And just like that, Carrie Bradshaw is back.
The much-hyped “Sex and the City” reboot series, “And Just Like That…” premiered on HBO Max overnight Thursday. In it, Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte (Kirstin Davis) navigate shifting from having glamorous lives in their 30s (in the original show, which ran from 1998 to 2004) to life in their 50s now.
Notably, they’re sans Samatha (Kim Cattrall), who has relocated to the UK — but they’re joined by old favorites like Mr. Big (Chris Noth) and Stanford Blatch (the late Willie Garson) as well as four new characters played by Sara Ramirez, Sarita Choudhury, Nicole Ari Parker and Karen Pittman.
“The surreal aspect of meeting Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis was really wild,” Ramirez, 45, told The Post. “Even on our last days filming, I remember mentioning how it sort of hasn’t sunk in yet.”
The new stars spoke to The Post about their characters and entering the world of “Sex and the City.”
Sara Ramírez as Che Diaz
The “Grey’s Anatomy” star, 45, plays Che Diaz, the first non-binary queer character in the “Sex and the City” world.
“They are a Mexican Irish American person who identifies as non-binary, they are bisexual, and they are a very dynamic, funny character that comes in and sort of challenges other characters internalized oppression,” Ramirez said. “They are a character who unapologetically speaks their truth.”
On the topic of Che’s love life, Ramirez said, “Che is very much a sexually empowered person, and they do not shy away from getting to know people — that is what I’ll say.”
Che moonlights as a standup comedian and hosts a podcast, where they are Carrie’s boss, said Ramirez. “They are a huge fan of Carrie Bradshaw.”
Ramírez is best known for playing Dr. Callie Torres on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and Kat Sandoval on the CBS series “Madam Secretary.” They came out as nonbinary last year.
“I felt immediate support from the first table read, where I got to meet Sarah Jessica Parker for the first time,” said Ramirez. “I remember she walked right up to me and said, ‘Hi, I really want to get this right, are your pronouns they/them?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ So she was extremely thoughtful and intentional — as is the entire writers’ room.”
Ramirez said that when they were younger and living in New York in the 1990’s, they were a fan of the original series. “Back then, as an actor who was just starting out with their work professionally, I had this dream that maybe I could guest star on the show one day — but then it ended. I thought, ‘Oh well, there goes that dream!’ But then this [reboot] happened. So, I’m feeling really grateful.”
Sarita Choudhury as Seema Patel
Choudhury, 55, plays Seema Patel, a single, self-made Manhattan real estate broker.
“She’s a fancy lady — high powered, wears very expensive clothes, has a very strong New York but maybe European flair,” said Choudhury. “She’s opinionated and is very current as well. She’s on all the apps and has no problem with dating sites. She navigates the world at ease. Seema speaks her mind — so even if there is a contentious moment, it’s revolved in five minutes.”
The British actress is known for the movie “The Green Knight” and TV series such as “Little Fires Everywhere,” “Blindspot,” “Jessica Jones” and “Homeland.”
She was unaccustomed to wearing heels, said Choudhury, so she practiced around her apartment for the role. She also watched movies from the 40s and 50s and looked at figures like Katharine Hepburn and “early Signourney Weaver” for inspiration on how Seema carries herself, she said.
“Initially, you see her in her job. And as you move along, you get to see a little bit of her personal life. Seema is a very private person, but loud on the outside. And you start seeing that private side towards the end [of the season].”
Nicole Ari Parker as Lisa Todd Wexley
Parker, 51, co-stars as documentarian and mother of three Lisa Todd Wexley, who lives on Park Avenue with her kids and hedge fund banker husband, Herbert (Christopher Jackson).
“She’s a true New York lady on the go,” said Parker. “Even her apartment is incredible. I know a lot of women like her, but I had to figure out how to be totally comfortable and natural in all of her outfits. She wears the more fabulous clothes. She doesn’t just wear a hat, she wears a turban. I think one of the great things the writers did was not create token characters of color. They fleshed these characters out and made them real people.”
Parker appeared on a slew of other series such as NBC’s “Chicago PD,” “Brown Sugar,” “Empire,” and “Rosewood.” Even so, she was not prepared for the level of attention this show brought, she said.
“The [original cast] all helped me deal with the paparazzi that they’ve been used to for 20 years. They’re such a beloved group of women in the city that when we started shooting, it was a madhouse,” she said. “A frenzy of fans and photographers. I’ve had my fair share of paparazzi but this was another level! I wasn’t prepared for the long lenses and the shouting and applauding and the happiness.”
Karen Pittman as Dr. Nya Wallace
Pittman, 35, plays Dr. Nya Wallace, a brilliant Columbia Law professor with a musician husband, Andre (LeRoy McClain, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel).
“She lives in Brooklyn, she’s very happily married.”
Although Dr. Nya Wallace “crosses paths” with the other new characters such as Che during the season, as well as Carrie and Charlotte, “I would say that her way into the story is through her friendship with Miranda,” Pittman said, adding that they become friends through Miranda’s law class.
Pittman particularly enjoyed Nya’s look, she said. “She has great style in the vein of athleisure and the great Virgil Abloh, and all the wonderful ways that African American culture has infused fashion out of New York City and out of hip hop. In many ways, Nya embodies that in her braids, in her cool sneakers, and everything.”
Pittman is also known for portraying “Mia Jordan” on Apple TV’s “The Morning Show,” and for roles on the series “Yellowstone” and Marvel’s “Luke Cage.”
“Nya really loves her life,” she said. “She does encounter some obstacles… Miranda helps her work those things out. She goes through just normal everyday things that women navigate through as they realize themselves in the world. Part of what we start out knowing from the start [of the show] is that relationships change over time.”
