And Just Like That... Star David Eigenberg's Real-Life Hearing Loss Inspired His Character's Story, Writers Reveal

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While And Just Like That... character Steve Brady is partially deaf in the HBO Max series, actor David Eigenberg is also experiencing hearing loss in reality.

Writers Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky recently explained that Steve has limited hearing, reflecting Eigenberg's real-life experience.

"When [showrunner] Michael Patrick [King] reconnected with David Eigenberg about the show, the very first thing that David said was, 'I got hearing aids.' It was literally what he led with," Zuritsky told Vanity Fair about the actor, who has also been on NBC's Chicago Fire since 2012. "That actually wound up being Steve's tone about his aging [in the show]."

While some longtime Sex and the City fans have complained about Steve's diminished presence on the revival series as wife Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) cheats on him, Zuritsky said that no one behind the scenes is out to get Steve, noting instead: "Everyone on the show, every single person, loves David Eigenberg as a human being. We love him as an actor. We love Steve. We are really invested in the Steve-ness of him. He's so full of life, and the Steves out there are good guys."

Still, Rottenberg added that it's important for Miranda's story to show "another reality out there, which a lot of people go through — the reevaluations and transitions in life."

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Steve's presence on the show is sparse as Miranda unapologetically cheats on Steve, and tells Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw about her failed attempt to improve romance with her longtime love.

In episode seven, Miranda informed Carrie, "I tried to revive my sex life with Steve the other day," adding, "I'm afraid the patient is nonresponsive."

The episode also featured a dating fail for Carrie as she embarked on her new journey following the death of her husband Mr. Big (Chris Noth).

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"Grown couples grow apart, and people come to epiphanies about what their spouse is or isn't fulfilling for them," Rottenberg continued. "Miranda's story was very representative of a certain path that a lot of women find themselves on."

"We didn't set out to make virtuous characters necessarily," added Zuritsky. "Even beloved people have crises. Even moral, generally wonderful people make choices that aren't necessarily admirable or virtuous. But they do them anyway because they're going through something, or they're working through a crisis."

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Zuritsky questioned if fans' outcry over Steve's storyline has more to do with a "lopsided gender issue…you feel angry at her and more protective of him."

"Sometimes your friends make choices that you might not agree with or that might be concerning, but you sort of have to let them make their own choices. Sometimes it's hard," she explained.

But all hope isn't lost for Steve. Zuritsky suggested that viewers would get to see him express his true feelings about his own desires. "You're going to get that scene," she said.