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Gut Check

It's not easy being a cad. Just ask HBO's Sex and the City star Chris Noth, whose rakish character Big has been less than the perfect gentleman with Carrie, his off-and-on, on-and-off girlfriend on the show. 

"It hasn't gotten to the point where women have come up, thrown a glass of wine in my face and screamed, "You bastard!" says Noth, 45. "But I do get regular women off the street coming up to say, "How could you?" 

Now Big and Carrie have rekindled their relationship, Noth is trying to get back in shape for that Sex staple, skin-baring bedroom scenes. "Yeah, I work out, but people have already seen I have a gut," he says, "I mean, what am I gonna do? I'm in my 40's."

Sarah Jessica Parker's Kissing Confessions
Thursday, September 2, 1999

Playing cable's sauciest siren has its perks, says Sex in the City's Sarah Jessica Parker — for starters, she gets to lock lips with hunky co-star Chris Noth.

While Parker's character Carrie Bradshaw has had many suitors, fans of the HBO series know that she's only using her stable to fan the attentions of Noth's enigmatic Mr. Big. And while there's nothing steamy going on off-camera between the two actors, it seems as though some of Noth's charms have made a definite impression on his co-star.

"He and I have become so close, and he's ruined me for other men on the show in a lot of ways, because he's a man," Parker confesses to TV Guide Online. "He's not a boy, he's not pretty, he's a guy. He's, you know, kind of messy."

"There's like a feminine quality, strangely enough, to a lot of actors," adds Parker. "They are not men first, they are actors first. This guy, Chris Noth, is just a guy. It's great for the part and it's been great for the show. I just love him."

Parker assures us that real-life hubby Matthew Broderick has no cause for concern. "Matthew is very secure," she says. "As well he should be, you know." — Steve Kammann

 

Mr Showbiz

September 1, 1999

Chris Noth Gets CBS Deal

Mr. Big has proven Chris Noth's ticket to the big time.

The Hollywood Reporter relates that CBS has created a unique development deal for Noth, AKA Mr. Big on HBO's Emmy-nominated Sex and the City.

The actor, who gained recognition for his five-year stint as hotheaded New York Detective Mike Logan on Law & Order, left the show in 1995. Now he's back on the hot list for his guest-starring role as Sarah Jessica Parker's on-again off-again love on Sex and the City.

CBS will develop an as-yet-unnamed series for Noth to star in. The arrangement is unique in that Noth — who's expected to receive a hefty up-front payment — will earn additional bonuses when and if the series becomes a reality. He also may appear in a to-be-determined CBS TV movie, adds the Reporter.

"I think he's a leading man who is incredibly versatile," says Nina Tassler, CBS's senior VP of drama development. "He can be the straight man, and he's wonderful with character parts. He's got tremendous integrity onscreen."

Lest you fret that that you've seen the last of Mr. Big, sources say Noth will be back for more Sex episodes.

Noth's other recent credits include reprising his Mike Logan character for Exiled: A Law & Order Movie on NBC and a role in Getting to Know All About You, which premiered on USA.

 

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