Nicole Ari Parker on And Just Like That… group text and her character’s iconic fashion: ‘Lisa represents very real women’ (EXCLUSIVE)
"There are Black women who live in the Upper East Side who dress to the nines every single day," the star tells Attitude in an interview. "Everything is pretty on the nose!"
I feel like your character in And Just Like That... is now rivalling Sarah Jessica Parker‘s Carrie for memorable fashion moments…
Oh no, never!
The stand-outs for me are your character’s! You pull it off amazingly, but is that a unique pressure?
Well, I would never put that pressure on myself. She is iconic! I’m probably a Carrie in my own life! But I think LTW’s [Lisa Todd Wexley] represents very real women. Yes, it’s red, or purple, or green, but there are Black women who live in the Upper East Side who dress to the nines every single day. [Michael Patrick King] is smart enough and brilliant creatively enough to put that sort of woman in the writers’ room. A brilliant writer called Susan Fales-Hill. So everything you see is pretty on the nose!
You’re handing yourself over to the character completely, and that includes the clothes, but have you ever worn anything of your own to give it a personal touch?
No. I like weird things! And they’re so thorough on the show. I like the stationary that’s on my desk! The coffee cups in my kitchen! I turn things over, make a note and order them online later. But I can’t afford LTW’s wallet!
This show is, at its essence, about the powerful single woman. Your character is one of the first that, when we first meet her, is happily married. She’s empowered in her job, has amazing friends, but she’s also has a loving and supportive family. How does it feel to be depicting that?
It feels great. It adds to the wonderful ups and downs of life, to be able to play a woman who’s married, with children, and a career woman, and forging friendships as an adult. It adds to the drama, but it also adds to the comedy.
Have you noticed that the newer characters, we’ve gotten to meet their older relatives, learn about family backgrounds…
It’s part of growing up. You don’t want to think about your parents before you’re 50. Then when you’re in your 50s, you miss them in advance. Because they’re probably [in their] 80s. So, to have Pat Bowie play my mother-in-law – she was a jazz singer in New York. Michael Patrick King is very deliberate about the actors he chooses. Yes, they have to fit the part. Bu they also bring something, and she is just magnificent. Pure comedy without trying.
What’s the And Just Like That… group text like?
It’s very nurturing. Always very loving and kind. There’s always a concern. ‘Are you going to make it tonight to the group dinner?’ ‘Does anyone know what we’re all wearing at the thing tonight?’ ‘Is anyone as exhausted as I am?!’ After a gruelling day! Does it have a name? No. I just have everyone’s name in secret letters in case I lose my phone!
What’s an And Just Like That… wrap party like?
First of all, we’re exhausted! But because we’re not always in scenes together, it’s so fun to all be in the same room, celebrating another season in the can!
And Just Like That… S3 launches on 30 May exclusively in the UK on SKY and NOW with episode one, followed by one new episode airing each week.