Mr. Big (Sex and the City)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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John Big is a fictional character in HBO series, Sex and the City, portrayed by Chris Noth.
History
"Mr. Big" appears in the first episode as a very wealthy and mysterious man who accidentally meets Carrie Bradshaw on the streets of Manhattan. In the first few episodes, they constantly "bump into one other." In fact, after she and Samantha bump into Mr. Big at a night club, Samantha tries to "pick up" Mr. Big, but he graciously rejects. Finally, Carrie suggests the two of them should bump into one another on purpose. Mr. Big agrees and thus begins their on-and-off-again relationship.
Carrie eventually falls in love with him, despite his frequent displays of commitment and intimacy phobias. She repeatedly returns to the relationship even though he is clearly emotionally unavailable to her and unable to meet her needs. They break up twice, over the course of two years, for these reasons, before Mr. Big marries a twenty-something socialite, and former Ralph Lauren executive, named Natasha (Bridget Moynahan), after only dating her for five months; this is shown to have a profoundly negative effect on Carrie's self-esteem.
Within seven months of his marriage he begins to pine for Carrie and initiates an affair with her. Carrie, herself is in a committed relationship (with Aidan) at the time, feels guilty but continues to see Big. The affair continues until Natasha discovers Carrie fleeing from the marital apartment. Natasha accidentally falls and breaks her tooth while chasing after Carrie and Carrie ends up taking her to the emergency room. As a result, Carrie ends the affair. Carrie later finds out that Mr. Big and Natasha divorce.
Mr. Big and Carrie eventually manage to become friends. He relocates to Napa Valley and they are able to discuss their other on-going relationships with each other. However their sexual chemistry always remains just below the surface and their friendship never remains strictly platonic. In the series finale, he rescues Carrie in Paris where he tells her she is "the one". Carrie asks Big to take her home back to New York.
His real name, John, is finally revealed on her cell phone caller ID after she returns to the city and he calls to tell her he is closing the sale of his Napa estate and coming back to New York. Executive producer Michael Patrick King has stated that by never revealing his real name, Mr. Big remains "always slightly out of reach" for Carrie, and this plot device is maintained throughout the entire run of the series.
