And Just Like That star Nicole Ari Parker says she sometimes thought 'SATC' characters lived 'in a bubble'
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For Nicole Ari Parker, it's well past time that Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte had a Black friend.
The actress, who plays Lisa in the new Sex and the City chapter, And Just Like That, has weighed in on the racial dynamics of the original series in a new interview with Essence, saying she sometimes "felt sorry" for the main characters.
When the interviewer noted that "so many fans felt left out" of SATC, Parker replied, "Some of us also thought, 'Well, if you had a Black girlfriend, I would have told you how to deal with that, real quick.' I know that sometimes I felt sorry that their lives were in a bubble. Like, 'Why are you crying over that?' 'Why didn't you speak up?' or 'Wow, I can see that you don't really know how the rest of the world works.'"
Craig Blankenhorn/HBO Max Nicole Ari Parker in 'And Just Like That'
The actress, whose character is another parent at the fancy school that Charlotte's (Kristin Davis) kids attend, added that the new series corrects this issue somewhat.
"[The writers] are not going to magically resolve the massive conflict that we are continuing to struggle with in this country; but without giving away too much, they did try to have those issues trickle down into conversations between two women that might become friends," Parker said. "How does the absence of Black people in your life manifest when you're invited to a dinner party, have a cup of coffee, or pick up your kids from the same school?"
Still, And Just Like That has already received some criticism for its handling of BIPOC characters. As EW's Darren Franich wrote in his review, "If you're asking, 'Is this show just about giving white ladies nonwhite friends?' the answer isn't 'No.' ... I couldn't help but wonder: Is And Just Like That challenging its characters' perceived faults, or is it congratulating them (and, by extension, the makers of the show) for being so gloriously willing to learn?" Franich also noted that Parker's Lisa is "a character with a presumably rich interior life who is almost immediately labeled 'Black Charlotte.'"
In her interview, Parker said the show would potentially explore Lisa more if it gets a second season.
"There are going to be things that you're going to be like, 'Why didn't they talk about that more?' or 'Why was that scene so short?' or 'What happens now?' But it's just not possible in the first season," she said. "Hopefully, we get a second one and go deeper."
The first two episodes of And Just Like That are streaming now on HBO Max.
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