“And Just Like That…”
That’s why Stanford now lives as a monk in Japan
Sarah Jessica Parker and Willie Garson as best friends.
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The series character of the late Willie Garson has recently become a monk in “And Just Like That…”. Showrunner King now reveals why.
Showrunner Michael Patrick King (68) explained in the latest episode of The Writers Room Podcastthat he didn’t want Stanford to die on the show: “We wanted to keep Willie alive as Stanford somewhere in the world.”
The fact that he became a monk of all things goes back to a private experience of King and his leading actress Sarah Jessica Parker (58), as the showrunner continues to report. During a difficult promotional tour for the second “Sex and the City” film through Japan, King found peace himself in a temple.
Showrunner had found peace himself in the temple
“The reviews of this film weren’t kind,” King recalled at the time. “We went to Kyoto and I was in a kind of emotional shock and I was going from temple to temple with Sarah Jessica. I was sitting there trying to let go of these complicated feelings and I felt kind of at peace.”
So is Stanford now. In a letter to his best friend Carrie, played by SJP, he writes, “Carrie, for the first time in my life I felt peace, real peace.”
King also said that he wanted to pay tribute to Garson with this ending – “and take Stanford to a place where it’s gold and full of light, because I hope Willie is in a place that’s gold and full of light.” It’s poetic and very emotional, according to the showrunner.