Sarah Jessica Parker Confirms What We All Suspected About Willie Garson's Health On Set

Sarah Jessica Parker has been dominating headlines of late after "And Just Like That..." premiered on HBO Max earlier this month. The show is a revival of "Sex and the City" and follows Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda Hobbes (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte York Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis) as they navigate their lives and friendship in their 50s (via IMDb). Many fans were excited about the revival because of the nostalgia of seeing their favorite "Sex and the City" characters on-screen again.

Willie Garson, who joined the revival and reprised his role as the charismatic talent agent Stanford Blach, was one of the main highlights on the show. Unfortunately, viewers were shocked when Garson tragically died three months before the show's premiere in September, following a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. "Willie Garson was in life, as on screen, devoted friend and a bright light for everyone in his universe. He created one of the most beloved characters from the HBO pantheon and was a member of our family for nearly twenty-five years," a HBO spokesperson said in a statement after his death was announced, per People. "We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and extend our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones."

"And Just Like That" became one of Garson's last acting credits, and in a new interview, Parker confirmed what we all suspected about Garson's health on set, revealing what she did to help him perform at his best.

Three months after Willie Garson died, Sarah Jessica Parker opened up to Vulture about his health on set and confirmed that Garson had wanted his illness to remain private. "I knew before we started shooting that Willie was sick," she told the outlet. "He asked me to keep that confidential, and I honored that."

She added the actors had been "close friends" long before they made pop-culture history on "Sex and the City," and Garson's pancreatic cancer diagnosis made her feel protective of him on set. "It was fraught for me to know that he was sick with that particular, terrifying diagnosis. We were a vaccine-mandated show, but nonetheless, a lot of our scenes were with a lot of background players, and I had great concerns about Willie staying as healthy as he could while shooting," Parker said, adding that she "couldn't share" his diagnosis with anybody. "I'd only keep track of him, and I felt responsible in some ways for his health, his well-being on the set," she added.

Despite bearing the responsibility, Parker was grateful for the times she spent with Garson on set. "Anytime there was downtime, I sat with him and talked with him," she said. "He really was a raconteur, a famously gifted storyteller."