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American actor Willie Garson passed away at his Los Angeles home on September 21st, 2021, after battling pancreatic cancer. He was 57 years old when he passed away. Willie appeared in more than 70 movies and more than 300 episodes on television, and rose to fame with his portrayal of Stanford Blatch in HBO’s successful series, "Sex and the City."
Willie was also known for his portrayal of Mozzie in Matt Bomer starer "White Collar" from 2009 to 2014. He was also a part of the Sex and the City sequel ‘And Just Like That…’ series and is going to appear in the first three episodes of the show.
At the premiere of "And Just Like That...", which was held in New York City, Willie Garson’s son, Nathen Garson, appeared and seemed to have "fun" at the premiere. Nathen took to his Instagram to share a picture with the cast, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Chris Noth, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis, along with his girlfriend. He captioned the picture, "What a wonderful trip and what an amazing time I got to have. Thanks, @justlikethatmax, for a wonderful time and for inviting me to enjoy the season premiere of "And Just Like That!" Nathen donned a blue suit and a tie-free white shirt for the premiere.
In an interview in June, Willie Garson expressed his excitement about stepping into the shoes of Stanford Blatch once again. He said, "It didn't hit me until I was in the wardrobe yesterday, and it was, like, literally stepping into the shoes again. It was great."
After the actor passed away, Nathen took to social media to express his love for his father and honor the legacy he had left for him. He wrote, "I love you so much, papa. Rest in Peace, and I’m so glad you got to share all your adventures with me and were able to accomplish so much. I’m so proud of you. I will always love you, but I think it’s time for you to go on an adventure of your own. You’ll always be with me. I love you more than you will ever know, and I’m glad you can be at peace now. You were always the toughest, funniest, smartest person I’ve known. I’m glad you shared your (sic) love with me. I’ll never forget it or lose it." Willie adopted Nathen from the foster care system in 2009 and shared with PEOPLE, "We had a smooth transition because we both wanted this adoption. Fatherhood is what I always wanted it to be. I wanted it so badly and he wanted it so badly. I think it can be difficult because it’s not that balanced. "
Willie Garson also spoke to Page Six about his fatherhood and said, "I have always wanted to have a child. I had a long relationship, off and on, for like 20 years, and she never wanted to have a child, which is fine. And it was like my midlife crisis; I really wanted a child more than anything else, and I got one. We’re partners, my kid and I."
Niall Cunningham, who is going to play Miranda’s son Brady in the sequel, shared, "I spent a lot of time with Willie Garson, who I know we all miss very much, and I miss him very much. I knew him very briefly, but it was great to talk with him about just how long he had known Sarah Jessica. There’s always one New York actor who you’re like, I’m going to be friends with that person. I could feel it. I feel very grateful for the time I had with him, just talking about old movies we loved... He was such a fun person to be around.
Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where they addressed the passing away of their dear friend and how he had impacted their lives. Cynthia said, "Willie was just a person who brightened any situation that he was in and would have you in stitches within a minute of coming into a conversation. He was a person with incredible stories, like show business stories and stories about his own zany life, his family that he came from, and the family that he created. We’re also very grateful that we had a few days with him knowing that he was sick and that we could talk to him about it, and he could talk to us about it. And that was a really important thing for all of us".
The actresses also mentioned that Willie Garson’s health condition was not known to a lot of people, and only when things got bad were they informed. Kristin added that 'even though he was not well, Willie was full of joy and brilliant'. In his interview with The Guardian, Chris Noth said, "Most of us didn’t know." The last time I saw him was on set, and I kicked myself because I didn’t get a chance to talk to him. He was extraordinarily fun and funny, and there’s nothing to say but that it’s heartbreaking. It’s sad for everyone and the show because I think he was going to have a huge storyline. But he’ll be in it to the extent that he filmed. "
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The showrunner Michael Patrick King has mentioned that the sequel is going to address both Willie Garson and Kim Cattrall, but there are going to be ‘no deaths’ because ‘it did not look charming’. Writer Rachna Fruchbom shared, "Stanford is in the "first couple" of episodes but, following his unexpected death, the show "had to shift a little." Fellow writer Samantha Irby added, "The scripts were done, so we did have to do some creative shifting. I think [King] figured it out in a very beautiful way. It’s not treacly, which we’re all allergic to. We don’t want anything super sweet."
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Talking about Samantha Jones’ absence, Irby said, "With Samantha, it allowed us to show that friendships change, no matter the age. You think of your 20s as like, ‘I don’t talk to her anymore, but now I talk to her.’ It gave us a chance to show how friendships evolve in both a good and bad way. And that, when you’re in your 50s, it’s unlikely that every single human you were close to in your 20s or 30s is the same people. So, we tried to treat it super organically, like it might naturally evolve. But we didn’t lose her. It’s not like we just waved her away. Samantha’s there. She’s there."
The first two episodes of "A Just Like That..." are now streaming on HBO Max.