Sex & The City Star Kept His Cancer Battle a Secret While Filming Reboot

Sex and the City star Willie Garson kept his cancer battle a secret from all of his co-stars, with the exception of Sarah Jessica Parker, while filming And Just Like That… As the ultra-stylish and often hilarious Stanford Blatch, Garson became known as Carrie’s right-hand man – always ready to dole out advice on everything from love to cigarettes as the two chased after different yet often very similar quests for love in New York City. But as the SATC revival picked up momentum, Garson tragically passed away from a battle with pancreatic cancer last September.

Though known by many primarily as Stanford, Garson was an extremely accomplished actor who appeared in more than 70 films and over 300 episodes of television. He took on the Blatch role in Sex and the City season 1 and remained a valuable part of the iconic series for the duration of its six-season run. Garson also returned to star in both of the spin-off films. SATC viewers had no idea he was in ill health as filming began for And Just Like That…, and it wasn’t long after it was revealed that Garson would return to the Stanford role for the revival that the terrible news of his passing arrived.

As friends and co-workers struggled with the sudden news of Garson’s death, And Just Like That… was less than three months away from premiering. At the time, the public wasn’t aware that Garson hadn’t let on to his SATC co-workers that he was ill. But as Deadline reports, the actor did indeed keep his health issues private – with the exception of letting long-time friend Parker know. Series star Cynthia Nixon revealed the specifics of the situation during recent press interviews for And Just Like That…, saying:

The death of Wille Garson was obviously, completely unlooked for, unknown. Sarah Jessica was the only one that knew he was sick when we were filming until things became undeniable and then we were told. Thankfully we were able to shoot with him not just before he was sick but after so it could be something we could discuss and listen to him about. I know that was very important for us and I think it was something that was important to him, too—not to be hiding that from us anymore. As Charlotte [Kristin Davis] says, “Death is a part of life,” but it does remind us of how precious our loved ones are to us.

Now two episodes in to its 10 episode season, And Just Like That… has already tackled some pretty heavy subject matter with the fictional death of Chris Noth’s character, Mr. Big. But Garson’s very real passing has undoubtedly left a void in the series, regardless of where it goes from this point onward. Garson is only credited with two episodes on And Just Like That…, so it remains to be seen just how the series will deal with his absence. Hopefully, the revival – which has gotten off to a critically shaky start despite boasting HBO Max’s best series debut ever – will be able to not only explain Stanford’s absence but do so in a way that suits the character and his importance to the franchise.

Garson’s willingness and courage to continue working while suffering from a terrible disease is reminiscent of Chadwick Boseman, whose death from colon cancer in 2020 stunned the world. Like the Sex and the City star, Boseman kept his health private and focused on continuing his acting work. Both men left behind devoted fanbases that were shocked to learn the truth, but the body of work they created will never be forgotten, leaving smiles on the faces of all who discover or revisit their talents, now and in the years to come.

Source: Deadline

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Mike Jones
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Mike Jones is an author, screenwriter, world traveller and cinephile. His work has been featured in print and online in a variety of publications, and he’s also a Berlinale Talents alumnus. Cinema has always moved him in a big way and aside from having seen The Talented Mr Ripley more times than any other living person, he maintains a pretty darn healthy physical media collection. His favourite filmmakers include: Jordan Peele, David Lean, Alfred Hitchcock, Mike Leigh, Steven Spielberg, the Dardenne Brothers, Noah Baumbach, Michael Haneke, Barry Jenkins and Andrea Arnold. Often jet-lagged, Mike once turned down a certain A-list celebrity’s offer to join them for a night of partying after a strange encounter in an airport.

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