≡ 5 Actresses Who Almost Played Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City 》 Her Beauty

It’s almost impossible to imagine Sex and the City without Sarah Jessica Parker. Her curly hair, fearless fashion choices, and endless romantic dilemmas helped turn Carrie Bradshaw into one of television’s most recognizable characters. From the moment she stepped onto Manhattan’s sidewalks in a pair of designer heels, Carrie became more than a fictional columnist. She was a cultural phenomenon.

But before Parker made the role her own, several other actresses were considered for the part. Some received direct offers, others auditioned, and one came remarkably close to signing on. Even more surprisingly, two women who eventually became essential members of Carrie’s friendship circle were originally approached about playing Carrie herself.

The casting process could have changed not only the show’s leading lady but its entire dynamic. Would Carrie have been more sophisticated, sarcastic, or emotionally guarded? Would audiences have connected with her in quite the same way?

These five actresses have shared fascinating details about their experiences, revealing how close Sex and the City came to looking completely different.

1. Mädchen Amick

Before Sarah Jessica Parker became synonymous with Carrie Bradshaw, Twin Peaks star Mädchen Amick had an opportunity to take on the role. Amick revealed during a 2019 television interview that she had been offered the part but ultimately decided against accepting it. At the time, she was raising young children and wasn’t ready to commit to another demanding television production.

Interestingly, Amick had already played a glamorous New Yorker named Carrie Fairchild in Central Park West, a short-lived drama created by Darren Star, who would later develop Sex and the City. The connection made her an intriguing candidate for the new series.

However, the timing simply wasn’t right. Amick continued building a successful television career, eventually reaching another generation of viewers as Alice Cooper in Riverdale. Her decision remains one of those fascinating Hollywood what-ifs: a potentially career-changing opportunity that conflicted with the life she wanted outside work.

2. Kristin Davis

Kristin Davis eventually became inseparable from Charlotte York, but the actress was initially approached about playing Carrie.

During a 2023 anniversary episode of the And Just Like That… companion podcast, Davis recalled receiving the script from creator Darren Star. He explained that the producers wanted Sarah Jessica Parker but weren’t certain she would accept.

Davis, however, immediately felt that Carrie wasn’t right for her. The original character was sharper, more outspoken, and considerably different from the woman viewers eventually met.

Instead, Davis connected with Charlotte, a romantic idealist whose traditional expectations frequently clashed with her friends’ experiences. She told Star that Charlotte was the character she understood.

That instinct proved remarkably accurate. Davis brought warmth, vulnerability, and comic timing to Charlotte, creating one of the show’s most beloved personalities. Without that casting decision, the famous friendship group might have looked entirely different.

3. Dana Delany

Dana Delany was already an established television actress when Darren Star approached her about Sex and the City. Best known at the time for China Beach, Delany had also appeared in Exit to Eden and Live Nude Girls, projects that explored adult relationships and sexuality.

In later interviews, she explained that she wasn’t interested in returning to similar material. Delany turned down the role of Carrie, despite Star’s desire for her, because she was concerned about being linked to another sexually themed production.

The decision became particularly interesting when her friend Kim Cattrall was offered the role of Samantha Jones. Delany encouraged Cattrall to accept.

Years later, Delany found another major television success playing Katherine Mayfair in Desperate Housewives. She has acknowledged that Parker made Carrie her own, suggesting the series might have developed quite differently with another actress leading the cast.

4. Lisa Edelstein

Of all the actresses considered for Carrie Bradshaw, Lisa Edelstein may have come closest to securing the role. In a 2016 interview, the House actress revealed that her contract had already been prepared.

Everything depended on whether Sarah Jessica Parker accepted the producers’ offer. If Parker declined, Edelstein was positioned to step into Carrie’s designer shoes.

But Parker eventually said yes, leaving Edelstein without the opportunity she had been anticipating. The disappointment was significant. Edelstein later admitted that watching Sex and the City became difficult because it reminded her of the career-defining role she had narrowly missed.

Fortunately, her professional journey continued successfully. She became widely recognized as Dr. Lisa Cuddy in House and later starred in Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce, another series centered on relationships, friendship, and complicated adult lives.

5. Cynthia Nixon

Cynthia Nixon’s journey into Sex and the City began with an unsuccessful audition for Carrie Bradshaw. During the show’s 25th-anniversary podcast discussion, Nixon recalled being invited to read for the leading role.

The producers weren’t convinced she was the right choice. Rather than abandoning the opportunity, Nixon asked whether she could audition for another character.

That persistence changed television history. She eventually secured the role of Miranda Hobbes, the ambitious lawyer whose sharp humor and practical attitude provided an essential contrast to Carrie’s romantic uncertainty.

Nixon’s portrayal earned critical acclaim and an Emmy Award, while Miranda became one of the franchise’s most memorable characters.

Looking back, her unsuccessful Carrie audition seems less like a missed opportunity and more like the beginning of something better.