CULTURE

Chris Noth Came Up With Big’s Haunting Last Words to Carrie

Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big
Craig Blankenhorn / HBO Max

Thanks to the many spoilers and online chatter surrounding the Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That, it was pretty wildly accepted heading into the premiere, that Big would die early on in the series. Because of that, many Sex and the City fans went into the first episode last week ready to say goodbye to Chris Noth’s character. So, while Big dying in Carrie’s arms may have been expected to be the saddest moment in the show’s first episode, it was actually accepted by most fans as fairly inevitable. Instead, the real tearjerker of a scene came earlier in the premiere when the TV couple shared their last words with each other.

As Carrie leaves the apartment to attend Lily Goldenblatt’s piano recital, Big stares at his wife while enjoying his pre-workout cigar (side note: does anyone really blame Peloton for Big’s death?). Carrie asks, “What?” to which Big responds, “I’m just looking at you.” Carrie seems pleased with this and leaves the apartment smiling. It’s a sweet moment between the couple, but a heart wrenching one considering what is to come and we have Noth to thank for that. According to AJLT’s showrunner, Michael Patrick King, the moment wasn’t in the script and Noth actually improvised the interaction. “That was Chris,” King told Us Weekly. “That’s pure Chris. He just wanted that.”

It makes sense then, that the line seems to be pulled right out of A Star is Born. After Jackson Maine and Ally meet for the first time, Bradley Cooper’s Maine makes Ally turn around once more before they go their separate ways. “I just want to take a loot at you,” he says in the now heavily-memed scene.

So, it’s possible Noth just finished another rewatch of A Star is Born before filming his penultimate scene with Sarah Jessica Parker. Or maybe, he simply was just looking at his longtime scene partner, knowing their short reunion was coming to an end when he came up with the line. Either way, the result was one last sweet moment between Carrie and Big before he goes off to ride the Peloton bike in the sky.