Say it ain’t so, Aidan Shaw!
John Corbett became iconic for his portrayal of Carrie Bradshaw’s love interest in Sex & The City — her best, in many fans’ eyes. The 63-year-old has found a lot of success through his years in Hollywood, playing the romantic lead in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise, starring in TV shows like Northern Exposure, and a million other things! He’s starred opposite Jennifer Lopez, Kate Beckinsale, and Kate Hudson. He’s a bona fide star!
He even reprised his role as Aidan in last year’s run of And Just Like That… Oh, yeah, and he’s made a TON of money doing it! But according to the veteran actor, it was all a waste! Wait, WHAT?!
Late last week, Corbett went on the Fly On The Wall podcast, hosted by comedians Dana Carvey and David Spade. During that show, he made some comments about his career and legacy that are really starting to gain traction online this week. Most notably, Corbett revealed that he now realizes that he chose the “wrong” career path in working as a TV and movie star, because it’s been “unfulfilling.” Seriously?! Speaking very candidly, the star said:
“Look, I’m in the fourth quarter of the football game now, in life and in showbiz. It’s just a fact. So I can reveal now I picked the f**king wrong thing to do with my life.”
He quickly tried to temper it by acknowledging the financial windfall and social prestige that has come with the job, but he sure didn’t sound happy about it:
“I’ve made a lot of money. I live in a beautiful home. People come to me at every 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**king line. I didn’t write one joke to make people laugh. So, it’s been unfulfilling on that level.”
Dude, seriously?!?! It’s giving woe is me, I’m rich, famous, and universally loved! Not a good look!! And yet he wasn’t done there! Frustrated at apparently being shut out of the creative process that is controlled by writers and producers, he went on:
“I’m not collaborating with the writers. … Have you ever sat in a waiting room of a doctor’s office for like an hour and been like, ‘What the f**k?’ For me, that’s what making a movie is like, because I’m not part of any creative process.”
Uh, OK. So… why didn’t he quit?! Just for the record, we would take a bunch of money to star opposite the legendary Sarah Jessica Parker on an iconic television show! And in everything else he’s done, too! And then we’d shut the f**k up and cash the checks! And if/when we got burned out by it, we’d look for something else to fulfill us!!
Come on, John! We get that there is probably a ton of actual banal work in acting — long days, boring sets, and especially when you’re just speaking the lines other people have written, and you don’t have any say in the creative process. But dude, you’re 63!! You could have quit acting, left Hollywood, and done something less “unfulfilling” a looooooong time ago!!
As for the opposite perspective, he interestingly named someone who he thinks is doing it right: Emma Stone! Corbett called her out by name and gave her massive credit for getting involved in the creative process in some of her recent films, including landing producer credits on projects like Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness with director Yorgos Lanthimos. She’s also producing movies she isn’t in, like the acclaimed horror film I Saw The TV Glow earlier this year. So we agree, she is a good one to emulate!
Sadly, it sounds like the SATC alum thinks it’s mostly too late for him to make his own steps in that direction. Lamenting his fate as a television actor and again referencing his age, Corbett concluded:
“I’m not a movie actor … I’m really a television actor and so that has to move quick and that guy’s got to make a million decisions. And we’re not shucking and jiving and going out for wine after. And so I’m just at this point in my life … if something seems really, really fun, I’ll say yes.”
Damn, John!
Again, we get it, there can be a lot of drudgery in acting. And difficulty, too! It’s a brutal career to break into, and then land a major role on a show, and then have that show become a hit, and then have the audience fall in love with your character, and then make bank off it! But Corbett did that! He did ALL THAT! And now he wants to complain about being unfulfilled?!?! Something tells us he wasn’t complaining when he was at the bank depositing all the salary checks — and then the residual checks, too! Just saying!!
Thoughts, Perezcious readers?? Share ’em (below)…
