The Music man with Craig Bierko... (S4 E3 "Defining Moments")

Summary

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Are You A Charlotte?

Episode: "The Music Man with Craig Bierko…" (S4 E3 "Defining Moments")

Release Date: March 30, 2026
Host: Kristin Davis
Guest: Craig Bierko (Ray King, “the jazz guy” in Sex and the City)

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Episode Overview

In this richly nostalgic and insightful episode, Kristin Davis welcomes actor Craig Bierko, who played Ray King—Carrie’s captivating “jazz man” in Sex and the City episode “Defining Moments” (aired June 10, 2001). The conversation delves into behind-the-scenes memories, the experience of joining an established, iconic show mid-run, and the unique nuances of playing a character with ADHD. Together, Kristin and Craig discuss the evolution of the TV landscape, actor experiences as recurring guests, the importance of chemistry, and audience reactions then and now. The episode is packed with warmth, humor, and fresh perspective for fans old and new.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Craig Bierko’s Arrival on Sex and the City

• Craig reflects on joining the show:

  • Had just finished a year starring in "The Music Man" on Broadway; describes the grueling eight-show weeks as both “exhausting” and liberating.
  • The offer for Ray King came during this period, and he was drawn to the part’s uniqueness.
  • Quote: “I read it and thought, ‘I can't not do it. I've never read a part like this.’” (05:29)

• On being welcomed by the core cast:

  • Craig highlights the genuinely warm and welcoming environment, which isn’t always the case for guest actors on established shows.
  • Quote: “The sooner they feel like they’re part of the cast…the more a cast can make them feel like a regular part of the cast.” (06:39)
  • He describes how developing inside jokes and rapport on set makes a real difference.

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2. Playing Ray King: Authentic ADHD Representation

• Personal connection to character:

  • Craig shares openly about growing up with ADHD and his appreciation for how Ray King was written—not solely as comic relief but in a way authentic to his own experiences.
  • Quote: “I grew up with ADHD, and I'd never seen it represented as anything but a comic conceit. But in this case...I would want it to be as close to my own experience as possible.” (07:27)

• Approach to performance:

  • Tells how the set felt welcoming and comfortable, letting him be fully present and creative from day one.
  • Discusses the “immediacy” of how actors on Sex and the City often have to jump right into intimate scenes, which could be daunting but was made easy thanks to Sarah Jessica Parker’s professionalism and warmth. (09:10)

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3. The Guest Star Experience

• Comparisons to other TV guest spots:

  • Kristin and Craig swap stories about the range of experiences on multi-camera sitcoms, with Kristin noting some shows constantly rewrote her parts, unlike Sex and the City’s more stable scripts.
  • Quote: “Each environment, ecocosm, whatever you want to call it, they’re different…the vibe is different and the part is different.” (16:04)

• Unique casting and audition approach:

  • Describes the special nature of guest-starring as Ray: he didn’t have to do a conventional audition, instead he met and talked with Sarah Jessica Parker, which led to more genuine on-screen chemistry.
  • Notable advice from Craig: “You just do it and get out. Even if you lay a big stink bomb, get the hell out.” (11:47)

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4. Chemistry On-Screen: Carrie, Big, & Ray

• Kristin’s take:

  • Emphasizes the “breath of fresh air” Ray brings, and how as a viewer, she’s relieved Carrie is drawn to someone new besides Big.
  • Quote: “She’s literally on a date with Big, but not a date, like a date—and you’re on stage flirting with her…so relieved as a viewer that she’s into something new!” (12:21)

• Missed opportunities with the rest of the cast:

  • Craig notes he (Ray) only had one scene with the rest of the girls—something both Kristin and Craig wish had been different for fun ensemble energy. (07:04)

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5. Audience Reaction and Immediate Impact

• Craig’s story of being recognized:
  • Shares after his episode aired, a stranger approached him late at night in NYC with “Are you going to hurt her?” confusing at first, but referencing Carrie.
  • Quote: “It was the closest experience I ever had to, like, maybe being on a soap or something…they’re people walking around thinking you’re their actual friends.” (24:58)
  • Reflects on how legacy and familiarity with the character follow him, even decades later.

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6. “Defining Moments”: Rewatch & Behind-the-Scenes Highlights

• Casting memories:
  • The episode boasted a remarkable guest line-up (Craig Bierko, Kyle MacLachlan, Sonia Braga, Jim Gaffigan).
  • Kristin marvels at the casting and recalls Jim Gaffigan’s then-budding career.
  • Quote: “I got to work with none of you.” (27:52)
• Hat and Jazz Bar Stories:
  • Craig still has the tape used to fake playing the bass, had to learn just a few notes for verisimilitude.
  • A running joke and minor annoyance about his character’s hat, persistently insisted on by the costume department. (29:09)

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7. Thematic Exploration: Relationships, Communication, & Relatability

• Carrie’s Triangle:

  • Carrie is caught between Big (“still charming, still hurting”) and Ray (“something new, fresh, with real chemistry”).
  • The group discusses how Ray’s “lack of questions” signals both his coolness and possible distance. (39:06)

• Charlotte & Trey subplot:

  • Kristin recaps how Charlotte’s storyline explores sexual confusion and communication issues after marriage.
  • Quote: “The main problem is not the sex. It’s that he cannot seem to talk about anything.” (43:18)

• Age, Perspective, and Relatability:

  • Craig and Kristin reflect on rewatching the show with more life experience—how its details hit differently with age.
  • Quote: “I've gone through each one of those experiences…it's…why it connects so much, is that there's so much to connect to.” (47:46)
  • Craig says, “...it's a validation to see something on a show...that tells you it's okay. Yeah, this happens.” (49:06)

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8. Evolution of TV, Storytelling, and the Industry

• Changing landscape:

  • They discuss the differences between the “theater-to-TV” pipeline of past television and today’s creators (e.g., Quinta Brunson, Benito Skinner) emerging from digital platforms and social media. (51:10–52:39)
  • Craig: “People haven’t changed…so the stories. It’s still about story. And it’s just the format.” (53:01)
  • Both admire the freshness and scrappy innovation of new “plots of land” for storytelling, though lament the loss of old norms. (53:10)

• On Broadway & celebrity-driven casting:

  • Craig observes that Broadway casting now often prioritizes celebrity, and doubts he would land "The Music Man" today, underscoring how risk and trust factored into his original casting. (54:41–54:54)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On joining an established show (Craig, 05:29):

  • “I read it and I thought, ‘I can't not do it. I've never read a part like this. I don't know that I've seen a part like that since, actually, which is crazy.’”

• On representation and performance (Craig, 07:27):

  • “I grew up with ADHD, and I'd never seen it represented as anything but a comic conceit…if I was going to inhabit it…I would want it to be as close to my own experience as possible.”

• On intimacy, guest roles (Craig, 09:10):

  • “You meet somebody and you jump right into bed...to jump inside of that from the beginning…But I actually didn’t feel uncomfortable because [Sarah Jessica Parker] was so much fun.”

• On guest star nerves and advice (Craig, 11:47):

  • “You just do it and get out. Even if you lay a big stink bomb, get the hell out. That's genius.”

• On guest actors as “red shirts” (Craig, 25:18):

  • “Any guys that aren’t Mr. Big are essentially different grades of the guys on Star Trek with the red shirts. We’re going back down to the planet. But we’re not coming back.”

• On Carrie’s love triangle (Kristin, 12:21):

  • “As a viewer, I was so relieved that she’s into something new, you know? Thank God. Thank God.”

• On rewatch relatability (Craig, 47:46):

  • “I've gone through each one of those experiences…that's obviously part of the soup of the show. It's why it connects so much, is that there's so much to connect to...seeing something on a show that tells you it's okay. Yeah, this happens.”

• On storytelling (Craig, 53:01):

  • "People haven’t changed…so the stories. It’s still about story. And it’s just the format."

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Craig joins Sex and the City/“The Music Man” era: 04:35–06:53
• ADHD, Ray King’s character, authentic representation: 07:27–08:18
• On chemistry, guest star experience, and audition process: 09:55–11:47
• Audience reaction and being recognized: 24:58–26:48
• Memory lane: ensemble guest cast, Jim Gaffigan, the hat saga: 27:34–29:28
• Kristin and Craig on authentic hookup/approach anxiety: 32:59–35:06
• Rewatching: character analysis, Charlotte & Trey’s subplot: 41:02–43:18
• TV/industry changes: old shows, new creators, and storytelling: 51:00–53:33

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Conclusion

In this episode, Kristin Davis and Craig Bierko deliver a heartwarming, open, and often hilarious conversation about jumping into iconic TV worlds, forging on-set connections, and seeing your work through the lens of time. Fans will love Craig’s candidness about Ray King, his own ADHD, and the quirks of being a guest in Carrie Bradshaw’s orbit. The discussion reflects on how Sex and the City’s relatable ups and downs resonate across generations, and how—no matter how formats shift—it’s always the story that endures.

Stay tuned for Part Two promised later in the week!

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

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[Podcast Host]

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[Craig Bierko]

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[Podcast Host]

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[Kristin Davis]

Hi, I'm Kristin Davis and I want to know, are you a Charlotte? Hi, everyone. Welcome to are you a Charlotte? Today it's exciting. We have Craig Bierko who plays Ray King, the jazz guy. Very, very, very exciting to talk to him. His first episode with us aired in 2, 2001, June 10, 2001. And it's called Defining Moments. And it was really, really fun to catch up. He's had a really fascinating career and we hear about some very interesting things that he has done in the past. He's really, really fun and he's so great as Ray King, as I'm sure you all remember. So please enjoy talking with Craig Bierko. Let me just say I'm so, so, so excited that you're joining us because I often think about you. I'm like, Craig Bierko came on our show at the weirdest time. You play the most meaning. Like we were in, we were already in. We had big, we had Aiden. There were these long storylines and then you just walked in the middle of it, you know, to play your fantastic jazz man, as we call you, who's technically your name is Ray King.

[Craig Bierko]

Ray King.

[Kristin Davis]

It's a good name. So take us back. What was it like? What do you remember? How did it happen?

[Craig Bierko]

Oh, well, at the time I was, I, I think I was in on the last part of my year doing the Music Man. Susan Stroman had done a, a revival of the Music man and I had been doing that for the year. So I was sort of in that zone, just kind of robotically not doing the show. But, but you know what it's like,

[Kristin Davis]

yeah, eight shows a week.

[Craig Bierko]

It's full of eight shows a week. It's it's really something. And so I had been doing that for close to a year, and the call came. And as you know, when you're, if you're doing a show that's, you know, eight a week, you're never not completely exhausted. And nobody tells you that after you get over the thrill of being on a Broadway show, the single greatest thing about it is that you have license to say no to everything.

[Kristin Davis]

Everything.

[Craig Bierko]

You don't have to go anywhere. You don't have to talk to anybody. You can be late. You can not sh. And, and this came along in my. And a couple of things had come along and I, I was really just too tired. It wasn't that. It was that some of the things I didn't want to do, but some of the things I just thought I, I, there's no way I could do this. And, and this came along and I read it and I, I, of course I, you know, I wanted to do it. And when I read it, I thought, I can't not do it. I've never read a part like this. I don't know that I've seen a part like that since, actually, which is crazy. But I had, I had such a great time. There were a couple of things that I, you know, I remember, I remember you guys were all unfailingly nice, welcome.

[Kristin Davis]

Oh, thank God.

[Craig Bierko]

Not. It's not always the case, you know, and I've done a couple of shows where I was in your position and, you know, it was a. It. I remember, you know, I wanted to, you know, pay attention to that example. It's important.

[Kristin Davis]

I think, I think it is not

[Craig Bierko]

not only just because it's what decent human beings do, but also you're going to get the best performance from a guest. The sooner they feel like they're part of the cast, definitely, and the more a cast can make them feel like a regular part of the cast.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

Literally, little things like developing inside jokes and stuff like that. It matters. I think I had one scene with the rest of you guys where she introduces me to you.

[Kristin Davis]

Right. Yeah. We didn't have enough stuff with you. We definitely didn't.

[Craig Bierko]

Nothing. I got no experience with the rest of the gals, which was too bad, but I enjoyed the storyline.

[Kristin Davis]

You're so good in this character. It's so perfect for you. Like, it's a perfect union, don't you think? Well, is that what you mean when you said you haven't gotten that many scripts? Like this is, like, what exactly, exactly do you mean by that?

[Craig Bierko]

Oh, it is. Yeah. I mean, if I. If I love a script, it can be for any number of reasons. It's. But. But for this one, it was what I recognized. I thought, you know, I. Listen. It's a common affliction. I'm not ashamed of it. But I grew up with adhd, and I'd never seen it represented as anything but a comic conceit. And it is used as a bit of a. A comic conceit. But I do feel also like it's. I. I wouldn't want something like that treated with reverence. I'd want it. I'd want to look at. And if I was going to inhabit it, I. I would want it to be as close to my own experience as possible, you know?

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

This case was particularly intense.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

But I can say there's nothing in that script that I don't recognize.

[Kristin Davis]

Amazing. I love that. That's really interesting. I didn't realize that I didn't. Real. I guess so. Perfect.

[Craig Bierko]

That's your writers. And also the. In. In performance, too. It was. It was immediately comfortable. And I. And I. And it was that old joke. Like, I had lived the trope of the very first job I got. They said, can you ride a horse? I was like, can I ride a horse? And then I went and, like, had to take horseback riding lessons. And it was a. I almost got killed. But. But everybody's got stories like that, and there's something about getting on, you know. And another joke that I've always heard, but I hadn't experienced until then, was you meet somebody and you jump right into bed. You shoot the most intimate scene. And we had some pretty intimate. I mean, you guys got kind of bawdy on the show, which is. Which is great.

[Kristin Davis]

Yes.

[Craig Bierko]

But to jump inside of that.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

From the beginning.

[Kristin Davis]

I know what you mean. Yeah. Yeah. It's a lot was.

[Craig Bierko]

And I remember thinking, this is sort of. I wonder if this is. They throw you into the deep end of the pool. So. Because there's so much. Because once that was out of the way and it wasn't any. I actually didn't feel uncomfortable because she was so much fun and made it so light and not about what it was. And it was technical. And she really knows what she's doing, obviously.

[Kristin Davis]

Yes.

[Craig Bierko]

And I felt. I just remember walking onto the set, and I certainly. I'm not an arrogant person, so I didn't feel like, all right, line up. I just felt like I. I felt very at home and comfortable and creative, and that's the most important thing, like, oh, whatever they've hired me to do, I feel like all my pistons are firing. I'm ready to go.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah. I mean, that's what I see when I watch you. And that. That's also, I think, such an interesting thing to think about. Because one of the things that we've talked about amongst ourselves and on the podcast, it was when we started the show and the guys would come in and you, you were, I think like you were. I mean, but this is just about you as a person too. Like you're on Broadway, you're doing the Music man, you're coming in for this part that you already knew. It was however many episodes. Right. Like, was it. I can't remember.

[Craig Bierko]

I think it was two episodes. But I love that this is one of those shows where people are like, that was a. I loved you on that season.

[Kristin Davis]

Oh, good. I mean. Cause that's how I feel about it too. I felt like it was longer. Right. Because like you came on and were immediately able to be fully present. And that's why I think the character stands out. Like there wasn't like a ramp of learning. Like you were just there and you were 100%. Yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

I felt it was very wise. The whole thing was handled very well. And you'd have to tell me if that existed before and after in the series and the movies and stuff. But it was very wise to bring me in. And I met with Sarah Jessica. We just met, we talked.

[Kristin Davis]

Right.

[Craig Bierko]

And I think we both learned much more doing that than if it was just a conventional audition.

[Kristin Davis]

Absolutely. And that wasn't always the case on our show. Sometimes like when we. Kyle, they just hired. And of course I was like, oh my God, Colin Buckland's here. And then with Evan, who came on later as Harry, he had to read with me. So it was maybe like his third callback or something. And I remember you're just dying for those actors. Cause of course we've all been there. You're just like, it's so nerve wracking.

[Craig Bierko]

Difficult situation.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah, I would have.

[Craig Bierko]

So you learn a lot though.

[Kristin Davis]

100%. I mean, definitely. It's very, very clear.

[Craig Bierko]

Do it. Get out.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah, yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

Don't, don't. Do you need to see it again? None of that stuff I learned. That was the first thing I learned. You just do it and get out. Even if you lay a big stink bump, get the hell out. That's what. That's genius. You don't want that. You're crazy.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah, yeah, I agree. And that that was definitely how Evan was, you know, in terms of, like, he didn't. He wasn't asking for a lot. He just was like, this is what I'm gonna do. And it was, of course, brilliant. But I would have loved to talk to him, too. Right. We didn't really get that. I think I went out into where they were waiting and tried to chat.

[Craig Bierko]

He's a fascinating human being. He's very smart, sensitive, great guy.

[Kristin Davis]

It's so true. It's so true. But so are you. And I think at this point in time to come on our show and be able to just be present with Sarah to, you know, and she's. She's been going through these long storylines with, you know, John and Chris. Right. And, like, you must have been such a breath of fresh air. I don't mean that in a negative way, but, like, you know what I'm saying? Like, it was so different. And when you're rewatching it or watching it the first time, because I don't really remember this part of the show that well, which is interesting. Some I remember a lot and some I don't. You're. You're. I'm. It's so exciting. Right. You're watching the show. You're not thinking that she's going to do anything. She's literally on a date with Big, but not a date. Like a date. And you're on stage and you're flirting with her, which I also thought was very bold. Right. Of your character. And then she's into it, and you're just so relieved as a viewer that she's into something new, you know? Thank God. Thank God. I thought it was so, so good, and I really, really.

[Craig Bierko]

I didn't have any sense. I didn't have any sense of that.

[Kristin Davis]

You didn't?

[Craig Bierko]

No.

[Kristin Davis]

Okay.

[Craig Bierko]

Something that worked for me was. I don't know if it would have made a difference ultimately, but so meeting you guys. I was really meeting you guys. I had seen the show, and my girlfriend at the time, of course, was completely obsessed and loved the show. I didn't have any time, but I also just was. It didn't feel like my show, but anytime I had seen it or I watched it with her, I enjoyed it. But not enough to have so much familiarity that when I walked in, I was like, that's the lamp.

[Kristin Davis]

Right. That's a good thing. Right? Right.

[Craig Bierko]

There wasn't any of that. I was familiar with the apartment and all that kind of stuff. I knew who Mr. Big was, and I knew who all you Guys were. I basically knew the. The idea of it and the tone I got right, which was the most important thing.

[Kristin Davis]

Right.

[Craig Bierko]

Especially when you're coming in and you're, you know, your character hasn't met any of the other people, so you're sort of like, you haven't landed in this nest. And in each nest, they have their own way of communicating. Like any group of friends, you have your own secret language, your own, you know, and. And I think that even translates in a. In a show or a play where you're just representing a group of friends. There was very much that. It was a very complete organism.

[Kristin Davis]

Yes, yes.

[Craig Bierko]

And I actually felt like, oh, this is a great. I mean, it's definitely a job. I'm not crazy. I know I'm playing a part, but there is this experience of actually meeting these people who I only sort of know, but there wasn't enough familiarity to go, oh, she's doing the thing.

[Kristin Davis]

She wants us. Right. That's great. That's great to have the. Kind of. The balance. Yeah, yeah. A balance.

[Craig Bierko]

I, like. A lot of people don't work like that, but whatever's right in front of me, that's what I. That's what feels the most alive to me, I think.

[Kristin Davis]

100%. Yes. And not all men were good at that. And that's what I wanted to say earlier, but I got off my own track. It was hard in the beginning because in a lot of ways, the men are cast as the girlfriend parts, like what had traditionally been the girlfriend parts that we were very used to doing. Right. But it seems strange for men to. To be in that position.

[Craig Bierko]

It was great.

[Kristin Davis]

I know you did just the best job at it, and it was great.

[Craig Bierko]

It was great for me in a way that, like, vitamins are great for you. Yes. Here's. Here's what it's like to, you know, to come in and you're basically. I mean, it's a very well written show. But. But coming in as a guest on shows that are not as well put together, you know, it's. It's. It's very disorienting.

[Kristin Davis]

It can be. Yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

And you. And you. And at some point, at least this has been my experience, you're like, hey, I just fake it. Pretend I'm.

[Kristin Davis]

Absolutely. Oh, absolutely. I mean, also, I think. I don't know how many, like, half hours you've done or whatever, but there was a time where I decided that I wanted to kind of. Even after the show was on, I wanted to go and be in different situations. So I went on Will and Grace as a guest star. I went on Friends as a guest star. You know, I had been on Seinfeld already before the show as a guest star. You know, each totally, totally different experiences because each, you know, environment, ecocosm, whatever you want to call it, they're different. Right. And the vibe is different and the part is different. But the thing that would really frustrate me is that sometimes, especially in the multi camera, they would rewrite your part as the week went on and you're just like, I don't know what I'm doing here at all. Really bizarre.

[Craig Bierko]

There's so many things that like nobody's going to ask an actor, hey, if you're going to restructure the network, how would you do it? But, but hey, some actor. But, but I really did think after I'd been around the, you know, around for a little while and I had auditioned and tested and even done things that I just thought. I remember reading a book and I read that the Marx Brothers, who. I'm a huge Marx Brothers fan and the. Their best movies, they kind of, they went downhill a little bit towards the end, but their best movies, they toured as shows. It was a different world, but they were broad. You know, they toured them not just on Broadway but in the boonies. And I always thought, why, if you've got a pilot and you're investing millions of dollars into it and you're taking a risk with all the casting and all that kind of stuff, why don't you have your. Don't say anything, don't promote the show. Just have the writers say we're going to pick it up, write four episodes. We're going to go to Eugene or wherever and we're going to run it for a month.

[Kristin Davis]

Wow.

[Craig Bierko]

We're going to find out where and we're going to run four episodes together.

[Kristin Davis]

Cool.

[Craig Bierko]

And just have an evening. I mean, they do it now when they bring shows back and they do them live. I mean, sort of as a joke and it's campy, but. But sometimes they're not campy. Sometimes they get the original cast and they do them live and they tour. Used to be big, but it's not that big anym. But I always thought, why wouldn't you want to? I mean it's so great that there's a Sex in the City, but. But you're really just spinning that. You're rolling the dice every time you.

[Kristin Davis]

That's totally true. You're definitely.

[Craig Bierko]

All the elements could have been there, but what if you didn't have the right director, what if the casting wasn't right with one part? What if. I mean, anything could have happened? And wouldn't you want to iron out all those problems? It always. And also, you've tested for stuff, obviously.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

Why are we testing in Eric's office? Why would you build us? I'm going off now.

[Kristin Davis]

Oh, I know.

[Craig Bierko]

Build a facsimile of a soundstage so you can see what we do.

[Kristin Davis]

It's true. It's hard to really even imagine that anything ever works, you know?

[Craig Bierko]

Yeah. It is amazing.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

Well, it's an explanation for why so little does.

[Kristin Davis]

That's true, too. That's true, too. But, yeah, we were very lucky in that HBO really just trusted us, which was wonderful.

[Podcast Co-host]

That's the other thing.

[Craig Bierko]

That was a magical. I'm Drew Barrymore all of a sudden. But that was a.

[Podcast Co-host]

That was.

[Craig Bierko]

It really was a unique time.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah, it really was. We were so lucky to be there. Yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

HBO was. It was closer to almost what theater was, you know?

[Kristin Davis]

Yep, yep, yep. They were like, just go. Just go do it. Let's see. Let's see what happens.

[Guest on The Cino Show]

I went and sat on the little ottoman in front of him.

[Craig Bierko]

I said, hi, dad.

[Guest on The Cino Show]

And just when I. My mom comes out of the kitchen and she says, I have some cookies and milk. This is badass. Convict me just finished five years. I'm gonna have cookies and milk at Mom.

[Host of The Cino Show]

On the Cino show podcast, each episode invites you into a raw, unfiltered conversations about recovery, resilience, and redemption. On a recent episode, I sit down with actor cultural icon Danny Trejl. Talk about addiction, transformation, and the power of second chances. The entire season two is now available to binge, featuring powerful conversations with guests like Tiffany Haddish, Johnny Knoxville, and more.

[Guest on The Cino Show]

I'm an alcoholic, and without this trope, I'm gonna die.

[Host of The Cino Show]

Open your free iHeartRadio app, search the Cino show, and listen.

[Craig Bierko]

Now,

[Nick, Dick, or Paul (Podcast Host)]

when you listen to podcasts about AI and tech and the future of humanity, the hosts always act like they know what they're talking about. And they are experts at everything. Here at the Nick, Dick, and Pole show, we're not afraid to make mistakes. What Coogler did that I think was so unique.

[Kristin Davis]

Who's he?

[Nick, Dick, or Paul (Podcast Host)]

He's the writer, director.

[Podcast Co-host]

Who do you think he is?

[Craig Bierko]

I don't know.

[Nick, Dick, or Paul (Podcast Host)]

You meet the, like, the president.

[Podcast Co-host]

You think the president. You think Canada has a president? You think China has a president? President Lavois Crouzette. God, I love that thing. I use it all the time.

[Nick, Dick, or Paul (Podcast Host)]

What color?

[Podcast Co-host]

I wrap it in a blanket and sing to it at night.

[Nick, Dick, or Paul (Podcast Host)]

It's like the old Polish saying, not my monkeys, not my circus. Yep, it was a good one. I like that saying.

[Podcast Co-host]

It's an actual Polish saying.

[Nick, Dick, or Paul (Podcast Host)]

It is an actual Polish.

[Podcast Co-host]

Better version of Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

[Craig Bierko]

Yes.

[Podcast Co-host]

Which. Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift.

[Craig Bierko]

Who said that for the first time.

[Podcast Co-host]

I actually, I thought it was. Was I got that wrong.

[Nick, Dick, or Paul (Podcast Host)]

Listen to the Nick, Dick and Paul show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Craig Bierko]

A ambitious, well intentioned, ferocious and wealthy mother looks like in the black community

[Host of Keep It Positive Sweetie]

this Women's History Month. The podcast Keep It Posit Sweetie celebrates the power of women, choosing healing, purpose and faith. Even when life gets messy, love is not a destination. You have to work on it every day. Keep it positive. Sweetie creates space for honest conversations on self worth, love, growth, and navigating life with grace and grit, led by women who uplift, inspire, and tell the truth out loud. I have several conversations with God and I know why it took 20 years to hear this and more. Listen to Keep It Positive sweetie on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Amber Grimes]

It's the new me and it's the old them.

[Host of Keep It Positive Sweetie]

Everybody's on their journey and your journey is different to theirs.

[Amber Grimes]

This Woman's History Month, the podcast if youf Knew Better with Amber Grimes spotlights women who turn missteps into moment and lessons into power.

[Guest on If You Knew Better]

I think coming out of where I came from, I'm from the Bronx. I think I grew up really poor. I didn't know that then because I very much use my creativity to romanticize life. And I'm like, my mom did a really good job of like, you step back and you're like, whoa.

[Host of Keep It Positive Sweetie]

We.

[Guest on If You Knew Better]

I don't know how we made it. So a lot of my life was like built out of, like, survival to get to the next place, like, my drive, my, like, tunnel vision of, like, I gotta be better, I gotta achieve this was off the strengths of, like, I want to make a better life for us.

[Amber Grimes]

If youf Knew Better brings real talk from women who've lived it, unpacking career pivots, relationship lessons, and the mindset shifts that changed everything. Listen to if youf Knew Better with Amber grimes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Mental Health Advocate]

Everyone needs to take care of their mental health, even running back Bijon Robinson.

[Bijan Robinson]

When I'm on the field and feeling the pressure. I usually just take a deep breath. When I'm just breathing and seeing what's in front of me, everything just slows down. It just makes me feel great before I run the play.

[Mental Health Advocate]

Just like Bijan. We all need a strong mental game on and off the field. Make a game plan for your mental health at loveyourmindplaybook.org Love your mind. Brought to you by the Huntsman Mental Health foundation, the Arthur M. Blank Family foundation, and the AD Council.

[Kristin Davis]

So this episode, I don't even think I said what it was called. It's called Defining moments. It aired June 10, 2001. Let me just ask you a brief question about 2001. This is how I remember the summer of 2001, because we would have gone back to filming in, like, February, and then the episodes would have aired, you know, kind of as we went. And I remember this summer as just being this incredible kind of like, intense time of. Everything was amazing in New York in the summer of 2001.

[Craig Bierko]

Great summer.

[Kristin Davis]

Do you remember that? The weather was beautiful. Things were just exciting.

[Craig Bierko]

It was right before the world went nuts.

[Kristin Davis]

Exactly, exactly. It was like. Yeah, that's how I felt as well. And I just feel like it was. Everything was, like, brighter, you know, it was like a. Almost like a Technicolor summer, you know?

[Craig Bierko]

Yes. Beautiful summer.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah. Before things change. So I'm glad that you were part of our world in that. In that glorious summer. Yeah. What was the response after you were on the show and it aired?

[Craig Bierko]

It's immediate. It's the clo. I mean, I'm not. Not in terms of quality, but it was the closest experience I ever had to, like, maybe being on a soap or something. Because of the level of familiarity and.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

The sense of propriety that people have with these.

[Kristin Davis]

Definitely. Yes.

[Craig Bierko]

They're actually. They're the. They're people walking around thinking you're their actual friends. And. And so when I went out that night, at that point when the show aired, I was living up on 86th street, and I went out for a walk right afterwards just to get something to eat. And a woman walked right up to me and said, are you gonna hurt her? I was like, yeah, it's not a great question to ask of large man in New York City. But, yeah, it was. And I realized, oh, she's. She meant Carrie. And I went, oh. And she wasn't crazy. She just said, please tell me what's going to happen. I said, I really have no idea, but I wouldn't count. And that was when I realized, I think any guys that aren't Mr. Big are essentially different grades of the guys on Star Trek with the red shirts. We're going back down to the planet. But we're not coming back. Oh, no. We're not coming back. Oh, no.

[Kristin Davis]

I mean, you never know, right? You never know. But I guess you were right. I guess you were right. So was it. Were people ever mad at you? Like, about what?

[Craig Bierko]

Oh, no. They love the show. And to this day, if I get. I can usually tell. Now I've accumulated a body of work, I can usually tell. Here comes the Sex and the City person. I can usually tell for sure. And the thing, as I get older, the thing that pleases me most, of course, is that it's like I must be within the weight range.

[Kristin Davis]

So, I mean, they're recognizing me. Feel this. Okay. We all feel the pressure of that.

[Craig Bierko]

Well, you look terrific, actually.

[Kristin Davis]

Thank you so much.

[Craig Bierko]

You really look terrific.

[Kristin Davis]

Thank you. So do you. So do you. The hair. I just. You've got great, great hair. Great, great hair. Okay, so let's talk about the episode for a little bit. The thing that's funny to me about this episode is the incredible cast. We've got yourself. We've got Kyle, of course. We've got Sonia Braga comes on, which is like, how on earth did this even really happen? Right? And then we've got Jim Gaffigan, who's playing this kind of, like, slightly horrible man. At least that's my. Whatever. But I remember, I knew of him and his standup. But, like, he's done so incredibly well. Like, it's so wonderful to see. And he's a sweetheart.

[Craig Bierko]

I see him. I auditioned with him all the time. I don't know why they always put us together, but a couple of times we auditioned for things together.

[Kristin Davis]

Interesting.

[Craig Bierko]

Such a good actor. Very good actor.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah, he's a very nice guy.

[Craig Bierko]

And I'm happy for him, too.

[Kristin Davis]

Me, too.

[Craig Bierko]

That was an incredible cast. I couldn't believe who was there.

[Kristin Davis]

I know. I mean, like, it's pretty exciting.

[Craig Bierko]

And I got to work with none of you.

[Kristin Davis]

I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You were siloed into the Carrie world.

[Craig Bierko]

That's all right. I was a happy camper.

[Kristin Davis]

Definitely, Definitely. And it's so great. So you guys. So basically, Big, we start the show. Big and Carrie are friends because she has called him on her birthday because she feels bad that no man cares about her on her birthday, which is very relatable, of course, but Big is back but they're friends, which is weird to watch, I think. And they go to the Monkey Bar.

[Craig Bierko]

Why did you think it was weird to watch?

[Kristin Davis]

I think it's weird to watch. I think because we have invested so much into the big and Carrie relationship. They've been through so much. So to see kind of like a light version, you know, because the chemistry's still there, obviously. But also she's trying to protect herself. And he's being his charming self. You know, there's many aside.

[Craig Bierko]

Yeah. He's obviously her. I mean, I watched that scene again and in the car, and I just thought, oh, he's hurting.

[Kristin Davis]

Definitely.

[Craig Bierko]

I mean, that's what guys do when they're hurting.

[Kristin Davis]

Definitely. I love that scene in the car so much. I didn't remember it at all. I remember you being there and I remember you wearing that hat. I remember your presence. I know, I know. I don't know why they made you wear that hat.

[Craig Bierko]

Why? I kept asking if I could take it off. And they were like, they call you. You know, I was like, ugh, thank

[Kristin Davis]

God you take it off when you do. Okay.

[Craig Bierko]

I kept taking it off and they

[Kristin Davis]

kept telling me to put it back on. I get it, man. We have a whole hat situation in our world where the costume people love the hats, Sarah loves the hats.

[Craig Bierko]

I get it. And it's a fashion forward show.

[Kristin Davis]

It is. It is.

[Craig Bierko]

I also don't. I can't tell you how many times I've got a friend who's got a much better sense of fashion than I do. And if I go, if I need a suit, I just take him and I buy what he says because I can't tell.

[Kristin Davis]

I am kind of with you. Yeah. I'm not the best. I try to pretend like I am, but I'm not. But the thing about you is that you're so tall, right? So you're so tall. So to put a hat on you does really make you specific. From that perspective as a character, it very much makes sense. So I love that you're up there. Then they go. Then he takes her, for some reason, downtown, below 14th street, he says, to a jazz bar. And she doesn't know anything about jazz, which is also kind of funny. I mean, okay, Carrie. And there you are right in front of her playing the bass. Did you know how to play the bass?

[Craig Bierko]

No, they gave me, and I still have it. Oh, I should have found it and dug it up. But they gave me a tape to listen to of the song that was going to be playing Cool. And Then I think somebody. I think. I seem to remember there was a bass player may have showed up the first day, who told me, because there is a shot where you see I'm playing, right? And it was. They wanted, like, two or three notes, so I learned those.

[Kristin Davis]

Got it.

[Craig Bierko]

We had to learn trombone for Music Man. So I wasn't afraid of that. And also in the character. And this goes for me, too, he can play a lot of instruments a

[Kristin Davis]

little, which is neat. Yeah, it's a cool character, right? And you make jokes about it like, oh, I own the bar, which is why they let me play.

[Craig Bierko]

And he's. I think it. He's kind of not beating himself up. I think he kind of accepts who he is.

[Kristin Davis]

Right. I think it's very endearing.

[Craig Bierko]

It would have been sad if he was like, oh, this always happens.

[Kristin Davis]

No. Right.

[Craig Bierko]

He's just onto the next thing, you know?

[Kristin Davis]

Definitely.

[Craig Bierko]

And so he's a. He's detached. There was something sad about him. But I thought if I. If I even recognize the fact that there's something sad about him, that will have to be. You know, that's something that exists for the viewer or anybody else. But I think in his mind, he's just like, oh, that channel's on. Which is the experience. If you have ADD, it's like there are five TVs on, and you have to pick the TV that you're actually having a conversation with, right? And just. You learn to drown out the other TVs, right? And. But it's. That's the fun part is that when there's nothing going on or something goes sideways, you're like, what am I gonna watch?

[Kristin Davis]

I think that's great.

[Craig Bierko]

You get all the channels.

[Kristin Davis]

That's the one good thing. Yeah. I love that.

[Craig Bierko]

You get all the channels.

[Kristin Davis]

I love that so much. I love that. So when you're. So you're there and you're playing the bass, and they're sitting right in front of you, Big and Carrie, and you flirt with her, and she flirts back, and then Big turns around and you send her a note. I was like, wow, he's so bold. He's so bold. I don't remember any of this, right? It's like I was watching it for the first time, and she is, like, all giggly and adorable. Like, very clearly you guys have chemistry. Which, again, as a viewer, I was so relie that she likes someone new. Thank God. Right? Because they're in this weird, like, friendly thing. But yet there's so much undertow happening. Right? You Want her to have something fresh. At least I did. That's how I felt. So then I was really glad. But I also thought that was kind of bold. Like, if a guy and a girl are sitting right in front of you while you're on the stage, would you just hand the girl a note? I don't know, but it's cool.

[Craig Bierko]

Yeah, I think he's the kind of guy, like, an idea crosses his mind, and if he didn't do it, he'd forget about it.

[Kristin Davis]

Got it. Got it.

[Craig Bierko]

I don't know, but it's also. Yeah, I'm not that kind of guy. I'm.

[Kristin Davis]

Me neither.

[Craig Bierko]

But. But I have done that. I'm not sent notes, but I have. I have gone up to women and just asked them out. It's a really terrifying part of being a man. Oh, my God.

[Kristin Davis]

I did it one time as a. You know, obviously, I'm a woman.

[Craig Bierko]

I admire that.

[Kristin Davis]

Oh, it was terrifying. I was like, how do they do this? How do they do this? And it was a. It was a terrible, terrible idea that I had. I was on location in Canada working, and there was this one guy on the crew. This is so big of a. No, no, Right? Like, really bad. No, no. There was this guy on the crew, but he just was that kind of guy where, like, he was always watching. He was kind of quiet, but he was always watching and, like, really good at his job. But not one of the ones where, like, they're loud and, you know, like, talking to you. They're just like. He was just, like, kind of, you know, confident in his quiet self, which is always interesting. And I just really liked him. And I was so bored at this particular job. Like, I didn't have a co star to hang with, really. So I was like, I'm just gonna ask that guy out because I would just love to have a conversation with him outside of the set. Because he was so quiet on the set.

[Host of Keep It Positive Sweetie]

Right.

[Kristin Davis]

Oh, my God. Horrible idea. Horrible idea. Just because of the work situation. Right. I think it's a great idea for women to try doing this because it's not that easy. I mean, maybe the world is different now, but, like, also, you don't know their situation. You're just walking in. Like, I couldn't research him. It was before social media, right. I couldn't ask anybody, like, what's his deal? Right. And I never heard him mention a significant other or anything like that. So I asked him, and he just stared at his feet. And then he was like, I'm really sorry. I Can't. And I was like, oh, no problem. No problem. Because he had a girlfriend, right? Which I wouldn't have known. And then the whole rest of the job. So awkward. But I was like, man, I've been there.

[Craig Bierko]

I've been there. You got everybody. You got to learn that lesson. Nobody can tell you, you've got to live it.

[Kristin Davis]

It's so true.

[Craig Bierko]

Realize you've got to live that pain. And realize I'm never putting myself through this again.

[Kristin Davis]

I know, I know. But I thought to myself at the time, like, men do this all the time. Like, that is not easy.

[Craig Bierko]

It's not easy.

[Kristin Davis]

No, it's not. No.

[Craig Bierko]

I think you just gotta. Yeah. Yes. It's not easy.

[Kristin Davis]

No, no. I mean, now they're the app, so I guess you could just go on the apps, though. Me neither. Okay. Me neither. Me neither.

[Craig Bierko]

I'm gonna die alone with cats.

[Kristin Davis]

I'm gonna die alone with dogs, apparently.

[Craig Bierko]

That's it. That's the way to go.

[Kristin Davis]

Well, that's good. We're in it. We're in it together, but not. Okay, wait, let's talk about the show. Let's talk about the show. So I love when so you. So we're at your bar, which we find out is your bar, because you. You walk by Carrie and Big, and they both chat with you. And the thing that I also thought was interesting, because you're, like, a very cool character, right? And Big's wearing his beige suit, which is, like the worst side of Big, I think. The beige.

[Craig Bierko]

Ish.

[Kristin Davis]

Brown suit. I'm like, no. So he's wearing his beige suit, and she's obviously, you know, so much more kind of hip and cool and interesting. So you just talk to her. And then he's like, oh, man. You know, he's nice, whatever. And then you guys all end up in this cab, right? Is that. Is that. Is that night that you end up in the cab?

[Craig Bierko]

He keeps inviting himself along, basically. He's like, yeah, let's get a cab.

[Kristin Davis]

I know. It's horrible. It's horrible.

[Craig Bierko]

It was hilarious. And I had forgotten that he. She gets out of the car and it drives away, and she's looking after him, and he starts talking. He got out with her.

[Kristin Davis]

I know. It was a really good reveal. I had totally forgotten it as well.

[Craig Bierko]

I actually thought, oh, that's an uncomfortable ride home. I don't remember shooting that.

[Kristin Davis]

You know, I don't remember watching it. It's so great, though, like, to see you guys sitting there in the back of a real cab and he's like, cabs suck or whatever. He says cabs are bad or whatever. I'm like, oh, be quiet. Cabs are great. The old big, big. But you're in like a decent sized cab. I love that. Yeah, yeah, I know. You are. Guys. Big guys. So then she gets out and they're close on her and you don't realize he's also gotten out.

[Craig Bierko]

It's just great directing.

[Kristin Davis]

It's so good. Oh, I forgot to say, this is directed by Alan Coulter, who we love so much.

[Craig Bierko]

He's the best. He's the best. I did a couple of things with him and he's. It's all. There's always something like that. And you don't normally see that on tv.

[Kristin Davis]

It's true.

[Craig Bierko]

I know. It wasn't tv, it was hbo. You don't normally see that. Something like that was. That was a really well timed visual joke that you could see in a movie.

[Kristin Davis]

So true. Yeah, so true. It was really, really good. And then you're also like, big, what are you doing? Like, you know, I was very much with Carrie. Like, what are you doing? But then luckily she goes upstairs and you call her right away. Good one on you. Good, good, good one. And you play her jazz, which is adorable. Like, I like all of the Rey, you know, seduction. I think it's really likable. But then of course, big calls while she's on the phone with you, which is like, ah, like you need to just shake him off at this point, right? But then luckily, you know, you guys have great, great, like initial chemistry and you go out to the opening of Tao, which is kind of funny. And I think we filmed there also later, like maybe Big and Carrie's engagement party, I want to say, because that place was huge, right? So like, do that aerial shot, you know, that's a cool, cool shot.

[Craig Bierko]

What a great shot.

[Kristin Davis]

I know, it was a great shot. And I remember when Tao opened, like it was a whole thing. You know what I mean? Like, it still is, obviously, but it was a whole thing. And you guys are there. But of course, Big is there also with the. A model named Shay or Shah or something bizarre. And she's in the bathroom doing cocaine. And you're just like, oh, Big, just go away. And then you very smartly decamp to the bar. I thought that was a good move because you don't make a big fuss about it either, right? You just go over there and she finds you and you're like, yeah, I'm not going back to that table. And I I just have to love the lack of drama. You know what I mean? Like, you're just like, this is where I'm at. Obviously, there's something weird going on. You don't even really ask her a ton of questions, which I also love.

[Craig Bierko]

Yeah.

[Kristin Davis]

Ray's very likable.

[Craig Bierko]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

The.

[Craig Bierko]

The lack of questions. That can mean a couple of things. I. And I. It's actually, now that I think of it, kind of intelligent, because if he's. It's sort of your first clue. If you watch it again, if you go back and look at. I don't think you can tell, but it's very subtle of going. He doesn't live in that world. Yeah. Information is just like. He's not gonna just, you know. I think he says things as he thinks of it.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

And he is. His. His bass line is kind of cool, you know.

[Kristin Davis]

I agree. I agree.

[Craig Bierko]

And avoids.

[Kristin Davis]

He.

[Craig Bierko]

I don't think I played this, but he avoids over Stimul. You know, he likes jazz, but he doesn't play anything frenetic. It was nice and easy. And in a restaurant like that, that. That. It's that kind of environment. It's a lot of noise, it's a lot of stimuli, and it's really hard to focus. And. And part of that made sense to me too, that he. He sort of has to deal with, you know, this is a. This is a step deeper. Maybe it's something just for the actor to carry around, you know, it's nothing. It's nothing. That's. I mean, the story tells itself. The script is going to tell you everything. But. But I think for me, it was like. That made sense to get away from all the noise. And also there's a bit of a situation here. Just keep it as simple as possible.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah, I love that. I love that so much. It's really interesting. And it's just so nice. Cause it's just so different. Right.

[Craig Bierko]

Yeah. And it was a nice scene, too. I liked that really good scene with her.

[Kristin Davis]

It was excellent.

[Craig Bierko]

It really is the first time they talk.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah. It was really, really good. And you guys have such easy chemistry. It's just. Just easy.

[Craig Bierko]

Yeah. Well, she's wonderful to work with.

[Kristin Davis]

I know.

[Craig Bierko]

Very, very easy. And she's very present. Very present.

[Kristin Davis]

She really, really, really is. And when I look back to. I mean, she's so present and so her instincts are so good.

[Craig Bierko]

Yeah.

[Kristin Davis]

You know, all the time. Like, so dependable. You know what I mean? Yeah. Obviously we know this, but it's fun to talk about it. So let's just talk about Trey and Charlotte. Oh, they're trippy little sel. Oh, my gosh. I don't even clearly remember this part at all. I remembered Kyle in general, obviously, but at this point, we're having this bizarre thing where we're having sex in all these weirdly unusual places. Like a bedroom at a cocktail party with all of the doctors that. That he works with. Like, not. It's not. It's not like Charlotte, there. There's times when I look at Charlotte and I'm like, Charlotte's just. She's not that mature in certain ways to understand why that would be something he would want to do. Like, she's like, I don't understand what's going on. She keeps saying to her friends, well, because obviously he's. He's. He's got baggage about relationships, right? And like, marriage and all the things that are expected of him. So it's much more fun to have sex in a cab.

[Craig Bierko]

Yeah.

[Kristin Davis]

You know, that's not like, real or whatever.

[Craig Bierko]

Yeah, yeah.

[Kristin Davis]

But Charlotte's kind of like, I don't know what's happening. And I'm just so happy that he wants to do anything. It's very interesting. It's interesting to watch. But it's also such a kind of like topsy turvy, like, turning things upside down, right? Like, she wanted this wedding, she wanted this wedding, she got the wedding. Then of course, there's gonna have to be problems. But now there's like, confusion, which I think is also really interesting to see her in, but I think that I had totally forgotten about. We're all shopping somewhere at some vintage place and Charlotte has a hickey. Totally forgot about all of this. What on earth? Right? And then also Samantha comes over and she's like, oh, look, you're having a good, healthy relationship. And Charlotte's like, oh, if Samantha thinks it's healthy, that's a terrible sign. Like, really funny. Really funny. And I didn't remember it at all. So then Charlotte goes to him when he's trying to have sex with her in a very interesting, like, Indian decorated cab. And she's like, no, we have to, you know, wait five more blocks till we get home. Like, why can't we do that? And then he calls her later and apologizes, which is very sweet. But also the thing that I think about watching it back is that the main problem is not the sex. It's that he cannot seem to talk about anything.

[Craig Bierko]

That's a tough one, isn't it?

[Guest on The Cino Show]

I went and sat on the little ottoman in front of him.

[Craig Bierko]

And I said, hi, dad.

[Guest on The Cino Show]

And just when I said that, my mom comes out of the kitchen and she says, I have some cookies and milk. Badass convict. Just finished five years. I'm gonna have cookies and milk at mom.

[Host of The Cino Show]

On the Cena show podcast, each episode invites you into a raw, unfiltered conversations about recovery, resilience and redemption. On a recent episode, I sit down with actor cultural icon Danny Trejl to talk about addiction, transformation and the power of second chances the entire season. Season 2 is now available to binge, featuring powerful conversations with guests like Tiffany Adish, Johnny Knoxville and more.

[Guest on The Cino Show]

I'm an alcoholic and without this program, I'm gonna die.

[Host of The Cino Show]

Open your free iHeartRadio app, search the Cino show and listen Now.

[Nick, Dick, or Paul (Podcast Host)]

When you listen to podcasts about AI and tech and the future of humanity, the hosts always act like they know what they're talking about and they are experts at everything. Here. The nickname Dick and Pole Show. We're not afraid to make mistakes. What Coogler did that I think was so unique? He's the writer, director.

[Podcast Co-host]

Who do you think he is?

[Craig Bierko]

I don't know.

[Nick, Dick, or Paul (Podcast Host)]

You meet the like the president.

[Podcast Co-host]

You think the president. You think Canada has a president? You think China has a president? Those law Cruisette. God, I love that thing. I use it all the time.

[Nick, Dick, or Paul (Podcast Host)]

What color?

[Podcast Co-host]

I wrap it in a blanket and sing to it at like.

[Nick, Dick, or Paul (Podcast Host)]

It's like the old Polish saying, not my monkeys, not my circus. Yep, it was a good one. I like that saying.

[Podcast Co-host]

It's an actual Polish saying.

[Nick, Dick, or Paul (Podcast Host)]

It is an actual Polish.

[Podcast Co-host]

Better version of Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

[Craig Bierko]

Yes.

[Podcast Co-host]

Which. Which, by the way, wasn't Taylor Swift who said that for the first time? I actually. I thought it was. I got that wrong.

[Nick, Dick, or Paul (Podcast Host)]

Listen to the Nick Dick and Poll show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Craig Bierko]

A ambitious, well intentioned, ferocious and wealthy mother looks like in the black community

[Host of Keep It Positive Sweetie]

this Women's History Month. The podcast Keep It Positive Sweetie celebrates the power of women, choosing healing, purpose and faith. Even when life gets messy, love is not a destination. You have to work on it every day. Keep It Positive Sweetie creates space for honest conversations on self worth, love, growth and navigating life with grace and grit. Led by women who uplift, inspire and tell the truth out loud. I have several conversations with God and I know why it took 20 years to hear this and more. Listen to Keep It Positive Sweetie on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Amber Grimes]

It's the new me and it's the old them.

[Host of Keep It Positive Sweetie]

Everybody's on their journey, and your journey is different to theirs.

[Amber Grimes]

This Woman's History Month. The podcast if youf Knew Better with Amber Grimes spotlights women who turn missteps into momentum and lessons into power.

[Guest on If You Knew Better]

I think coming out of. Of where I came from, I'm from the Bronx. I think I grew up really poor. I didn't know that then because I very much use my creativity to romanticize life. And I'm like, my mom did a really good job of, like, you step back and you're like, whoa.

[Host of Keep It Positive Sweetie]

We.

[Guest on If You Knew Better]

I don't know how we made it. So a lot of my life was, like, built out of, like, survival to get to the next place. Like, my drive, my, like, tunnel vision of, like, I got to be better. I got to. To achieve this was off the strengths of, like, I want to make a better life for us.

[Amber Grimes]

If youf Knew Better brings real talk from women who've lived it, unpacking, career pivots, relationship lessons, and the mindset shifts that changed everything. Listen to if youf Knew Better with Amber grimes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Mental Health Advocate]

Everyone needs to take care of their mental health, even running back Bijon Robinson.

[Bijan Robinson]

When I'm on the field, I'm feeling the pressure. I usually just take a deep breath. When I'm just breathing and seeing what's in front of me, everything just slows down. It just makes me feel great before I run the play.

[Mental Health Advocate]

Just like Bijan, we all need a strong mental game on and off the field. Make a game plan for your mental health at loveyourmindplaybook.org Love your mind. Brought to you by the Huntsman Mental Health foundation, the Arthur M. Blank Family foundation, and the AD Council.

[Craig Bierko]

You know, I was re watching this episode, and I've gone through each one of those experiences.

[Kristin Davis]

Oh, wow.

[Craig Bierko]

They're very relatable, which is part of, obviously, the soup of the show. It's why it connects so much, is that there's so much to connect to. There really isn't anything that was just. It didn't seem like anyway, for me, certainly in that episode that there was stuff that was really funny, but it all came out of character and stuff that was really. It seemed researched. Like I told you. I really appreciated that. And also the fact that, you know, yeah, I've been. I've been there. It's, you know, it's, it's. But I've been On both sides of the. Why aren't you talking? What? You know, I want to talk about this. And, and. But it didn't hit me, not when I saw the show, but when I did it, I was what, 36, I guess. And now I'm 111. It's different. It's different. It's different. You know, when you're mature and you've had some experiences or maybe been humbled a little bit and say. And then you can see something like that episode and go, yeah, I was non communicative or oh, it's like a validation to see something on a show that you're familiar with and you love that tells you it's okay. Yeah, this happens.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

And here's, you know, here's a way to deal with it like it is. It can be kind of instructive.

[Kristin Davis]

Oh, I agree. It's super interesting.

[Craig Bierko]

I thought, oh, this will be nostalgic. But I looked at it and thought, I'm glad I saw that because, you know, I had it. Well, no, I had a recent. I was the one who. There was somebody else who just wasn't a talker. They just weren't.

[Kristin Davis]

Right.

[Craig Bierko]

You know, and I like to get in there and understand things.

[Kristin Davis]

Me too.

[Craig Bierko]

But it just wasn't that person's style.

[Kristin Davis]

Right.

[Craig Bierko]

And I, I saw that. I. It was instructive. I saw that. I said, it's frustrating, but it's okay that it's frustrating.

[Kristin Davis]

Right.

[Craig Bierko]

I wish I didn't kill them. That was wrong.

[Kristin Davis]

That's true. I also think, and I hear this from fans a lot too, like if you watch it, you know, for instance, we were all in our 30s when we were filming this originally. Right. And so you're at a certain place in your life then and you have those experiences that you're thinking of. Then if you might watch it a decade later, you're going to have a whole different set of things that are going to come into your mind when you're watching it. And certainly that's true for me now, 800 million years later watching it. But yet it holds up and it's relatable.

[Craig Bierko]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, that's why, I mean, if you look at the really great shows, like some of my favorites anyway, are Dick Van Dyke.

[Kristin Davis]

Oh, yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

I actually like the old Andy Griffith Show. And I noticed years ago I was watching it as an older person and I just thought, there are no jokes in this. There's not one joke.

[Kristin Davis]

Good point.

[Craig Bierko]

No. Like there's three to the page, you know.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

We were doing sitcoms, but this was it. They were. It was all on character, was exceptional writing. And you realize most of the people who ran shows back then came directly out of the theater. First generation.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

And then. And then years later, it would be their kids. And now it's just people who only know tv, and it gets softer and softer.

[Kristin Davis]

That's true. That's true. That is true. I mean, now we also have people where they're kind of creating themselves online somehow.

[Craig Bierko]

It's a whole new thing, and I'm sure good stuff will come out of that.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah. I mean, if you look at Quinta Brunson, who created Abbott, we talked to one of that cast. You know, she created her own self online first, but then also created Abbot, learned how to write in that format so brilliantly. And then also, I don't know if you know Benito Skinner, who does overcompensating on Amazon. No, he is a great. He's young. He's young. He's amazing. He created himself online doing, like, spoof. Spoofs of the Kardashians, basically on Instagram during COVID But he's super talented, super smart, and he's written, he has a podcast, he has. I don't know if he actually does stand up or just does spoofs. He has a whole show that he's written, like an actual single camera. Basically, his life in college, trying to pretend he was straight, trying to make sense of it all, overcompensating in every way. And you just think about good for them, that they're finding their way in this new, crazy world that we live in, but yet they still are, really. They're studying everything. Benito's watched our season. He watches each season as a, you know, technician, trying to take it apart, you know, and learning from what we did, and then also bringing in people to help him who are, you know, more. More schooled or whatever, you know, in the profession. But I love that. I love the freshness of it and trying to find your way, because there really is no set way to.

[Craig Bierko]

No.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah.

[Craig Bierko]

No. And all it is is, you know, everybody keeps saying, well, the world is changing so much. It's radio and then it's tv, and now it's the Internet, and now it's vertical. It's like it's. All they are, is tubes. That information's coming through the people. Haven't changed.

[Kristin Davis]

No, I think we're learning now. Haven't changed.

[Craig Bierko]

It's kind of depressing how little we've changed.

[Kristin Davis]

Right.

[Craig Bierko]

So the stories. It's still about story.

[Kristin Davis]

Yes.

[Craig Bierko]

And it's just the format.

[Kristin Davis]

That's right.

[Craig Bierko]

And I. I actually find that interesting.

[Kristin Davis]

Me, too. I agree.

[Craig Bierko]

I love. As soon as the Internet started coming in and, you know, there was this. They're going to be webisodes, I was like, well, that was exciting. I want to find out what that is. And I got in my hands dir. And I think it's a very exciting time. And it's. All it is is just. It's a new plot of land that you have to learn how to work. That's all it is.

[Kristin Davis]

I agree.

[Craig Bierko]

And if you don't, you're gonna starve.

[Kristin Davis]

Right.

[Craig Bierko]

So don't. Don't keep returning to the old field thinking that's because that's what gets me depressed as we're like, I just. I don't think it's gonna go back to what it was.

[Kristin Davis]

I know that is. It is depressing.

[Craig Bierko]

It's a little bit. But it's also exciting to be straddling to. I mean, not everybody has a life where they're straddling two arrows.

[Kristin Davis]

That's true.

[Craig Bierko]

We had the whole sort of like TV and. Very familiar with that.

[Kristin Davis]

We did it. Yes.

[Craig Bierko]

It was exciting to grow up. You watch welcome Back Cotter and then you go and do a sitcom. That's a big, exciting.

[Kristin Davis]

Yes. Yes.

[Craig Bierko]

I love. I never didn't love that.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah, I agree.

[Craig Bierko]

And then you're like, they'll never be another welcome Back Cotter again. There'll probably be. Never be the stuff that I did or that we did. It's not going to be the same way.

[Kristin Davis]

Right.

[Craig Bierko]

A different way. Because people need stories.

[Kristin Davis]

Definitely. But then also Broadway still doing great, right?

[Craig Bierko]

I hope so. I don't know. I don't follow that as closely.

[Kristin Davis]

Yeah. Maybe they're not doing great. Great, but they're still there. Let's put it that way.

[Craig Bierko]

I think it's, you know, I think it's driven by celebrity, which is.

[Kristin Davis]

That's true.

[Craig Bierko]

It's not always a bad thing.

[Kristin Davis]

Right.

[Craig Bierko]

And it always has been. It's not like it hasn't been, but it's. That's what's preceding. Like, you can't get a show done.

[Kristin Davis]

That's a good point. Yeah, That's a really good point.

[Craig Bierko]

I wouldn't have been cast. I wouldn't have been cast in Music Man Today. I don't think so.

[Kristin Davis]

I don't know.

[Craig Bierko]

Well, I don't think so. It's possible. And I know even then she was taking a big chance.

[Host of Keep It Positive Sweetie]

Wow.

[Craig Bierko]

But she felt very strongly about it and she has my allegiance for the rest of my life.

[Kristin Davis]

Absolutely. Absolutely. You guys, this is so much fun that we are going to have to have a part two. So join us later in the week on Are you a Charlotte?

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.