Candace Bushnell has become synonymous with her alter-ego, Carrie Bradshaw, and is widely known as the author and creator of Sex and the City, published in the mid-90s and subsequently used as the basis of the HBO series, two films, and also the current reboot, And Just Like That.
The acclaimed novelist has also written Four Blondes, Trading Up, One Fifth Avenue, Lipstick Jungle and The Carrie Diaries, the latter two also having been adapted into popular TV shows. Her frequent television appearances include her own reality show, Sex Lives and Video Clips as well regular guest spots on chat shows including Oprah. Her one-woman theatre show, True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City started life off-Broadway before becoming a ‘critic’s pick’, leading to a national and now international tour.
We wanted to know, What Makes Candace
Happy?
Probably my dogs. My standard poodles, Pepper and Prancer. Especially when I come home and they jump up and down.
Sad?
Reading the New York Times, reading the news: climate change, over population, plastics, disastrous weather.
Fearful?
Inflation. Economic inflation that makes me fearful. The prices of everything going up up, up – you know? Who knows where it’s going to end up. I’ve seen how inflation affects people in other countries and it’s a disaster.
Confident?
I have a fabulous pair of over the knee boots that I love to wear in the winter, and they look great and that makes me feel confident. What really makes me feel confident is doing things like exercising, feeling like ones’ looking after oneself in all of the different little ways. That’s what makes me feel confident.
Reflective?
Getting down to write makes me feel reflective because of course that’s what one is doing; you’re reflecting, you’re thinking. Also going for a walk – that’s something that I do in New York, and when I go to the Hamptons, or if I go to the country. Going for a walk makes me feel reflective.
Angry?
Sexism makes me angry. Men trying to control women bodies makes me angry. It did as a little kid and still does. Also and I would say some of the idiotic comments by men in the Daily Mail. Unfortunately I’m a sucker for click bait.
Loved?
Probably when people come up to me after my show and tell me how much they loved it. That makes me feel loved.
Candace Bushnell will be appearing at The New Theatre Oxford in her one-woman show; True Tales of Sex, Success and SEX IN THE CITY on Monday 12 February. This ‘whirlwind memoir’ of a show follows Candace’s journey to New York (‘with $20 in her pocket’) and how she established herself as the voice of a generation, and her philosophy on life, love, fashion and sex – including plenty of juicy morsels to inspire and entertain.
“I talk about why I invented Carrie Bradshaw and I answer questions like was there a real Mr Big, and do I really have a shoe obsession, and then we play a little game, Real or Not Real, because there’s so much that happened in the TV show that happened in my real life. It’s a great girls night out.”