Sex and the City star, 65, demanded ‘more nudity’ in new spin-off

A legendary Sex and the City star joked that he requested ‘more nude scenes’ in the spin-off series, And Just Like That…

Mario Cantone made his debut in the third season of the original HBO show, playing event planner Anthony Marentino, who helped Charlotte (Kristin Davis) organize her wedding to Trey MacDougal (Kyle MacLachlan).

The 65-year-old became a firm fan favorite and was among the cast members returning for both sequel films and the follow-up series, which premiered in 2021.

During an appearance on Kristin’s Are You A Charlotte podcast, the pair touched on the upcoming episodes of And Just Like That… when the actor shed light on the reaction he got from his racy scenes.

‘I took my shirt off once on Sex and the City – I looked alright,’ he said.

‘‘This was two years ago, we were going into the second season and Michael Patrick King [writer and director] called me and said, “Just so you know, you’re going to be getting a storyline, you’re going to be getting a boyfriend”.

‘I got me a trainer and I started working out. I have a backside shot, I’m in bed with Sebastiano Pigazzi who I just adore – I’m the luckiest man in the world for that.

‘He’s like my brother now, which is a little weird, kissing him! First season, I was like, “I get to kiss this beautiful young man!” Now I’m like, “You’re like my brother!”’

Mario explained that he suffered sleepless nights before the episode aired, but was delighted when he saw it wasn’t ‘as bad as I thought it was going to be’.

‘Before season three started filming, I said to Michael, “I want more nudity!,” he laughed.

‘My DMs blew up the next day, I want more nudity. I like being sexualized at 65 years old. It’s good!’

The series, also starring Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw and Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes, will be returning to our screens on May 29.

A trailer for the third season dropped this week, teasing more dating, drama and disasters for the trio and their closest friends and family – as well as a return of Carrie’s voiceover narrations.

Teasing what to expect, Michael previously told Entertainment Weekly: ‘Dating at 50 is an interesting thing.

‘We have married characters, we have single characters, we have characters trying to work their current relationships out.

‘It is kind of a maze of how you move through the world at this point in your life.’

And Just Like That… airs on HBO, and is available to stream on Max.

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