Fans were instantly hooked when Candace Bushnell’s book, which was based on her columns, was turned into a hit HBO show. In many respects, Sex and the City was ahead of its time, making it a fascinating show to watch.
But fans may not know that many scenes that played out on-screen actually happened to Bushnell in real life. In fact, Bushnell inspired the show’s protagonist, Carrie Bradshaw, and her main love interest, Mr. Big, was based on a real-life guy Bushnell dated. And the author is still friends with the real Mr. Big.
Who inspired the character Mr. Big on ‘Sex and the City’?
While it’s hard to believe that someone like Mr. Big actually exists in real life, the character was inspired by a real-life beau of Bushnell’s. According to rumors, Chris Noth’s character, who plays Bradshaw’s longtime beau and eventual husband, was modeled after former Vogue and GQ publisher Ron Galotti.
Galotti and Bushnell dated for over a year before calling it quits in the 1990s. Their relationship didn’t last nearly as long as the one Big and Carrie expertly maintained on Sex and the City. Bushnell told the New York Magazine that she called Galotti Mr. Big because he resembled a large man on campus.
Galotti, like Mr. Big, is said to have dated models, been charismatic, married three times, and to have used a private driver. He also left the glitter and splendor of New York City for similar reasons as the fictional Mr. Big. In contrast, Galotti did not travel to California’s Napa Valley in search of a vineyard to purchase. Instead, he moved his family to Vermont, where he bought an 89-acre farm.
Candace Bushnell is still friends with ‘the real Mr. Big’
In a recent interview with The Globe and Mail, Bushnell was asked if she’s in everything that happened with Sex and the City since her column. In her response, the columnist revealed that she is still friends with the real Mr. Big.
She said, “With the show, yes, but with the movies, once Carrie marries Mr. Big, then I feel like it sort of went off in its own direction. But the Mr. Big angst, that was definitely a part of my life. The funny thing is, I’m still friends with the real Mr. Big, and I’m supposed to see him in a week. Now I think he’s writing a book!”
Chris Noth scenes were scrubbed off the ‘And Just Like That’ finale following sexual assault allegations
Chris Noth was dropped from HBO Max’s the Sex and the City revival, And Just Like That, after sexual assault allegations surfaced. Therefore, he did not appear in the series finale. TVLine was the first to report that Noth sequences had been cut from the Feb. 3, 2022, episode.
Mr. Big died in the pilot episode of And Just Like That from a heart attack he had after a Peloton session. According to reports, the character was supposed to appear in a fantasy sequence in which Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) reunites with her lover while spreading his ashes in the Seine in Paris. The show’s production crew reportedly felt that the Parisian scenes Noth had filmed with Parker weren’t necessary to the story and could be omitted without altering the scene’s overarching theme of Carrie finding closure.
In December 2021, in interviews with The Hollywood Reporter, two women who wished to remain anonymous accused Noth of sexually assaulting them. Three additional women came out in the following weeks with similar allegations. Noth issued a statement after the first two allegations, saying, “The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false.”
Noth, who had taken some time to lay low after the sexual assault allegations, returned to stage acting in August 2022. Fans eagerly await the actor’s upcoming endeavors.
