"Our show definitely has a romantic side," co-star Nixon says, "but it also has a certain mistrust of the romantic. Miranda was a big fan of Aidan and Berger [two of Carrie's other past beaus], but Big and Aleksandr are not her favorites, that's for sure."
Scheduling was tight on the last "Sex and the City" episode, and snow and colder-than-normal New York temperatures were factors as filming wrapped up last month. "I wouldn't say it affected the shooting schedule," Nixon recalls, "but we'd never really had to deal with snow before. The weather certainly affected our morale a bit. It was hard to be outside, particularly wearing high fashion. I don't know how they've been able to turn these last episodes around so fast and get them edited in time."
They'll have a long afterlife, since HBO Home Video eventually will release them on tape and DVD, a testament to the cultural-icon status of the series. "It seems to me," co-star Davis reflects, "that some people are still distracted by the fact that the show is about four strong women. We didn't know it was going to be so polarizing. I read an article where they interviewed a psychologist, a religious leader and other people on their thoughts about the series. Someone said, 'There's really a lot of sadness in the show.' It was said with a negative inference, but my feeling was, 'Well,
yeah.' That's the point of the show. That's what we want. That's how people are."
Nixon is pleased that even with the huge changes in Miranda's life -- namely, her baby's arrival and her reconnection with the child's father, Steve (David Eigenberg) -- the character has stayed consistent in temperament. The actress allows, "If we pictured one of the women married with a kid and living in Brooklyn, I don't think it would have been Miranda. She's doing all those things, but she's doing them in a straight-from-the-hip Miranda way, with no sentiment involved."
Conversely, Charlotte wants to shout from rooftops about her still-young marriage to Harry (Evan Handler), and her portrayer feels the same way. "I was always happy with Charlotte," Davis maintains, "even when she was just playing 'straight man' to the others. It was kind of a simple job in the beginning, but I enjoyed it. I always felt she had a lot going on, whether or not anybody else felt that way.
"It was amazing when the writers started to take her into other places. I'd think, 'Oh, my gosh, can I do this?' Some actors who are on series for a long time say they get bored because they're doing the same thing, but my job has been the exact opposite."
In the waning days of work on "Sex and the City," the atmosphere was "very emotional," Nixon says. "Doing the last scene where it was the four of us together was overwhelming. It was like the week you never thought was going to come, and suddenly, there it was. It was great for us to be able to start it at the Golden Globe Awards. For all four of us to be nominated, and also to be presenters together, was just really fun."
As for the future, Nixon is eager to see what will come her way. The Broadway veteran notes "Sex and the City" has been the sort of hit that "moves you up into a whole different category. People in the business can rely on you to a certain extent; they know if you hire an actor who has kind of a built-in audience, those fans will want to come. I'm also much more useful in speaking out about education when I'm a recognizable face."
Davis, meanwhile, is already having thoughts of a "Sex and the City" reunion ... but she stresses that nothing is firm at this point. "As an actor," she says, "you want to be a part of something that's bigger than yourself. You don't want to be in a fluffy comedy that's an ego-driven vanity production. This was the right show at the right time, and it seemed to say something that a lot of women wanted to hear. People are so enthusiastic even in their upset over this ending, and their show of support is so strong, it buoys me. I just want to enjoy the fact that we've done something people love so much."
