Lisa Edelstein was almost Carrie on Sex and The City: good choice?
OMG – Cuddy might have been Carrie! Lisa Edelstein currently stars as Abby “Seriously, What Did She See in Jake?” McCarthy on Bravo’s Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce. More famously, she played Dr. Lisa Cuddy on House. I fell in love with her as Laurie, the law student putting herself through law school by working as a high-priced call girl on The West Wing. On GGTD Lisa plays the author of a series of self-help relationship books whose own marriage has fallen apart. Her character is surrounded by some sassy (and morally questionable) girlfriends and a collection of quintessential LA-type people. You could say Abby is an older, maternal, West Coast version of Carrie Bradshaw. Apparently Lisa was predestined to play Abby because had Sarah Jessica Parker passed on the role, Lisa would have filled Carrie’s Manolo Blahniks:
Lisa Edelstein, who is perhaps best known for her seven-season turn as Dr. Lisa Cuddy on House M.D., was initially in the running to play Carrie Bradshaw on Darren Star’s Sex and the City, a character ultimately made iconic by Sarah Jessica Parker.
“It wasn’t a rumor,” she told Billy Bush and Kit Hoover on the Tuesday, February 2, episode of Access Hollywood Live, referring to speculation that she was being seriously considered for the coveted role. “That actually happened.”
“I was either going to do it or not,” she said of playing the Big Apple heroine. “It all depended on whether [Sarah Jessica Parker] said yes. My contract was complete. I was waiting.”
In the end, of course, Parker decided to take the role, leaving the now-49-year-old brunette actress to launch her storied career another way.
I was not a big fan of Sex and the City but I’ve watched many episodes. One of the things I liked about SJP in that role was that I believed her Carrie could be that naïve in ridiculous situations; there was the right balance of chaos and cool in her portrayal. I am positive Lisa could have pulled the character off, she played vulnerable beautifully on House, but it definitely would have been a different Carrie. Besides, Lisa was Carrie in real life; she didn’t need to act it. Lisa E, as she was known, was such a fixture in the New York club scene she was dubbed “Queen of the Night” and mentioned in James St. James’s book Disco Bloodbath/Party Monster.
As if you needed any more reasons to like Lisa: as a 16 year old cheerleader for Donald Trump’s New Jersey Generals football team, Lisa helped organize a walk out due to sexist working conditions. Reminds me of another Lisa who helped organize a cheerleader strike.
Photo credit: Wenn Photos and Getty Images
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