Sean Palmer couldn’t help but wonder about what could’ve been.
Because as the actor who played Stanford’s boyfriend Marcus on Sex and the City revealed, the first SATC film in 2008 originally included a major plot twist that would have featured him and the late Willie Garson.
“I was supposed to be in the film,” Palmer revealed to star Kristin Davis on the Aug. 31 episode of her podcast Are You a Charlotte? “The film was supposed to start with Willie's and my wedding, and you're supposed to think it was Big [Chris Noth] and Sarah [Jessica Parker].”
“You're supposed to be at a wedding,” he continued, “thinking like, ‘Oh, they're finally getting married.’ And it's actually Stanford and Marcus.”
But while fans would have loved to see Stanford’s happy ending, it was ultimately not to be (and Palmer lost his spot in the film overall).
“I got a call,” he recalled, “And he was like, ‘Look, we got a call from the studio. And they don't want tertiary characters.’”
The 53-year-old added, “So, of course, that was disappointing that that didn't happen.”
But despite Palmer being cut, the movie team made sure to pay small homage to Marcus’ character: According to the actor himself, Marcus’ name was included on the guest list for Big and Carrie’s wedding.
Plus, Palmer himself doesn’t think Stanford and Marcus were meant to be end game.
“I have to say, you know, like it seems very obvious to me that Stanford would have ended up with Antony,” Palmer said of Mario Cantone’s character. “I watched all the episodes and I watched their back and forth. And I just thought as an audience member, I was like, ‘They're going to end up together.’ That was my feeling.”
He added, “And that's after having watched it and been the boyfriend.”
Now, as Palmer looks back at his time on Sex and the City, some of his fondest memories are those with the late Garson, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2021. In fact, Palmer remembers the moment they met while getting fitted for costumes.
“He was there,” Palmer recalled. “I mean, I'll probably cry, but like he was so supportive and so kind. And it was a big deal, you know, for me to get on the show, like the Broadway dancer and all that kind of stuff. And he just was very kind in terms of me saying that, like, I didn't know anything.”
As he put it, “Willie gave me that little bit of extra help.”
For a look back at Sex and the City's many relationships, read on.
It's hard to remember the couple's early banter-filled, cute moments after all the horrible, passive-aggressive crap the writer pulled later on. HE BROKE UP WITH HER ON A POST-IT.
Best moment: None are coming to mind at the moment, Berger. We're sorry, we can't. Don't hate us.
No one believed this relationship would last, right? Still, Samantha gave it the ol' college try.
Best moment: After a night out with Carrie and her new beau, during which Samantha told Big to "back off," Maria told Samantha she couldn't be just friends.
Not on fans' bingo cards when they tuned into Max's revival series And Just Like That...? Miranda ending her marriage and following a standup comedian across the country!
Best Moment: For the pure comedy of it all, it has to be Che and Miranda hooking up in Carrie's kitchen while a recovering-from-hip-surgery Carrie peed herself in bed.
Oh, the Russian. Their relationship started off too romantic to be true…and it was. He didn't get along with her friends and Carrie's impulsive move to Paris proved to be a disaster.
Best moment: After too many grand romantic gestures, Carrie literally swooned. So naturally, Petrovsky took her, in her dream ball gown, to McDonald's, where they slow-danced while waiting for fries. We literally swooned.
On paper, Trey was the perfect guy for Charlotte. But, the cracks began to show (overbearing mother, "Trey can't get it up," not wanting kids, etc.) soon after their wedding. Also: he gave her a cardboard cut-out baby. Who does that?!
Best moment: When Trey took Charlotte to Tiffany's so she could pick out her dream ring to make up for the infamous "Alrighty!" comment.
The first relationship Samantha had that wasn't based on sex came to an end because of, well, sex. Or James' small penis, to be exact.
Best moment: When Samantha told James she loved him. A huge (no pun intended) moment for her.
Poor, poor Skipper. He was kind of like a Steve-lite, and Miranda was able to walk all over him.
Best moment: When he calls her "luminous" during their chance meeting at a bodega.
Sure, it came out of nowhere in the movies that Carrie's BFF and Charlotte's wedding planner-turned-bestie would get together, but it kind of works for us.
Best moment: In their wedding vows, when Anthony said, "It wasn't love at first sight, but it turns out it was love. You are the first man to accept me for the man that I actually am."
Let's face it, Aidan was a great guy but he wasn't The Guy for Carrie…no matter how hard they both tried to convince themselves that he was. However, season two of And Just Like That... may just prove that second chances are the hottest trend this summer. (Yes, we are refusing to acknowledge their dalliance in Sex and the City 2.)
Best moment: Is it weird that we loved their breakup scene—the second one—where they slept on the floor of the apartment they would never live in together?
Talk about a catch. Robert was almost perfect: he was a hot doctor for the New York Knicks who watched the same soaps as Miranda. His one flaw? He just wasn't Steve.
Best moment: Their first kiss at their "lockers," (i.e.: mailboxes). Or her taking a personal day for the first time ever for him. OR THE CHICKEN POX.
Of all the guys on SATC, Smith Jerrod might just be the best. He was so patient and so giving with the wild Samantha, who fought tooth and nail not to fall in love with the model-turned-superstar.
Best moment: Who doesn't tear up just thinking about Smith shaving his golden locks for Samantha when she lost her hair while undergoing chemo?
Best moment: Come on, how can we not choose Big going to Paris to finally tell Carrie she's the one? (Although the fart-in-bed/whoopee cushion prank still makes us smile.)
Just as Miranda's feelings for Steve snuck up on her, our love for this couple hit us like a ton of bricks—just like their split in And Just Like That...'s first season. Justice for Steve!
Best moment: If any moment perfectly represents SATC's most low-maintenance couple, it was Miranda's out-of-nowhere proposal and their super low-key wedding in the park. So them. So perfect.
They say love often finds you when you least expect it…like when your sweaty putz of a divorce lawyer turns out to be the man of your dreams and the best father to your children you could've imagined.
Best moment: Their mess-filled, imperfectly perfect nuptials. From the beginning of the series, Charlotte wanted the fairy tale wedding, but what she got was the fairy tale marriage.
"The most important thing in life is your family. There are days you love them and others you don't, but in the end they're the people you always come home to. Sometimes it's the family you're born into. And sometimes it's the one you make for yourself."
Best moment: We were SO tempted to choose Carrie walking Miranda down the aisle at her mother's funeral, but we thought a moment with all four girls was appropriate. Our choice? When Miranda doesn't give two shits about her wedding after hearing about Samantha's breast cancer diagnosis, with all four girls tuning out the celebration to just be together. Because that's what friendship is: putting others before yourself.