Sarah Jessica Parker on HBO’s “Divorce” Craig Blankenhorn/HBO(BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.) — Sarah Jessica Parker is starring in HBO’s Divorce in her highly anticipated return to television.
Her new character, Frances, is nothing like her iconic role as Carrie Bradshaw in the cable network’s Sex and the City. This time, the actress portrays a woman who is going through a divorce instead of desperately searching for The One.
Parker told reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills Saturday that she spent four years developing Divorce because she really “wanted to tell the story of marriage,” especially in its demise.
“I think really smart people can do ridiculously awful things,” she said. “I think people are hurtful when they never thought they would be. It becomes very battle-like and I see it, I’ve had family members go through it or had close friends consider it. It can be a very emotionally charged experience.”
Parker, 51, admitted that she’s had to lean on second-hand experience to portray Frances, since she’s been happily married to Matthew Broderick for the past 19 years.
“I don’t relate to Frances, her life is different,” she said. “She’s a much more withholding chilly person than I am, she’s not very buoyant as you can see, she can be mean and angry but I love playing someone like that. I don’t need to relate to that.”
Divorce premieres on HBO October 9.
Here are some other tidbits to come out of HBO’s TCAs press tour:
* New HBO programming president Casey Bloys reiterated it had nothing to do with the decision to let go of Sesame Street cast members Bob McGrath, Emilio “Luis” Delgado and Roscoe “Gordon” Orman.
* Jon Stewart’s animated parody series, in which he’ll comment on the news of the day, could launch in the fall.
* Despite a less-than-positive response to season two of True Detective, HBO is still considering a third season.
* Real Time With Bill Maher was renewed through 2018.
* The Larry Sanders Show, the late-night TV-themed comedy that aired in the 1990s and was created by and starred the late Garry Shandling, will become available on the HBO On Demand and HBO GO services on September 23.
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