Andy Cohen recently made a cameo on the “Sex and the City” spinoff, “And Just Like That,” but two decades ago, he formally auditioned for what would become an iconic supporting role on the original HBO series.
During a 2019 episode of “Watch What Happens Live,” the Bravo host revealed that he once auditioned for the part of Anthony Marentino, the event planner hired by Charlotte York (Kristin Davis), who would go on to be a permanent part of the SATC friend group.
“Michael Patrick King, for some reason, was like, ‘Come in and read for’… I think the part that wound up going to Mario Cantone,” Cohen said, per People magazine. “I think it was the party planner, which was a huge part.”
He added, “I don’t think the expectation was for it to wind up being such a huge part. Mario is so great that they were probably like, ‘Okay, well, we have to.'”
Cohen also recalled that his audition for the role was “so bad.”
Cantone’s first appearance on “Sex and the City” was in the Season 3 episode “The Real Me,” in 2001. He reprised the role throughout the rest of the series, in two movies, and is now a main star on the spinoff “And Just Like That.”
Andy Cohen Used to Hang Around the SATC Set
On WWHL, SATC alum Kristin Davis noted that Cohen was a frequent visitor on set due to his longstanding friendship with series star Sarah Jessica Parker. “Andy used to come around and hang out with us, and so we all just wanted him to be there more,” Davis revealed. “So we were like, ‘Give Andy a part so he will be around all the time.’”
In 2020, Cohen talked about his botched SATC audition on the Quibi series “The Andy Cohen Diaries.” “Years ago, I used to beg Sarah Jessica to let me run ‘Sex and the City’ lines with her,” the Bravo TV personality recalled, per E! News. “I’d even finagled an audition for a party planner role on ‘Sex and the City.’ “I’ll never forget the looks of horror on Sarah Jessica and [Jonathan Benjamin Hickey’s] faces when I tried to act out a scene for them. I didn’t get the part.”
Andy Cohen Appeared on SATC & Its Spinoff 3 Times
While the prominent role on SATC didn’t work out for him, Cohen made two cameos on the original HBO series. In the Season 2 episode “All That Glitters,” he sat shirtless at a gay bar next to Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw, he once reminded fans on Instagram.
Cohen also made a cameo in the season 6 episode “Let There Be Light,” playing an unnamed shoe salesman at Barney’s.
Twenty-one years later, Cohen reprised his cameo role on “And Just Like That,” this time selling shoes at Bergdorf Goodman. The scene marked Cohen’s first official line in the franchise—and it gave his character a name.
“Hey, Carrie. I am slammed. But I’m gonna be right with you, okay?” Cohen said as he breezed by Parker’s character while carrying two boxes of shoes. Carrie replied to tell the salesman, Daniel, that she was just browsing.
On July 25, Cohen posted photos from his two stints as Daniel with a thank you to King. “How it went… how it’s going! Thank you, Michael Patrick King for bringing back the BELOVED character of ‘Barney’s Shoe Salesman’… who is now a Bergdorf’s Shoe salesman named DANIEL! #SATC #AJLT,” he wrote.
In addition to SATC, Cohen’s acting credits include cameos on “Gossip Girl” and “American Horror Story,” per IMDb.
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Andy Cohen Once Auditioned for Huge Role on Iconic HBO Series