‘Sex and the City’ Star John Corbett Regrets Pursuing Acting Career

John Corbett, known for his role in “Sex and the City,” recently expressed regret over his decision to become an actor. Reflecting on his career during an interview on the “Fly on the Wall” podcast with David Spade and Dana Carvey, Corbett, now 63, described his choice as the “wrong thing” to pursue in life.

Corbett, who has returned as Sarah Jessica Parker’s love interest Aiden Shaw in the “Sex and the City” spin-off series “And Just Like That,” shared candid thoughts about his career. “I picked the f***ing wrong thing to do with my life,” he admitted during the interview. He noted that he’s now in what he described as the “fourth quarter of the football game” in both life and showbiz.

Despite the financial success he’s enjoyed, Corbett feels unfulfilled creatively. “I made a lot of money. I live in a beautiful home. People come to me in every f***ing restaurant I go in. I’m a friend of the world,” he shared. However, he also mentioned a significant void in terms of creative fulfillment: “But as far as a fulfilling creative work life, I didn’t write one f***ing line. I didn’t write one joke to make people laugh. So it’s been unfulfilling on that level.”

Corbett initially thought acting would be the perfect career due to his disliking for authority. “Since I was a kid, I hate[d] being told what to do by an authority figure,” he explained. Yet, acting turned out to be paradoxically filled with instructions and commands. “I picked something to do with my whole life for my fulfillment of my work life, which is, ‘Dude, stand here, say this, put this on, look this way, say it faster, cut your hair like this,'” he lamented.

Despite appearing in successful TV shows and films like “Sex and the City,” “Northern Exposure,” “Parenthood,” “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” and “Serendipity,” Corbett feels largely unfulfilled. “There’s not really, as an actor, in my position, which is always second, third banana in something… I’m not collaborating with the writers. You feel like a puppet,” he explained further.

He elaborated on the feelings of being sidelined, comparing his work experiences to waiting indefinitely in a doctor’s office. “Have you ever sat in a f***ing waiting room of a doctor’s office for like an hour and you’re going, ‘What the f***?’ For me, that’s what making a movie is like because I’m not part of any creative process,” he stated.

Describing his time on a film set, Corbett said it feels like “watching paint dry,” adding that he prefers being at home with his wife, “10” actor and model Bo Derek. He often regrets accepting roles, recounting, “If something seems really, really f***ing fun, I’ll say yes. But then I’ll get there two days later and say, ‘Why the ***f did I say yes?’”

However, not all is disillusionment for Corbett. One bright spot in his career has been working with Sarah Jessica Parker. Describing her as “the best,” Corbett said, “If I had to act the rest of my life with just one person, it would be her. There’s something about this girl.”

Corbett’s candid revelations offer a glimpse into the rarely discussed downside of a Hollywood career, highlighting the long hours, lack of creative input, and the paradox of perpetual dissatisfaction despite external success.

Source: The Independent