remained a phenomenon favorite for people of all ages around the globe for nearly 30 years. And of course, we have its creator Candace Bushnell, our fall fashion issue cover star, to thank. The talented and prolific writer has been at the helm of multiple hits in addition to SATC, including her novels Lipstick Jungle, The Carrie Diaries, as well her one-woman show, True Tales of Sex, Success, and Sex and the City. And stay tuned, because Bushnell isn’t done yet!
Candace, it’s been almost 30 years since your “Sex and the City” column was adapted into a hit book and TV series. What’s it like reflecting on this time?
I’ve done so much since I started writing the “Sex and the City” column back in 1994. I’ve had numerous best-selling novels, I’ve been involved in five TV shows, and I now perform a one-woman show I wrote during the pandemic all over the world, called True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City. I’ve been to South Africa, the U.K., Italy, Canada and coming up in December, Australia. I’m also touring the show around the Northeast this fall.
You’re on a roll! So how did you first sell the SATC concept to producer Darren Star?
Well, I didn’t sell the concept to anyone. Hollywood came to me. “SATC” was a hit column in the New York Observer, so it was on a lot of people’s radar. After I’d written about the fifth column, I began to have interest from TV and movie studios, who wanted to adapt it into something for the screen. HBO was interested, ABC was interested, New Line, Fine Line…I flew out to L.A. first-class to have meetings (those were the days) and stayed at the Chateau Marmont. I ended up selling the book to Darren Star because he was a friend, and I thought he was funny.
How quickly did you realize you had a hit on your hands?
I knew the column was a hit because everyone was talking about it, reading it on the Jitney on their way to the Hamptons, and faxing it to their friends in L.A. With the show, it took a couple of years. After the second season, people began telling me that lots of people were talking about it. It just grew organically into a hit.
How much does New York play a role in who you are today?
I actually grew up in Connecticut when I was a little girl, and I always knew I would someday move to New York and be a writer. And I think part of it was because I would read about New York so much in children’s books, and then I just loved the glamour of it. I ran away from college when I was 18 and moved to New York. But, you know, the old $20 in my pocket story and I just immediately fell in love with the city, like so many people did and felt like this is a place where I should be.
Fans have watched SATC dozens if not hundreds of times. Do you watch the reruns?
I [of course] watched the pilot, and I watched the show, but I I haven’t watched it a hundred times, like a lot of the real fans have.
Why did you eventually stop consulting on the show?
I worked in the writer’s room for the first two years. At that time, I also wrote my second book, Four Blondes, which ended up becoming was a huge New York Times best-seller. Shortly thereafter, I got a phone call: How would you like a million-dollar contract to write a book—all of which I talk about in my one-woman show. So I did what any sensible person would do when offered a million-dollar contract to write a book: I high-tailed it out to the country and got to work writing novels.
And that certainly paid off! What’s your favorite SATC episode of all time?
I will always love the pilot because so many of the actors’ lines, and Carrie’s voice-over in the pilot come right from the book. When I see that episode, it’s always a huge nostalgia trip of remembering exactly who I was, where I was, and what my life was like back in the mid-’90s.
Carrie Bradshaw was inspired by you. How do you relate to the evolution of her character in today’s And Just Like That… reboot?
Carrie Bradshaw wasn’t inspired by me—she was me—my alter ego—in the beginning. Of course, the show has evolved and changed, and I love it all. AJLT… is such a fun show, and it’s a thrill that audiences still want to see those characters. And they still want to talk about it! I personally am looking forward to seeing if Carrie ends up back with Aiden. And I’m loving all the set photos of the costumes this year.
Are you dating anyone right now?
I’m not. I occasionally go on dates but dating—seeing someone over and over again? No. I don’t have time, like so many other people I meet. Everyone is always traveling, working, scrolling—although I’m sure if I met the “right person” it would all fall into place.
Do you prefer dating in the Hamptons or NYC?
They’re both tricky because I go to a lot of events and parties in both the Hamptons and NYC. Honestly, if you want to date me you have to like going to events. I don’t want to sit at home and Netflix and chill.
You’ve performed globally and of course in the Hamptons. How do you enjoy acting versus being behind the scenes?
If you’re a novelist, you’re not “behind the scenes.” You’re front and center, the creative force. Every decision made in a novel is made by the author, and there are billions of decisions that must be made when writing a novel. So the reality is that I’m never behind the scenes, which is why performing in my own show actually makes sense for me.
Would you ever consider going on a reality show? You’re friends with some of the New York Housewives!
I’m actually working on a dating reality show right now that’s in the early stages of development. So the answer is yes, I will do a reality show—hopefully in the near future!
CANDACE’S 5 TIPS FOR EMBRACING THE SEX AND THE CITY LIFESTYLE
- Support other women, especially when it comes to their careers.
- Be a feminist.
- Wear some vintage.
- Be creative.
- Don’t center men over yourself.
