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Narrator
Something unexpected happened after Jeremy Scott confessed to killing Michelle Schofield in Bone Valley Season one.
Jeremy Scott
Every time I hear about my dad is, oh, he's a killer. He's just straight evil.
Narrator
I was becoming the bridge between Jeremy Scott and the son he'd never known.
Jeremy Scott
At the end of the day, I'm literally a son of a killer.
Narrator
Listen to new episodes of bone Valley Season 2 starting April 9 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Kristen Davis
Hi, I'm Kristen Davis and I want to know, are you a Charlotte? And we are back with Jenny Biggs. So much fun to have her here.
Jenny Bix
Yay.
Kristen Davis
All right, Jenny, I want to talk to you because every different person that I've had on from the show I about the beginning and I learn something new every time. It is amazing. So for you, take us back 1997, 1998. How did you come about being a writer on our show?
Jenny Bix
Oh my goodness. It was such a thunderbolt of luck is what happened. So I had worked on a Little CBS sitcom called the Five Mrs. Buchanans with Michael Patrick.
Kristen Davis
Oh.
Jenny Bix
Or actually he would come in one day a week as the punch up guy. He was super scary. He would walk in and have like his whole script of notes and you would be like, oh my God, this guy is so good. And he's pitching all these amazing jokes. And then you would disappear. Oh my God. But obviously I made some kind of impression on him. Maybe just my scared face every time he walked in. And when they were a couple episodes in, I got a call from Michael in on Sex and the City, I got a call from him saying, hey, listen, we're doing this kind of crazy show. I think you'd be really perfect to write it. Come and write an episode with us.
Kristen Davis
And you were in la.
Jenny Bix
I was in la and I had just finished up on Seinfeld. Oh, wow. I think I was trying to recall, but I think there wasn't an episode yet for me to watch. Cause it was that early. So I think they probably sent me the pilot episode script and I read it and I was like, my head kind of blew off. Cause I was like, we've never. What is this? We've never talked about things like this. It's written differently. I'm fascinated. It's me. It's not me. It's women in their early 30s dating. That was me. So I said, of course I will do this fantastic thing. And Michael and Darren and I got together and started throwing around ideas and ended up with what became Three's a Crowd. Ah, yeah.
Kristen Davis
And that. So that was your first episode. And did you just. You were just brought on to do that one episode?
Jenny Bix
I was brought on to do that episode and then after that to consult. So after that I was working on the remainder of the episodes and then I stayed. Cause why wouldn't you?
Kristen Davis
Absolutely. And in my mind, because I have the most weird memories of the first season. Like very hit and miss. Like even just rewatching, I was like, I do not remember hardly any of this, which is rare. Okay. But like for me, I don't remember you coming as early as you came. Because I had said right away when we started the podcast, I need to have Jenny Bix on, but I wanna wait till her episode comes. And I'm worried that it's not till second season. Cause in you guys didn't come till later. But I think also because we weren't together all the time in the beginning, in the way that we were later.
Jenny Bix
I could not agree more. I think what happened was we were all kind of separated, doing our jobs, trying to figure it all out. And it wasn't until second season that we started to actually all spend more time together on set. I mean, it was such a wacky time that first season. Like, we were. We were all over New York. We were shooting all night. All night. And I know we will talk a little more about my episode in particular, but we were always in strange places shooting that you never see again. And that were kind of janky. We definitely didn't have the money. We did.
Kristen Davis
Oh, my God.
Jenny Bix
We would stand on street corners and people come up and say, what are you shooting? And we'd say, oh, it's the show called Sex and the City. And they'd be like, oh, real sex on hbo. Everyone thought it was real sex on hbo. It was like, no, it's not, you know, no shade to that fantastic documentary style show with actual sex. With actual sex. But people really had no idea who we were. And that was the beauty ultimately of working on that show is that for like a good two years, people didn't know we were shooting long before we aired 100%. Which is the other thing that I had kind of forgotten was when we shot that first season, it wasn't on tv.
Kristen Davis
No, no, we didn't know what.
Jenny Bix
We didn't know what it would be.
Kristen Davis
No, we were just. No, we didn't know anything. And we. I mean, I feel what I remember was the excitement of doing something different.
Jenny Bix
Yes.
Kristen Davis
And it didn't fit any mold of my previous experience. And I was a guest star on Seinfeld. I was a guest star on the Larry Sanders Show. Very different, but very fun. You know, I've been around Melrose, obviously, which was a very like regular soap opera, you know, many episodes, all of that, many cast members, all of those things. But nothing was like our show. Nothing had the subject matter, but nothing had the style. Nothing was in New York in that way. The only thing that was in New York was either like a sitcom on a stage or Law and Order or a cop show. Yeah, that was it.
Jenny Bix
Right.
Kristen Davis
There was no, you know, glamorous women stomping around in heels.
Jenny Bix
No. And I think it's hard for you talk to. You know, the beauty now is that there are younger women finding and men finding our show.
Kristen Davis
Yeah.
Jenny Bix
But to try to explain to them how new it was.
Kristen Davis
Right.
Jenny Bix
In terms of the subject matter and women talking the way they talked and even the writing style, like, it felt like shooting a little indie movie, didn't it? Yeah. Every week, which was what great training. I mean, as a writer, it trained me in a whole other way.
Kristen Davis
Interesting.
Jenny Bix
Yeah.
Kristen Davis
Did HBO, like. Do you remember HBO's kind of notes or thought process or, like, what they would say to you guys?
Jenny Bix
Well, bless their hearts. They left us alone.
Kristen Davis
That's what I thought.
Jenny Bix
They really left us alone.
Kristen Davis
It was just kind of amazing to think about.
Jenny Bix
It would not happen now.
Kristen Davis
No.
Jenny Bix
And it was just one more that made it kind of a lightning in a bottle. Is that we were doing this thing. And God knows. And I'm sure you'll speak with or have spoken with some HBO folks. It'd be interesting to get their perspective.
Kristen Davis
Strauss on.
Jenny Bix
Yeah. I mean, Strauss would tell you. All I know is whatever notes we got were so legitimate and so specific. And sometimes it was things like, oh, we just need another scene shot outdoors. Like literally a production question.
Kristen Davis
Right.
Jenny Bix
But they let us do what we were doing.
Kristen Davis
Amazing. And do you feel. Because Michael was already there and Darren obviously was there. Cause he created it. But I remember that sometimes that first season. Because we hadn't seen the light of day. Right. And no one did really know, including ourselves, what we actually were. And Michael hadn't really fully. Like, he was in there, but not. He hadn't taken over. Right. And I remember one time Darren would say, like, we've gotta be funnier. And then like a different week, he'd be like, everyone has to be sexier. And I'd just be like, oh, my God. What does he mean? Like, what do you remember that kind of feeling?
Jenny Bix
Totally. And that. I mean, that was so much harder on you all than it was for me as a writer.
Kristen Davis
Wasn't applied to you guys, I think.
Jenny Bix
We. We. It wasn't really we. It was me. You know, I felt a little more protected in the writing. But I could see the pressure that was being put on you all as performers. And it was a lot. I mean, I remember him racing out of a meeting that I was having with him and Michael because he was convinced somebody. And I think it was like. I'm sure it was a coffee shop scene. Somebody wasn't eating a chocolate chip cookie correctly.
Kristen Davis
Are you kidding?
Jenny Bix
Yeah. Like, it was like. It was an eating note. Like, oh, my God, if I don't show them now. And, you know, it must have been. He must have been editing. Cause he must have been watching something on film. Do you remember him cutting. Maybe you were not the problem.
Kristen Davis
I hope I was not even correctly.
Jenny Bix
But it was some such a specific kind of continuity. Like, if you're gonna do this you have to eat it this way.
Kristen Davis
Wow. You know what? I think that probably might have had to do with. And I have seen Darren since I started the podcast. I asked Darren to be on at the beginning. He was very busy writing.
Jenny Bix
Okay, good.
Kristen Davis
Then I saw him, and I was like, darren, I need you on the podcast because you created the show. You need to be on the beginning. He was like, I'll come. I'll come. But he hasn't come yet, so he's in trouble till he comes. But I.
Jenny Bix
He's in the doghouse.
Kristen Davis
Yes, he is in the doghouse. I. Because we came from this crazy world of spelling, which I've really been thinking about, because when you look back at things, you have so many different thoughts and perspective on the whole thing. Spelling had so many rules. He had rules about how each character could wear their hair, and you couldn't change your hair unless you got previous written approval from Mr. Spelling.
Jenny Bix
Wow.
Kristen Davis
No joke. Like, the reason I know this is because one time I had to be in a convertible and I had my super long hair before they made me cut it for Sex City. And it wasn't allowed to be clipped or pinned or in any way. And it was just like, oh, that's so spelling.
Jenny Bix
It's so spelling.
Kristen Davis
And he wouldn't let me put it back in any way. I was like, how am I supposed to go on?
Jenny Bix
Because he knew that your blowing hair would be the. That's the thing.
Kristen Davis
But then, like, how, continuity wise, I'd have to have, like, a rat's nest or whatever. But it. No, it was gonna get brushed secretly. You know what I mean? It was just weird things. So, like, if I had a barrette, like. Like, the set would stop and phone calls.
Jenny Bix
You'd have a barrette meeting.
Kristen Davis
Do you mean there'd be a barrette? A barrette phone call would happen, a conference call, whatever. So I think some of that bled over into Darren' but then I also think, what happened? And we'd have to ask him, of course. But once Pat came, you know, and really started to do her magic, which took some time because we had no money. No one knew what we were doing. I look at the clothes the first season, I'm like, what are we literally wearing?
Jenny Bix
But you all looked adorable.
Kristen Davis
I mean, it's adorable. It's so nice.
Jenny Bix
That's not what the show became.
Kristen Davis
No, I mean, like, I talked to Molly. Molly came on. I'm wearing theory suits.
Jenny Bix
Right. It's hysterical.
Kristen Davis
With tights. Like, black.
Jenny Bix
Listen, it was a different time.
Kristen Davis
It really Was.
Jenny Bix
It was a different time. We didn't have the money. I mean, I was thinking about that in my episode, when you go to the Masked Ball. Yeah. And theoretically you're in kind of a mansion that, you know, one of those party mansions. And then suddenly you're upstairs in the jankiest little bedroom. Like, who has a little bedroom at a party mansion?
Kristen Davis
Miranda's set with those green walls. She has two green flats. Like, when did Miranda have, like a emerald green apartment?
Jenny Bix
We did what we had to do. We didn't have a lot of money.
Kristen Davis
But I love that about it. You forget until you look back. And also, like, it begins on that, like, grainy, grainy, out of focus shot of Empire and Chrysler Building. You're just like, can we see them maybe? You know, it's super interesting. Okay, so back to you. Okay, so you're here in la. You go to New York.
Jenny Bix
I go to New York to shoot the episode. I think I was with the guys here for a little bit. And then I went to New York. And Nicole Holof, center, directs the episode, by the way. Also.
Kristen Davis
Amazing.
Jenny Bix
What an amazing director.
Kristen Davis
Amazing. I can't believe we got her.
Jenny Bix
I can't believe it. And a delight as a person and so talented. And so I am suddenly on the set of this little indie film, standing in, you know, my New York that I'd grown up in, Right. Shooting this little gem of a bizarre show where women are allowed to say what they want and talk about what they want. It was.
Kristen Davis
And you loved it.
Jenny Bix
Loved, loved every second of it.
Kristen Davis
So at what point, like, in what point, in terms of the writing of the first script, were you. Did they say to you, like, you need to have experience with this or you need to know someone with this story or, you know, the whole thing?
Jenny Bix
Yes, yes. You're talking about kind of. We wouldn't. And I'll just say it again, in case your listeners have forgotten, but we had a pretty sacrosanct rule which. Which was really smart, which was that we would never write about something, especially something sexual in nature, unless we knew one person that had gone through it because we didn't wanna make it just like a weird puriant. Like this week, like, we did reject some stories. I don't know if anyone's spoken about it already, but we had a couple stories we went down the road with. Like in the fourth season, we talked about doing a story about a guy with a penile implant. You know, like one of those penis.
Kristen Davis
Like, you see the ads for.
Jenny Bix
Oh, I don't did you see an ad for. They're like implanted. Did you go in watching. Oh, my God. Okay. Little window into you.
Kristen Davis
Wait, but you're talking about, like a.
Jenny Bix
Surgery, a penis pump. See, this is why we wouldn't write about it, because everyone's like, what? What is that? Yes. And apparently there is like a celebrity that there's kind of gossip around whether or not they have one. Well, is this new to everybody here? Yes, but that was one where we said, you know what? We're not gonna. We can't tell that story because we didn't know anyone. None of us had encountered such a thing.
Kristen Davis
Got it.
Jenny Bix
It seemed. But certainly at the time. And it's ironic right now that threesomes were kind of a thing. People were talking about it, and now it's like such an accepted beyond. Now we're into polyamory and all the things we would write about now, which I wish, you know, we'll often joke like, we wish we had the show now to write about this next version of things. And you do have Michael's show so you can talk about, but it's different. You're not 30 and single.
Kristen Davis
Exactly. So people sometimes ask me why it's not more similar, and I'm like, that would be possibly sad.
Jenny Bix
You don't feel different.
Kristen Davis
Like, it's a different time in life. It's a different time in Life. We're not 32.
Jenny Bix
We're not anymore.
Kristen Davis
No.
Jenny Bix
Though we look at.
Kristen Davis
You're adorable.
Jenny Bix
But threesomes were the thing we were talking about. And you know what was fun about that episode in retrospect too, is that it fit the theme really well. And when we are able to find, like, a kind of sexual thing that also becomes thematic for our characters, it was perfect. So we had a success.
Kristen Davis
I think that was the first show that actually successfully did that. Is that right for me? Cause I've now started at the beginning because remember, what we ended up with was her voiceover would connect to everybody with the theme, right? So it would be like. And then Downtown Samantha was doing blah, blah, blah, and it would connect to the theme. And Uptown Charlotte was doing blah. But that took a while to really get it going.
Jenny Bix
And it took. I would argue it probably took us into mid second season to really figure out. I mean, we. We still had the talking heads in mind, which my talking heads were a little different and I would argue worked a little better just because they were.
Kristen Davis
Ads and they were shorter.
Jenny Bix
And they were shorter. But we. And we can talk more about the talking heads. But we definitely were. It was a relief to let go of them.
Kristen Davis
Definitely. Definitely.
Jenny Bix
Because they were taking up too much time from you all. Like, we just wanted more stories with our main characters.
Kristen Davis
And poor Sarah had to not have to turn to the camera.
Jenny Bix
Well, that was a whole. The breaking of the fourth wall. It's hard. I don't know how she did it.
Kristen Davis
Me neither. I don't know how she did it to me so seamlessly. She doesn't feel that way, of course. But also the last episode, she's in her apartment by herself, and she turns and talks to the came.
Jenny Bix
Yeah. Like, who is that?
Kristen Davis
Who's she talking to?
Jenny Bix
Who are you talking to?
Kristen Davis
And also, her voiceover is going, so she's already talking to herself, but in her head. Like, it's weird.
Jenny Bix
It's loony.
Kristen Davis
But it's also kind of fun.
Jenny Bix
Yes. You know, and did it well and was very unique. But I think there were certain artifice things we had with the show to start that we were relying on that we realized we didn't have to. And that happens with a lot of shows. When you start, you think, we have to have this thing.
Kristen Davis
Right?
Jenny Bix
And then you realize, oh, people just want to watch the characters.
Kristen Davis
They want to watch you.
Jenny Bix
All right.
Kristen Davis
But thank God we had that freedom also where we didn't have to stick. And you could develop this idea of having the theme. And at that point, were they talking about things from Candice's book and column still, or were you guys just, like, freely.
Jenny Bix
We were moving past that. Certainly in my episode, we had already introduced Big. We knew who Big was, and that was really all we needed. The idea that Big and I should know this. And I don't know whether in Candice's book, I don't think Big had a wife. I don't think they had an ex wife.
Kristen Davis
I don't remember that.
Jenny Bix
But that's a question to find out an answer to. But in this case, we did introduce the ex wife. And I think was probably the only time where we did that. Kind of odd, you know, she was this ghost.
Kristen Davis
And she was in the bed with them.
Jenny Bix
Yeah, she was in the bed with them. She was on the street. It was great.
Kristen Davis
I liked it.
Jenny Bix
It was really cool. But we never really did something like that again.
Kristen Davis
Right. We tried stuff out.
Jenny Bix
We were trying. It was fun. It was experimental theater.
Kristen Davis
That Sarah Jessica Carey levitates from Fifth Avenue in, like, the second episode. Yes. I was like, what am I saying? I have to rewind. I mean, the stuff we tried is crazy.
Jenny Bix
But we had the freedom to.
Kristen Davis
Yeah. Which is amazing.
Jenny Bix
And we trusted each other, I think enough to go for it.
Kristen Davis
Right, Right, right, right.
Jenny Bix
And we trusted you all to be able to roll with it. No. Well, that's a big deal.
Kristen Davis
Thank you.
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Kristen Davis
One way.
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Narrator
Scott confessed to killing Michelle Schofield in Bone Valley Season one.
Jenny Bix
I just knew him as a kid.
Narrator
Long silent voices from his past came.
Jeremy Scott
Forward and he was just staring at me.
Narrator
And they had secrets of their own to share.
Jeremy Scott
Gilbert King. I'm the son of Jeremy Lynn Scott.
Narrator
I was no longer just telling the story. I was part of it.
Jeremy Scott
Every time I hear about my dad, it's, oh, he's a killer. He's just straight evil.
Narrator
I was becoming the bridge between a killer and the son he'd never known.
Jeremy Scott
If the cops and everything would have done the job properly, my dad would have been in jail. I would have never existed.
Narrator
I Never expected to find myself in this place. Now I need to tell you how I got here.
Jeremy Scott
At the end of the day, I'm literally a son of a killer.
Narrator
Bone Valley Season 2 Jeremy.
Jeremy Scott
Jeremy, I want to tell you something.
Narrator
Listen to new episodes of bone Valley Season 2 starting April 9 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear the entire new season ad free with exclusive content starting April 9th, subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.
Kristen Davis
So let's go back to the your episode. Okay, so you, you're in LA and you're writing with the other writers that we never really met.
Jenny Bix
Well, though I knew it was only with. I was really only with. With Michael, Darren and Michael.
Kristen Davis
Okay, got it, got it. So the others were already gone? Yes, because they were kind of just like, they sent scripts in. I don't know.
Jenny Bix
Well, they were, they were. Yeah, they were consulting, I think, for a little bit, but were not by the point that I was. That I was down there. So it was really just the three of us sitting in a room, which is.
Kristen Davis
And you're like the beginning of what would then become really our full.
Jenny Bix
The core.
Kristen Davis
Core of executive producer writers, you know, with us every day, which people never really understood. Right. That you were very, very much a part of the daily experience. And very like, we went to you about everything, about every word, but also about costumes and, you know, so many different things, which I think when I also look back on it, it's kind of so special and rare that you just don't have just one person, but you have this group that's involved.
Jenny Bix
It was really, it was special for us as writers because, I mean, I can only speak for myself, but having come through the world of sitcoms, we were very isolated from the performers. Like, you would go down for run throughs, but then it would be like, oh my God, we have to go write some more jokes or rewrite a scene. And there was not this. Nobody was coaxing us together, nor was there reason to be together. And this was a show where we all, we were all a big group. Yeah.
Kristen Davis
Team.
Jenny Bix
And whoever was around on set, you know, if you had a question about something, you could come to us and say, which was amazing, what does this mean? Or oh, my God, I can't wear this skirt. You know.
Kristen Davis
Like that.
Jenny Bix
Yeah, but you always wore skirts. Well, you were a very good skirt wearer.
Kristen Davis
Oh, thank you. I don't know. I had to, you know, find my way to what Pat wanted.
Jenny Bix
We all Did. Yeah. But it was a place where we all worked together for the greater good, and I think that's what made it 100%. And you all would have thoughts on the. You know, what was great was by the time we hit second season, you all very much knew your characters. So it was. You would say to us, hey, listen, I think I would say it this way. Or what if. You know. Do you know that I actually said that same thing a couple episodes? Yeah. There were a couple times where we got caught.
Kristen Davis
Interesting.
Jenny Bix
Yeah. And I think that's all good.
Kristen Davis
Yeah. I mean, I think it's good because of the collaborative nature of it. Right. Because you weren't. You weren't even those of us, you know, we didn't have, like. I think Sarah was a consultant in the beginning, Sarah Jessica, and then obviously increased her role in the production side of it. But the rest of us had no credits or in that way, but were very much included, Talked to in a respectful and inclusive way about what do you think? You know, do you like the storyline? Like, Michael would include us. Darren would include us. You guys. We could go to you guys with anything. And that is such a great situation.
Jenny Bix
Yeah, that's the situation I think all of us are still trying to recreate in some ways, you know, and that's not the problem. Well, it's funny. Cause Julie and Elisa, who were two. A team of writers who came on in season four, two ladies. I couldn't remember when they came. Delightful.
Kristen Davis
So delightful.
Jenny Bix
But now I've forgotten what I was about to say about when they showed up and can't remember. I'll come back to.
Kristen Davis
It's okay. The group dynamic that we're all trying to get back to.
Jenny Bix
Yes. So when. Thank you. When they showed up, they hadn't done as much TV as we had. And we kept having to say to them, you cannot assume this is the way things are. Don't assume it's gonna be this way. Because it was such a special experience. And once you have gone through a bunch of experiences that aren't as great and then you land there, you kind of don't ever want to do anything else.
Kristen Davis
I know. Well, thus us all doing. And just like that.
Jenny Bix
Which is such a pleasure.
Kristen Davis
It's true. I mean, you had left us by that point and gone and done the greatest showman and sort of other things, which. But, you know, and your. Your own thing, which I remember because you and Cindy at a certain point were, you know, executive producers and, like, very high up in our. In our. Whatever Hierarchy. Not that that really made a difference. Cause you were always so important to us. But it was so great when you guys did get these deals. We wanted you to succeed.
Jenny Bix
Well, I went away in season five and did my first TV show, which was great to have that opportunity. And then I came back in season six, which was perfect. So I. I got a chance and. And thankfully everyone welcomed me back with open arms. Well, that, you know, again, it's. We were a family and that was 100%. It was lovely.
Kristen Davis
But I think also for us actors, you know, so much weird pressure was put on us in terms of the publicity and everything. And they didn't really understand. Like, they always thought that was our stories. Right, right. Which of course they weren't. That would be so awkward to be playing your own stories. Right, right. They were your guys stories or someone you knew. Which I don't know why we didn't just honestly tell everyone in the beginning. But, you know, like, back then you kind of felt like you had to protect or somehow shield, whatever. Now everyone's just very upfront about everything. But I remember always thinking, you know, we're the face, but we're supported by this group of women. And then they thought it was only Michael and Darren. Right. But it was really you guys, you know, and like, at one point, I think we had six women writers.
Jenny Bix
We didn't. Never had six, but we had one, two. We had five.
Kristen Davis
Right? Close. Close enough.
Jenny Bix
Close enough.
Kristen Davis
Cause sometimes in my mind too, like, you left, but. But in my mind, you weren't really gone. You know what I'm trying to say?
Jenny Bix
I was never really gone.
Kristen Davis
You know what I mean? Right, right. So, like, it wasn't like I wouldn't look at the paper and be like, oh, Jenny's not listed here. You know what I'm saying? Like, you were always part of the. Everyone was part of the. Once you were in, you were in.
Jenny Bix
You were in.
Kristen Davis
Yeah, totally.
Jenny Bix
Yeah.
Kristen Davis
Which was the joy of it. Okay, so. I mean, many joys. So much. But definitely that was part of it. Okay, so back to three's a crowd.
Jenny Bix
Yes.
Kristen Davis
So you're there. You're with us filming your episode.
Jenny Bix
We are filming in crazy places. Crazy places that I've only walked on in my life and never on a set. And I really. You leave your body. This is unbelievable that I'm on the, you know, Fifth Avenue, sitting in the midst of it all with like, you know, truckers yelling at us.
Kristen Davis
Yes.
Jenny Bix
Not our truckers. Sorry, not. But regular people trying to do their jobs and I get it. But we were blocking the way. You know, it got a little easier as we got bigger. That folks lit us. It took a while, but yeah, but yeah, there's a lot of yellow in the beginning.
Kristen Davis
Also, remember how we would, like, take our big lights and like, walk them down the street to a different location? Like, we were so gorilla.
Jenny Bix
We were so gorilla.
Kristen Davis
Right.
Jenny Bix
In fact, in my episode, in that first episode, we were so guerrilla that we didn't. The episode ended up being shorter. They thought it was gonna come in shorter than they wanted. And so we were shooting on the street. And I. I think it must have been your walk and talk with SJ that day. Cause we were on that street. My hair's too shiny. I mean, that's such. I mean, you also delivered it to the.
Kristen Davis
But right before that, I say, how well do we ever know the people that we sleep with?
Jenny Bix
And that's really the essence of the episode. But we were there, standing there, and I remember Michael or Darren coming up to me and saying, you have to write another scene. You need another scene. Oh, no, we have to have it in this location. We're on this street. Because it had to match with what we had available production wise. And I was like, what can you imagine, by the way, that happening any other time but first. Middle of first season. And I went away and wrote this scene where Ken runs into Samantha.
Kristen Davis
Oh, yeah, that was good.
Jenny Bix
And the wife.
Kristen Davis
Yeah.
Jenny Bix
But I wrote that like no one saw. I was like, does anyone have to approve this? No, we're just gonna shoot it. I was like, okay. I've never heard of such a thing.
Kristen Davis
How great.
Jenny Bix
And we shot it.
Kristen Davis
But that was really good.
Jenny Bix
That was the kind of thing we could get away with.
Kristen Davis
Wow.
Jenny Bix
Which we would never, you know, do that.
Kristen Davis
Wow. So, okay, so after that first episode, so we were picked up for 13. Then we had to go on the air and everything. I don't really remember when we got picked up for more or whatever. Like, what was your memory?
Jenny Bix
I know we weren't picked up. Basically, the season ended and no one knew what was gonna happen. Cause it hadn't aired. We didn't know if there'd be a second season. And so I came back to LA and I was like, I guess I need to get a job. And so. But I didn't want to take a job where I would have to then leave if we got picked up. So I ended up consulting two days a week on Dawson's Creek, which was so much fun. How 90s it was. So 90s it was peak 90s and so peak 90s that Mike White and I were the two consultants.
Kristen Davis
Oh, my God.
Jenny Bix
And we had a blast.
Kristen Davis
I love Mike White so much.
Jenny Bix
And Mike to this day, a dear friend. But it was insane. Insane.
Kristen Davis
Wow.
Jenny Bix
And then. And it was also kind of peak Dawson's Creek time, too.
Kristen Davis
Wow.
Jenny Bix
And I had not really watched the show, but I really enjoyed. It was the first time I'd written a one hour show. So I'd gone from sitcom to writing the Sex and the City, which was like so outside the box for me. But real people talking. And then I go and write a one hour. That's more real people talking. And then the show got picked up.
Kristen Davis
Got it.
Jenny Bix
I think we didn't air. Gosh. I should know this when we aired the first season, but I know that we certainly didn't know that we had a second season until the end of the summer, at least of that summer.
Kristen Davis
Wow. I think we aired the first season like June of 98.
Jenny Bix
Right.
Kristen Davis
And I don't really remember. I think I just assumed in my very Charlotte type way that we were going. Do you know what I mean? I don't remember. Anxiety of not thinking we would go. Do you know what I mean?
Jenny Bix
I didn't think so either. I mean, I really felt like this kind of has to be a thing. If not, I don't know what to believe anymore because it's so special.
Kristen Davis
Right.
Jenny Bix
And then we did get picked up and it was amazing. But then it was still only right here.
Kristen Davis
Did you guys have a writer's room here?
Jenny Bix
Yes, we did back then.
Kristen Davis
And Cindy. When did Cindy come?
Jenny Bix
No, Cindy came mid to late second season.
Kristen Davis
Oh, got it.
Jenny Bix
So it was just Darren, Michael, and myself.
Kristen Davis
Unbelievable.
Jenny Bix
It was unbelievable and hilarious because there was a lot of me explaining certain parts of the female anatomy. There was definitely a moment where I had to draw on the whiteboard. And I don't have to. All I'll say is Darren kept saying, there's a part of the female anatomy that's very important for female pleasure. And he kept saying in this thing. And I was like, it's not. There's no in. You don't go. You definitely don't go in it. You don't go in Darren. And so I did. I'm proud to say I did draw.
Kristen Davis
I'm so glad.
Jenny Bix
Yeah, it's probably the best drawing. I'm very bad drawer. But it was very specific.
Kristen Davis
Oh, my God.
Jenny Bix
So there I got to teach him a little something. So there was some elements of discussion of.
Kristen Davis
I'M so glad you were there.
Jenny Bix
I'm happy to have done that.
Kristen Davis
Yes.
Jenny Bix
For all female.
Kristen Davis
You gave service. You. You provided service for all of us. I appreciate that. So then. So we. And then I was second when we did, like, a lot of. A lot of episodes. Like, at a certain point we did.
Jenny Bix
A lot of episodes, or it felt like we did more, right?
Kristen Davis
No, I think we actually did more.
Jenny Bix
And we kind of hit the ground running. And we did have one or two consultants that, for that time who wrote an episode or two. And then Cindy came on full time, and then it was the four of us for a long time.
Kristen Davis
So I didn't remember that either, which is amazing and super interesting. I mean, I remember that it. At a certain point, it grew. Right. But like, to me, I was just so in it, you know? And that's the thing too. Like, rewatching is so fascinating. So many things I don't remember then. Weird, random things I do remember. Like, for instance, in the Masked Ball, there's a dress I'm wearing. And this was when, you know, we were shopping at Bloomingdale's. Molly reminded me and Century 21, you know, people were not lending us things. Maybe Sarah Jessica, but barely, right? And they were shopping vintage and all of those things. And I remember that lavender. I'm wearing, like, a lavender crystal dress. And I didn't love it in the first place, but Pat and I were just having a time, right? Because Pat wanted me to wear really tight things. And I felt very self conscious, right. Sometimes I'm wearing my own clothes. Like, I'm wearing my own shoes with that dress. There are some clear Lucite Prada shoes. I don't know why I bought these shoes. I think in my mind, I was like, what would these very cool women in Sex and the City buy? I'm gonna go to Prada. I was like an early Prada person, which I didn't remember. Like, that's 1998. Right?
Jenny Bix
It was the 1998.
Kristen Davis
I still have those shoes.
Jenny Bix
See, that's why a Prada piece can last forever.
Kristen Davis
So. Right.
Jenny Bix
That's second conversation for another time when you do your, you know, outfit and wardrobe.
Kristen Davis
Yeah, totally.
Jenny Bix
Fashion centric podcast. But I actually remember you wearing those shoes. And they looked really good.
Kristen Davis
Did they? Cause I looked at them and I'm like, why am I wearing that dress?
Jenny Bix
First of all, it's the 90s. There's a lot happening that shouldn't have been happening.
Kristen Davis
So many things. And now there's, like, so in. It's crazy to Me like it's crazy but some of it I get and some of it I'm like, you guys, don't bring that back. Don't bring the low cut jeans back, please.
Jenny Bix
Capri's don't have to.
Kristen Davis
Capri's. I'm okay. I don't want the low waisted.
Jenny Bix
No, the low waisted seems to be coming back again. No, it's fine. It's fine.
Kristen Davis
We're not going to wear it. No, no.
Jenny Bix
That should know. That's fine.
Kristen Davis
With Capris if you're like on vacation.
Jenny Bix
No, that's fine. Yeah, but not. They really don't look good on a lot of people.
Kristen Davis
True.
Jenny Bix
Again.
Hyundai Advertiser
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Kristen Davis
One way.
Hyundai Advertiser
Hyundai vehicles have won over 120 IIHS top safety awards from 2006 to 2024.
Talkspace Advertiser
You know when you're really stressed or not feeling so great about your life or about yourself, talking to someone who understands can really help. But who is that person? How do you find them? Where do you even start? Talkspace. Talkspace makes it easy to get the support you need. With Talkspace, you can go online, answer a few questions about your preferences and be matched with a therapist. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare, you'll meet on your schedule wherever you feel most at ease. If you're depressed, stressed, struggling with a relationship, or if you want some counseling for you and your partner or just need a little extra one on one support, Talkspace is here for you. Plus Talkspace works with most major insurers and most insured members have a zero dollar copay. No insurance, no problem. Now get 80 off of your first month with promo code space80 when you go to talkspace.com match with a licensed therapist today at talkspace.com save $80 with code space80@talkspace.com something unexpected happened after Jeremy.
Narrator
Scott confessed to killing Michelle Schofield in Bone Valley Season one.
Jenny Bix
I just knew him as a kid.
Narrator
Long silent voices from his past came.
Jeremy Scott
Forward and he was just staring at me.
Narrator
And they had secrets of their own to share.
Jeremy Scott
Gilbert King I'm the son of Jeremy Lynn Scott.
Narrator
I was no longer just telling the story. I was part of it.
Jeremy Scott
Every time I hear about my dad is, oh, he's a killer. He's just straight evil.
Narrator
I was becoming the bridge between a killer and the son he'd never known.
Jeremy Scott
If the cops and everything would have done their job properly, my dad would have been in jail. I would have never existed.
Narrator
I never expected to find myself in this place. Now I need to tell you how I got here.
Jeremy Scott
At the end of the day, I'm literally a son of a killer.
Narrator
Bone Valley Season 2 Jeremy.
Jeremy Scott
Jeremy, I want to tell you something.
Narrator
Listen to new episodes of Bone bone Valley Season 2 starting April 9 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear the entire new season ad free with exclusive content starting April 9th. Subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.
Kristen Davis
So that dress, that lavender dress, I remember there being a lot of stress about what I would wear to this thing, but also there's the. The. The theme, which I love about the disease. Disease benefits. Which is so true. I mean, you could still, like this still going on in New York. Like, if you went to every disease benefit, you could definitely meet some people. Oh, I mean, for sure. Yeah. It's a thing.
Jenny Bix
They're groupies who go to the disease benefits.
Kristen Davis
I mean, the same people, for sure, and it's a lot of people. But I. Yeah, I, yeah, don't have the energy to do that stuff anymore. But that lavender dress, I remember a lot of stress about it. I thought it looked kind of like Mother of the Bride ish, which I do still think, though it didn't look as bad as I thought when I watched it again. But Pat, being the adorable Pat that she is, had been stressing about it and had come down to the wardrobe trailer the night before and steamed it out because she thought it was too tight on me, which is unusual. She usually was opposite, but it was like chiffon with crystals. Right. She didn't want it to pull. So when I came back, it was like this, like, muumuu, like, she'd deemed it and had given it. And I was like, what on earth? I'm gonna wear, like, a lavender muumu. I was so upset. And then they had sewn the darts in the back, which you see when I'm walking down the hall.
Jenny Bix
Really?
Kristen Davis
Yeah, they'd sewn the darts in the back so that it actually had more of an hourglass. I remember.
Jenny Bix
I do. Yes. I Remember? That's why when you say it was a muumuu, I remember it.
Kristen Davis
You know how they were amazing?
Jenny Bix
Right.
Kristen Davis
Even when we didn't have money, they were amazing. But, yeah. No, I had a whole little.
Jenny Bix
But the idea that you ever wore your own shoes on that show. That's a shame.
Kristen Davis
Right?
Jenny Bix
Looking back.
Kristen Davis
I know. I mean, that's where I'm wearing my whole outfit.
Jenny Bix
That's it.
Kristen Davis
Like, there's. There's like a argyle sweater that I still have that I wore in Carrie's apartment in that episode. We talk about our faults.
Jenny Bix
Yes.
Kristen Davis
And I save my thighs. Those. That's my own outfit. And then Darren had to take me out to dinner and say, like, you need to let Pat dress you. And I was like, well, okay. But, you know, she wants me to wear all these tight things, and I just feel very self conscious. And he was like, you just need to trust her. And I'm like, okay. Okay, Darren.
Jenny Bix
And also, let me tell you how to eat a chocolate chip cookie. There was a lot going on.
Kristen Davis
I know there was a lot going on. But I also feel. And we've touched on this a little bit, but I love your perspective. You know, I do think people talk about, like, oh, how did the chemistry of the cast come together? And, you know, we never had a chemistry. We just showed up and clicked in whatever mysterious way that is. And for me, I think it's a few things, and one is the writing. You know, like, we are not anything without the writing. Like, actors are not. It's not our personality driving it. I mean, it comes together, but it's the writing. Right. So the writing is what was amazing in the beginning in my mind. But I also feel like all of us had strong and different personalities.
Jenny Bix
Absolutely.
Kristen Davis
And that the mix of it created something.
Jenny Bix
It was a fission or Frisian? Which one? Both.
Kristen Davis
Yeah.
Jenny Bix
Like it. And so I would kind of, in a way, disagree. Like, the writing can be there, but I think you all did something. And it is amazing to think there was no chemistry read. Because even in the early days, like when I watch my episode. Right. Which is episode eight, sitting in the coffee shop, you all are. You all are who you are. You all are doing it. Those are those characters already there. That's true. And that must have been. I mean, I don't know if you were feeling that at the time. I don't think you could feel that kind of connection that you all had.
Kristen Davis
I think I. It's interesting to think about because, like I said, there's some things I remember, like, the lavender dress. And there's some things that I don't. I just remember. Like, when I look at myself, I think that I seem very young. Like, really weirdly young. I don't think I felt young inside, but I seem very young. And I don't know if it's the Charlotteness. Right.
Jenny Bix
It might have been the Charlotteness, because I don't.
Kristen Davis
In my mind, I'd already been through so much in my 20s. I didn't feel like a baby, but I look and seem like younger than them and more unformed, kind of. Do you know what I mean?
Jenny Bix
Yeah. But I feel like that was who Charlotte was more than. I think that worked for the character.
Kristen Davis
Got it.
Jenny Bix
But I also think the character. It was interesting watching the episode again, that she was. When she comes in and says, oh, he wants to have a threesome, she's already kind of intrigued with the idea. Like, there is no rejection of it, which I think is kind of not very Charlotte. Like, in a way, she was just.
Kristen Davis
Like, I know she's open.
Jenny Bix
Way more open than I.
Kristen Davis
Than you think of her in the kind of archetype. Right.
Jenny Bix
In the kind of ethos of it. And I'm like, wow. No, she was more just testing the waters. Like, he wants to do this. I don't know, Jenny.
Kristen Davis
I do. All kind of crazy in the first season.
Jenny Bix
Oh, my God. Well, you really.
Kristen Davis
I'm shocked every episode. Like, for instance. And we'll get. We'll do our breakdown of the episode. But when I have the dream of the threesome, right. I'm thinking like, I. I don't remember that I did a threesome. I literally was like, am I about to kiss these people?
Talkspace Advertiser
Because I have no memory.
Jenny Bix
Oh, my God.
Kristen Davis
I was having such a panic watching it last night. But then I'm like, no, it's just dream. But I don't even remember that. Like, she's very, surprisingly, surprisingly open.
Jenny Bix
Yeah. And that's what makes you fall in love with her, is that she's open. Even though she has fears or concerns, she's not the one who shuts things down. She's always trying to figure it out. And in that case, she was very open. She's like, what do you think of this? And it's everyone else who kind of has very strong opinions about whether it's a thing or not.
Kristen Davis
Right.
Jenny Bix
But I kind of love looking back. I was like, wow, she really was testing the waters.
Kristen Davis
Definitely. Because the thing that I had remembered about the beginning, and it hasn't even really happened yet, though. I mean, remember when Carrie dates the guy who has a classic six and wants to get married, have a baby and has the mobile? And she's like, no, that's not me. And maybe you should date this one. And then I date him, but I don't like his china taste. So hysterical. So she has two things that I don't really remember. One is her incredible choosiness, right? Which I kind of remember. But I just remember the didactic thing that hasn't really happened yet, where I have the book and I'm talking about get the rules and getting married, which those were the hardest, hardest, hardest scenes for me to do. I'm sure largely because I had a long speech usually, that all of them are just, like, looking at me like, oh, God, you know, and rolling their eyes. And, you know, it's very hard to learn the long speeches that you guys write because it's so spooky specific and so precisely timed and has to be done perfectly. And I would stress out really, really bad about them, so I remember them. And also, it was so hard because it so wasn't me, right? So I had to really act and plug in, like, different things, like, what if I think about this instead of, you know, getting married? Or what if I think about that? Or let's think about the Southern women that I knew who were focused. Like, you're trying all these different things to make it really deeper than just, like, an idea, right? I thought that was all I did the whole first season. And in fact, I am waywear.
Jenny Bix
You are shaking it. You're making it happen. You're out there. You're like, okay, I'll wink at this woman. I don't know. I was like, wow, look at you.
Kristen Davis
I don't remember any of it either. It's so funny to see because it's so funny that, like, I did that. That's my body. I know I'm up there. I know I'm there, but I don't remember.
Jenny Bix
Right? You leave your body. Well, that's how I felt watching it as a writer, too. I was like, I wrote that. Okay, I guess I did. I know I did. But I don't remember it in the way that I remember it when I wrote it.
Kristen Davis
It's true. And I don't remember it that way either. And that's the joy of rewatching it.
Jenny Bix
It is so lovely to rewatch it. And I will say the thing, too, about Charlotte. And, you know, when they would Cosmo and stuff, would do these quizzes about who were you? More people thought they were Charlotte. And so I think she was representing a lot of how certain women see the world like that. More traditional. I want to get married. I want to have as much of it all as I can. I want to work in my gallery and also have kids and all of that. Right, right, right. So I think I never saw you or the character as being kind of young or immature as much as being kind of on the pulse of what most people were thinking. Right.
Kristen Davis
Which is great. Which is great. Which is great. And that's why her whole journey has been so interesting.
Jenny Bix
Amazing.
Kristen Davis
Yeah. I mean, incredible to play as an actor.
Jenny Bix
But we also did that. I mean, I'm sure Michael's talked about this, too. Is like, we always wanted to test each character and give them the one thing that was the hardest thing for them.
Kristen Davis
Oh, and did you guys ever do that? We tested Charlotte.
Jenny Bix
Charlotte got some tests, man.
Kristen Davis
I mean, really, all of us, because you. If you talk to any of us, everyone's like, oh, I was the one who always got embarrassed. And we're like, yeah, that's true. But also I was the one who always got embarrassed. And then the other one would be like, oh, but I always got embarrassed, remember? Blah, blah. And we're like, oh, yeah, that's true.
Jenny Bix
You did get embarrassed. Really?
Kristen Davis
All of us did. But you know what? This was the greatness of the show. Right. Like, when people say, like, well, why did Carrie do that? And Carrie made some bad decisions. We would not have had a show if she didn't.
Jenny Bix
Right. She's a person.
Kristen Davis
Yeah. And also, this is hard stuff, trying to figure out who you are and what you want, and you have literally every choice available to you. That's also the joy of New York City, especially at that time, out of all the places. I mean, I do feel like now it's still somewhat true. Right. Like, if you want to test yourself and find out on the smorgasbord of life what you want, go to New York City.
Jenny Bix
I hope that's. I think that is still true.
Kristen Davis
I do think it's still true. I do. I mean, it's different now, for sure, but I still think that New York is like a. A beacon call to people who are kind of ambitious and. Or exploring.
Jenny Bix
Exploring. Figuring out who they are.
Talkspace Advertiser
Yeah.
Kristen Davis
Which I think is a great thing.
Jenny Bix
And that's what I mean. And we always said this, and we still do, that New York is the fifth character in the show.
Kristen Davis
Absolutely.
Jenny Bix
And that's how it still feels, is that New York was a grab bag of magic and danger. And it's sexy and it's gritty.
Kristen Davis
Anything can happen.
Jenny Bix
Anything can happen at any time. And we took advantage of that 100%.
Hyundai Advertiser
Catchy tune, right? But don't let the urge to sing along distract you from the truck drifting towards your lane or that lane splitting biker creeping up beside you. Fortunately, every Hyundai offers advanced safety features that can alert you to potential dangers around you. And Hyundai has over 120 IIHS top safety awards since 2006. Because Hyundai is always working to ensure the road doesn't get you. Getcha getcha Kitcher One way Hyundai vehicles have won over 120 IIHS top safety awards from 2006 to 2024.
Talkspace Advertiser
You know when you're really stressed or not feeling so great about your life or about yourself, talking to someone who understands can really help. But who is that person? How do you find them? Where do you even start? Talkspace. Talkspace makes it easy to get the support you need. With Talkspace, you can go online, answer a few questions about your preferences and be matched with a therapist. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule wherever you feel most at ease. If you're depressed, stressed, struggling with a relationship, or if you want some counseling for you and your partner or just need a little extra one on one support, Talkspace is here for you. Plus, Talkspace works with most major insurers and most insured members have a $0 copay. No insurance, no problem. Now get $80 off of your first month with promo code space80 when you go to talkspace.com match with a licensed therapist today at talkspace.com save $80 with code space80@talkspace.com Something unexpected happened after Jeremy.
Narrator
Scott confessed to killing Michelle Schofield in Bone Valley Season one.
Jenny Bix
I just knew him as a kid.
Narrator
Long silent voices from his past came.
Jeremy Scott
Forward and he was just staring at me.
Narrator
And they had secrets of their own to share.
Jeremy Scott
Gilbert King I'm the son of Jeremy Lynn Scott.
Narrator
I was no longer just telling the story. I was part of it.
Jeremy Scott
Every time I hear about my dad is, oh, he's a killer. He's just straight evil. Evil.
Narrator
I was becoming the bridge between a killer and the son he'd never known.
Jeremy Scott
If the cops and everything would have done their job properly, my dad would have been in jail. I would have never existed.
Narrator
I never expected to find myself in this place. Now I need to tell you How I got here.
Jeremy Scott
At the end of the day, I'm literally a son of a killer.
Narrator
Bone Valley Season 2 Jeremy.
Jeremy Scott
Jeremy, I want to tell you something.
Narrator
Listen to new episodes of bone Valley Season 2 starting April 9 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear the entire new season ad free with exclusive content starting April 9th. Subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.
Kristen Davis
One of the things that people talk to me because one of the reasons I wanted to do the podcast is because we've had this incredible fan base for all these many, many years, and now we have all these new fans from Netflix and whatnot, which is amazing, of course, and fascinating generationally.
Jenny Bix
Yeah.
Kristen Davis
But one of the things that people talk to me about, like, my experience of walking around in the world with people having watched us all this time, which is so amazing. Right. And there's so many different storylines through the years that people talk to me about, and it's always super fascinating which things they remember, which things connected with them, how they talk to me about it. They often cry, which is so sweet, you know, it's, like, so adorable. It's part of the reason I wanted to do this because I feel like it's just such an incredibly special, like, experience in life that we're getting to have, you know, to connect with people still.
Jenny Bix
Yes.
Kristen Davis
Over these things. So one of the things they talk to me about, and I hope it's okay. I'm gonna talk about this is breast cancer. The breast cancer.
Jenny Bix
Oh, my God. I'm so happy to talk about this.
Kristen Davis
Okay, great. So Samantha, as we all know, all the listeners know, had this incredible storyline. Was it season six only or was it five and six?
Jenny Bix
It was season six.
Kristen Davis
Season six. And it was a great, beautiful storyline. And she did amazing, beautiful work. And the Smith character. Oh, my God. So incredible. So incredible. And I look back on that. I mean, I can't wait till we get there to rewatch. But this is based on your experience, Jenny's experience, which was happening while we were doing the show.
Jenny Bix
Yes.
Kristen Davis
Now, I don't know if you know this, but you know how we all would go to work even if we were sick. This is pre Covid. Of course we would be just like, I remember all four of us being sick, and they would call one of those set doctors and he would just go dress.
Jenny Bix
Oh, my God. That set doctor, remember? Dr. Feelgood.
Kristen Davis
I don't even say it. Don't even say it. And he would hand out Z packs. Right he would just be like, here's your Z pack. Here's your Z pack. We would just take so many Z packs this season, right? We would. That was just how it was. We had to keep going. The show had to go on. So I remember one day, and I don't know what season it would be. I'm sure you will know. And it was one of your episodes. And I was in hair and makeup, and I had a question about the dialogue, and I was like, you know, can Jenny come to the hair and makeup and talk to me while I'm getting ready? Because I have a question about dialogue. And they said, oh, Jenny's not here. I'm like, what do you mean? It's her episode. What? What? That was unheard of. And they were like, oh, Jenny's not feeling well. I'm like, what? Like, how does she have a huge fever?
Jenny Bix
Where's her Z Pack? I know.
Kristen Davis
I was like, what do you mean?
Jenny Bix
Oh, yeah.
Kristen Davis
And I think it was when you had been diagnosed or were getting diagnosed.
Jenny Bix
I was probably.
Kristen Davis
But literally no one told me.
Jenny Bix
Going for chemo.
Kristen Davis
No one told me. Wow. No one told me. Cut to. It's Revlon run walk time. And Lily Tartikoff, the incredible, sweet woman, asked me to host, be one of the host committee, where you go and it's this big thing in Times Square, and there's just, you know, thousands of people gonna do the run walk, and you get up on stage and talk. And I'm always terrified. But I was like, yes, of course I'll do it. Cause they were doing such incredible research at the time, right?
Jenny Bix
Yeah.
Kristen Davis
So I go and. Oh, the writers came. I was like, they're just being so supportive because I still know nothing about it.
Jenny Bix
Unbelievable.
Kristen Davis
Then we're walking through Central park, right? We're doing the actual run walk, and different ones are coming up to me crying, like, it's so amazing that you're doing this. And I'm like, well, thank you. Thank you.
Jenny Bix
I'm just, like, doing it as a favor for someone.
Kristen Davis
What's going on? Like, I had no idea.
Jenny Bix
I have to tell you, that is a testament to so many things. I had the worst wigs ever known to man. Like, so bad that once I spent an entire day wearing one of them backwards, and I did not even know.
Kristen Davis
I do think that's how I finally figured out. That's how I finally figured out.
Jenny Bix
I don't even know. Here I am in New York, the land of where you think you could get good wigs. I don't know or I just didn't. I don't know.
Kristen Davis
Maybe your mind was just not on that.
Jenny Bix
I think my mind was not on it. But I will say that and we'll talk about this Samantha storyline of it. That it was actually Michael's idea to do it. Like, I was working on the show, but I was quite tired. But I would show up and we'd hang out in the room, and he's like, we're doing your storyline. Like, oh, Jesus. And I was like, wait, what? What? I don't know if I'm. And it wasn't that I was uncomfortable telling the story. I was more like, I was in it. So it was hard to imagine being able to write about it.
Kristen Davis
You were still in it.
Jenny Bix
Still in it. Still in it.
Kristen Davis
Wow. I don't think I realized that either.
Jenny Bix
But in retrospect, it was. I mean, what a miraculous thing to be able to do. There were so many miraculous things about my. And I am fine now. I've been fine for over 25 years.
Kristen Davis
Yes. Amazing.
Jenny Bix
But that HBO allowed me to continue to work and allowed me the grace to go and have my chemo and then come to work and that to be able to write about the thing that's the most painful, whether it's like, a bad date or going through cancer, is a gift. Like, then you get to put it out there and it's not scary. People can relate, right?
Kristen Davis
So many people.
Jenny Bix
I felt like I was helping people.
Kristen Davis
You were, yes.
Jenny Bix
But it helped me, like, to be able to write it. Now, of course, the way Samantha went through it was way more Samantha than me. Of course. Of course. I mean, she was wearing the pink wigs. She was owning it.
Kristen Davis
She was, yes.
Jenny Bix
And I think that was a great way for me to kind of live through her, to do it the way she would do it, as opposed to me kind of crawling my way through with bad wigs. But. And Michael was a gift to me during that time. How did you know? Like, there was a point where I had. Because they were giving me steroids. Like, I blew up like a Michelin Man. And Michael's so kind that he called it my cocoon of healing. Oh, my. That's so sweet of you.
Kristen Davis
That's adorable.
Jenny Bix
That's adorable.
Kristen Davis
This might have been when I figured it out. I mean, I did figure it out at some point, but then I was.
Jenny Bix
Like, how come I kind of figured everybody knew?
Kristen Davis
But, I mean, I think it was more like. Because I do think that as close as we all were, we also had a mission Right. Our mission was like, work, work, work, work, work all night, work all night.
Jenny Bix
You know what I mean?
Kristen Davis
And I think that Sarah Jessica. I think I went to Sarah Jessica at one point. I was like, sarah Jessica, what's going on? Didn't he have cancer? Like, what is happening? And she was like, she didn't want anyone to know, and she just wanted to work. And I wanted to respect that. And I was like, I'm so glad, but also, like, I feel horrible.
Jenny Bix
I'm not really sure that that was the case, but I think it was really respectful of people. Not because I think also, I certainly, at the time, did not want to be seen as a sick person.
Kristen Davis
I think that's what it was meaning, like, not call attention. You know what I mean?
Jenny Bix
And I wanted to be the person I was. And of course, I wasn't at that time in retrospect, but I wanted to.
Kristen Davis
Feel you have to do what you need.
Jenny Bix
And being in that room, it was its own medicine, being on that set.
Kristen Davis
Good.
Jenny Bix
Like, to tell those stories was because.
Kristen Davis
I wasn't really sure. Because then I felt really bad that I hadn't known and that I hadn't been, oh, my God, you've been holding.
Jenny Bix
On to this for dying.
Kristen Davis
Because, like, also then, like, whenever I did figure out, like, I didn't want to make a big deal that I hadn't known, because then I was like, I'm just really dense that I didn't know. I don't think, like, I don't think anyone lied. I just think it. That everyone just see that.
Jenny Bix
Respectful, right?
Kristen Davis
And I think they assumed I knew.
Jenny Bix
And that was lovely.
Kristen Davis
Yeah, it was.
Jenny Bix
It was.
Kristen Davis
But then I was like, oh, that's why they were all crying at the Revlon Run walk.
Jenny Bix
Huh? I thought they were just moved by.
Kristen Davis
Me, but no, I thought they were moved by all the people. Because when you are there, you're just.
Jenny Bix
Like, you can't believe how many people.
Kristen Davis
Are going through it. And also family members are there to support other bees. Like, you know, I. I would cry every time I went. Right. It was a lot. But the fact that you were going through it at the time that we were all working was just incredible to me.
Jenny Bix
It was to be. To have that show and to have the support of everybody while I was going through it. People don't have that in the real world. I mean, you get sick, and there are not employers who say, please, please keep working, meaning I wanted to. And they said, yes, please. Thank God.
Kristen Davis
Yes, no, but, yeah, I get it.
Jenny Bix
But a gift In a writer's room that said, oh, listen, just lie down on the couch, it's fine. You know, we'll go down to set and cover it. You know, it was really lovely. Now I'm gonna start crying. Anyway, it was really special. We can cry, we can cry, we can laugh.
Kristen Davis
Oh, yeah, 100%. But it is one of those things too, where I, I mean, like, out of all the different things that happen and so, so many things happen, obviously, like over the years, but I mean, that is a very unique and interesting thing that you went through and then to be able to contribute it to the show, and that's why I brought it up, is that people still talk to me about this.
Jenny Bix
It means so much to me that it, that it mattered. I mean, in retrospect, I never would have suggested we do it. So I'm so glad Michael did that.
Kristen Davis
100%.
Jenny Bix
And it's funny, just three or four days ago, I got an email from my surgeon who I hadn't heard from. I remember her well. No, I. So right. Dr. McAndrew is my oncologist who we used in this. Her name, but we also used my surgeon's name, Dr. Steiner. And he said his 14 year old was watching Sex and 14. A little young. Wow. But 14 year old grandchild.
Kristen Davis
Okay, it's not young now.
Jenny Bix
It's not young now. Which is, oh, God bless all of you who have children.
Kristen Davis
Exactly.
Jenny Bix
And she heard his name and was like, was that you? And he wrote to me and he's like, it means so much to me that you gave me a shout out. I was like, you saved my life.
Kristen Davis
That's amazing. That's amazing. But also, like to have it be on film. Right. So that means that even, like, people will talk to me. Now I'm going to cry because you know, you know so many people, I'm sure you do too now. So many people who've gone through it and it's so great to have it there. So that, you know, people say to me, like, oh, when I was going, I was, you know, finishing my chemo when that storyline came on, you know, Samantha was such a powerful character and people had so much, you know, like, respect and love for like, her, just her power in life and to have her be the one who went through that was so amazing to watch. And beautifully written, obviously, beautifully acted. And they still talk to me about, oh, I was going through it then. And then people now, because it's on Netflix, it's available to all people at all times and it's Just such a strong, strong testament. And we're a half hour comedy show.
Jenny Bix
Right.
Kristen Davis
It's amazing.
Jenny Bix
And they let us do that.
Kristen Davis
Yes. And you guys did it so brilliantly. And it's still funny and still deep.
Jenny Bix
And heartbreaking and all of it. And heartbreaking. All of it. I feel like we were able to do that with a bunch of things. Right. Like when you think about Miranda losing her mother.
Kristen Davis
Oh, my God.
Jenny Bix
I mean, that episode. Oh, my God. Written by Julie and Elisa. Yes. So emotional and heartbreaking and yet like life affirming. Yeah. Right. Because it's about friendships and who. Who supports you in these chosen family. Chosen family. Which in the end, we all say that's what the show was, I think.
Kristen Davis
Absolutely.
Jenny Bix
It's about the four of you in the relationship.
Kristen Davis
Yeah.
Jenny Bix
I'm saying you, like, you're the character. No, I know I am.
Kristen Davis
Well, listen, I can't ever say the right names. I'm like. And then Sarah. Oh, I mean, Carrie.
Talkspace Advertiser
I mean Carrie.
Jenny Bix
I mean, that girl Carrie.
Kristen Davis
Yeah.
Jenny Bix
But I think because we were. And that was the other thing that made the show so unique. There weren't that many shows that were that bordering tonally comedy and tragedy.
Kristen Davis
Right.
Jenny Bix
And sometimes you would laugh, you know, as Michael would say, like, if you could laugh in the episode once and cry once, that's a great episode.
Kristen Davis
Which is amazing. I mean, I feel like people now do it more now that they're screaming and you can binge and it gives some tonal freedom. But I think when we were still, you know, on the proper television, HBO was really kind of on the forefront of letting us do all the things.
Jenny Bix
Yeah. And that was okay. It was okay to have those moments and not have someone talking all the time. Like, just sit in a moment and look at someone's face and know what they were feeling instead of it being crack, crack, crack. Gra. Gra. Joke. Joke, joke.
Kristen Davis
Totally.
Jenny Bix
So I think, you know, the cancel line was only one of a couple that we were able to do and get away with it.
Kristen Davis
Charlotte. You know, infertility.
Jenny Bix
The infertility. I mean. And there's so many women still going through it.
Kristen Davis
Yeah, yeah.
Jenny Bix
I'm sure they stop you all the time and talk about that.
Kristen Davis
They do, they do. They also talk to me a lot about Judaism.
Jenny Bix
Well, how about that?
Kristen Davis
I know.
Jenny Bix
I mean, that was the big test that we wanted to give Charlotte was what if she comes up against someone like that? Someone that you don't expect her to fall in love with.
Kristen Davis
Right.
Jenny Bix
And it was the Judaism was only part of the whole package of this kind of brusque guy who's not. He's the opposite of Trey, who was everything that she thought she wanted, who ended up being just a misfire, literally and figuratively.
Kristen Davis
I know. Which is still so sad.
Jenny Bix
I know.
Kristen Davis
I know. But so glorious at the same time.
Jenny Bix
And Kyle was so, so fantastic. I mean, no one else could have done it the way they did.
Kristen Davis
No, I mean, that was. The thing is, once we got going, you know, we did have our magic. And then the people that you guys chose, you know, to add to the mix were all so perfect and great.
Jenny Bix
Well, it also got easier as time went on because people wanted. They knew the show, they wanted to be on the show, which is a great thing. Which is such a moment.
Kristen Davis
Such a moment.
Jenny Bix
There were a lot of moments like that.
Kristen Davis
So many moments. All right. Thank you, Jenny, for coming.
Jenny Bix
Oh, my God, I'm so happy to have been here. What a joy.
Kristen Davis
What a joy.
Jenny Bix
What a trip down memory lane.
Kristen Davis
I know. And it's fun to take it with you.
Jenny Bix
We could do it again.
Kristen Davis
We can do it again. And I just want to thank you, you know?
Jenny Bix
Thank you.
Kristen Davis
When I sit by you guys, I know I feel so lucky.
Jenny Bix
I could not agree more. And I think we, as writers say this to each other all the time is we were all so lucky.
Kristen Davis
So lucky.
Jenny Bix
So lucky to have this moment in.
Kristen Davis
Time to be there.
Jenny Bix
And none of that has to do with. With any of the kind of accolades or anything that came with it. It was being able to be raw and honest and funny and real and be with each other.
Kristen Davis
Yeah.
Jenny Bix
And take that trip and make this thing. And make this thing that turned out.
Kristen Davis
People liked it was amazing. And, I mean, we would have loved it anyway.
Jenny Bix
You know what I mean? Exactly.
Kristen Davis
But it was like icing on the cake.
Jenny Bix
Turns out others like to do it.
Kristen Davis
It kept going. It was so crazy. It's still so crazy. So thank you. Thank you for all of your contributions. So, so many. And also, see, I learned this whole thing. I didn't know that you were there so early with just Michael and Darren.
Jenny Bix
Yeah.
Kristen Davis
I love that that's its own sitcom. I've been thinking about that 100%.
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Jenny Bix
Points Cap apply.
Narrator
Something unexpected happened after Jeremy Scott confessed to killing Michelle Schofield in Bone Valley Season one.
Jeremy Scott
Every time I hear about my dad, it's oh, he's a killer. He's just straight, evil, old.
Narrator
I was becoming the bridge between Jeremy Scott and the son he'd never known.
Jeremy Scott
At the end of the day, I'm literally a son of a killer.
Narrator
Listen to new episodes of bone Valley Season 2 starting April 9 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Episode Summary: "Put Words In Someone Else's Mouth with Jenny Bix"
Released on April 3, 2025, "Are You A Charlotte?" hosted by iHeartPodcasts features an engaging and insightful conversation between Kristen Davis, renowned for her role as Charlotte York in Sex and the City, and Jenny Bix, one of the show's esteemed writers. This episode delves deep into the creative processes, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and personal experiences that shaped the beloved series.
Kristen Davis opens the episode by welcoming Jenny Bix, expressing her excitement to reconnect and uncover untold stories from the early days of Sex and the City.
Quote:
Kristen Davis ([02:02]): "So much fun to have her here."
Jenny recounts her serendipitous entry into the Sex and the City writing team, highlighting the pivotal moment when Michael Patrick King recognized her potential.
Quote:
Jenny Bix ([02:32]): "It was such a thunderbolt of luck is what happened."
Jenny shares her previous experience working on the CBS sitcom The Five Mrs. Buchanans, where her collaboration with Michael Patrick King led to her invitation to write for Sex and the City. She emphasizes the unique voice and perspective the show brought to television, distinguishing it from traditional sitcoms of the time.
Quote:
Jenny Bix ([03:24]): "I've never talked about things like this. It's written differently. It's women in their early 30s dating. That was me."
The initial production phase was marked by logistical challenges and limited resources. Jenny describes the guerrilla-style filming in New York City, the misconceptions about the show's content, and the lack of awareness in the public before its official release.
Quote:
Jenny Bix ([05:39]): "We would stand on street corners and people come up and say, what are you shooting?"
Kristen reflects on her fragmented memories of the first season, attributing it to the hectic and unconventional production environment.
Quote:
Kristen Davis ([05:06]): "Like, for me, I don't remember hardly any of this, which is rare."
As the writers' room evolved, so did the collaborative spirit. Jenny highlights the trust and mutual respect among the core writing team, which included herself, Michael, and Darren Star. This synergy allowed for innovative storytelling and character development.
Quote:
Jenny Bix ([22:18]): "It was special for us as writers... a big group."
Kristen appreciates the inclusive and respectful approach the writers took, ensuring that every team member's input was valued.
One of the most poignant discussions revolves around Jenny's personal battle with breast cancer and how it influenced the show's narrative. She explains how dealing with such a personal struggle while contributing to the series enriched the authenticity and depth of the storylines.
Quote:
Jenny Bix ([55:34]): "There were so many miraculous things about my... being able to write about the most painful, whether it's a bad date or going through cancer, is a gift."
Kristen shares her experiences supporting the team and the emotional weight of portraying such significant life events on screen.
The episode delves into the nuanced portrayal of Charlotte York, exploring her traditional aspirations juxtaposed with unexpected personal challenges. Jenny discusses how the writers aimed to present multifaceted female characters who navigate complex emotions and societal expectations.
Quote:
Jenny Bix ([42:28]): "She was more open than I thought of her in the kind of archetype."
Kristen adds her perspective on Charlotte's journey, emphasizing the character's relatability and growth over the seasons.
Kristen and Jenny reflect on the show's enduring legacy and its profound impact on fans across different generations. They recount touching stories from listeners who found solace and inspiration in the characters' journeys, highlighting the show's blend of humor, tragedy, and real-life issues.
Quote:
Kristen Davis ([51:33]): "People often cry, which is so sweet... it's just such an incredibly special experience in life."
Jenny expresses gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to a show that continues to resonate deeply with audiences.
As the conversation winds down, both Kristen and Jenny express their appreciation for the collaborative environment that made Sex and the City a groundbreaking series. They celebrate the authenticity, humor, and emotional depth that defined the show, acknowledging the collective effort that brought these beloved characters to life.
Quote:
Jenny Bix ([64:56]): "It was being able to be raw and honest and funny and real and be with each other."
Kristen echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the magical synergy that fueled the show's success.
This episode offers a heartfelt exploration of the creative dynamics behind Sex and the City, enriched by Jenny Bix's firsthand experiences and personal anecdotes. Listeners gain a deeper appreciation for the show's intricate storytelling, character development, and its lasting influence on television and its audience.