In her new one-woman show coming to the Kravis Center Friday – Sunday, January 26-28, Candace Bushnell, international best-selling novelist and creator of Sex and the City, takes us on a whirlwind tour of New York City sharing stories of fashion, literature and sex while pouring cosmos in Manolos.
It was a pleasure to sit down with Candace for this exclusive Hotspots interview (full disclosure, I was Fan-Girling a bit).
At what point in your life did you realize writing would be your career, and what was the first written piece you got paid for?
The full answer to this is in the show, but I knew I would be a writer when I was 8, and the first piece I got paid for is “How to Act in a Disco.”
When did you know you wanted to live in New York City?
I knew when I was a little kid I wanted to move to NYC, as I grew up in the suburbs, and I wanted a different exciting city life. I arrived in NYC in 1978.
What made you decide to write your column in The New York Observer called “Sex and the City,” and did you ever expect to be as popular as it was?
Once again, the full answer to this is in the show. I was writing profiles of well-known people and it was getting a lot of attention and then the editor asked me if I wanted my own column, and I said yes. I was very lucky that it was pretty much an instant hit. After 6 or 7 columns there was a lot of interest in it.
How was it filming “Sex and the City”?
It was a lot of fun, but I didn’t go to the set that often. In the beginning, I went a lot with Darren Star. HBO was very supportive of the show and put a lot of money into it. The show grew slowly over time, and the cast would hang out together and have parties.
How many of the characters in SATC are based on real people?
I would say Miranda, Samantha, and of course Carrie Bradshaw is my alter ego. In addition, a lot of the characters in the first couple seasons are based on real people. In my show at Kravis, we will play a game called “Real or Not Real.”
It has changed so much, it’s a lot of years. However, its still a going out city and its how you get a head in NYC, going out and networking.
You wrote many novels; do you have a favorite?
Probably “Trading Up,” as it really captures NYC in the turn of the century. It’s really about the 90’s New York, and there is a Harvey Weinstein character, etc. It also has an unlikeable heroine, which I love.
I heard you frequented Studio 54 in its heyday. What’s your favorite story from there?
I was very young, and I definitely did not go to the basement with the likes of Mick Jagger, which was supposedly the cool place to hang out. I think my favorite story is when a friend of mine got locked in Studio 54 overnight.
I did get to see the infamous Bianca Jagger on the White Horse and a lot of women were dancing topless. There was glitter on the floor, and it was tracked all over the city. If you went to someone’s apartment and saw the trail of glitter you knew they were in Studio 54.
How did “And Just Like That” come about (full disclosure I’m obsessed)?
It came about because I wrote a book called “Is there Still Sex and The City,” which was the women 25 years later. At that point everybody was rebooting shows, and this seemed like a natural.
Is there a perfect guy for you? And if so, what qualities does he possess?
It’s got to be somebody who is smart, loves life. and has a sense of humor.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Smart, loves-life and humorous.
What do you do for fun?
Honestly, I love to see friends. Especially after the pandemic.
What should the South Florida Audience expect from your one woman show?
They should expect the origin story of Sex and The City: how I created it, and how hard I worked to get there. Why I invented Carrie Bradshaw and what happened to me afterwards. Audience members always come up to me and find the show very inspiring, and you definitely have some laughs.
