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Louise Thomas
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Sex and the City star John Corbett has said he regrets deciding to be an actor.
The Hollywood star, who returned as Sarah Jessica Parker’s love interest Aiden Shaw in spin-off series And Just Like That, reflected on his career during a recent interview, stating: “I picked the f***ing wrong thing to do with my life.”
Corbett, 63, shared the revelation on David Spade and Dana Carvey on their “Fly on the Wall” podcast after reaching what he described as “the fourth quarter of the football game now, in life and in showbiz”.
He told the comedians: “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.
“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.”
Explaining why he originally thought being an actor was the correct choice, Corbett, whose film credits include My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Serendipity, said: “Since I was a kid, I hate[d] being told what to do by an authority figure.
“So, I picked something to do with my whole life for my fulfilment 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.’”
However, Corbett, despite finding success in TV shows Sex and the City, Northern Exposure and Parenthood, 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.”
Elaborating, Corbett, who admitted he sounds “ungrateful”, continued: “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.”
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He described being on a film set to “watching paint dry” and prefer “being at home” with is wife, 10 actor and model Bo Derek. In fact, the actor says he often regrets accepting a role, saying: “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, one person he said makes it easy is Parker, who he described as “the best”, adding: “If I had to act the rest of my life with just one person, it would be her. There’s something about this girl.”
