Secrets of ‘Sex and the City’ Infamous Soho House Scene Revealed
It’s been 20 years since Carrie Bradshaw & co frolicked by the rooftop pool at Soho House in ‘Sex and the City’ – before they were unceremoniously kicked out.
Who can ever forget Samantha Jones’ ridiculous English accent after she stole member Annabelle Bronstein’s card?
But Nick Jones, the man who brought Soho House to New York, revealed he had never seen a second of the show when he agreed to let it shoot there, creating one of his most famous moments.
The private Meatpacking District club, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this week, wasn’t even open when Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, alongside the late Willie Garson, arrived to film the episode of 2003, “Boy, Interrupted”. .”
“They paid a fee to use the house, I didn’t know what the storyline was going to be,” Jones told Page Six.
Amy Harris, producer, ‘SATC’ writer and member of Soho House New York, revealed it happened after meeting a friend working on opening preparations who told her there would be a pool on the roof.
“The crazy thing about the day we shot was that Soho House still wasn’t open, so there was no water in the pool,” Harris told Page Six.
“They filled it the night before with running water and it was very cold. They couldn’t warm it up, so it was like an iceberg.
“At one point one of the actors tried to come in and her teeth started chattering so badly she couldn’t get her lines out. Only Willie could come in and say his lines without chattering his teeth. It was so cold.
Jones said, “I didn’t understand the impact or the global reach of ‘Sex and the City’. It was iconic, and it was such luck that they did it with us, and I’ll be forever grateful to them — it was the start of our 20 years in America.
Although Cattrall swore never to return to the show, she made a guest appearance at the end of the second season of the “SATC” sequel, “And Just Like That…”, where she reprized Bronstein’s accent. in a pleasant telephone. conversation with Carrie Bradshaw of SJP.
The club, built in a former electrical warehouse, has been the scene of celebrities, scandals and numerous c**ktail parties over the past 20 years, the “SATC” having allowed it to launch itself into popular culture.
“The timing was remarkable,” Jones said. The invitations to Tuesday’s birthday party were actually “Annabelle Bronstein” membership cards.
Jones, who is cancer-free after being treated for prostate cancer, said he never really believed the Meatpacking club would open.
He had arrived in the city the day before 9/11 to obtain property permits and was having breakfast at his Soho hotel when the first of the planes slammed into the World Trade Center.
“It was awful, but what struck me was the resilience and genius of New Yorkers, the way they coped and how they came together.”
The permit meeting still went on schedule. He then went “cap in hand” in search of donors – by organizing a dinner on the site, with among his guests David Bowie, who became a major investor.
On the night of opening night 20 years ago, there was no hot water, the roof was not properly covered and it was raining on the guests dining inside.
“It was nerve-wracking to see if New York would agree to start a members-only club, and luckily they did,” Jones said. “It was a safe place for known people.”
Many celebrities are members, including Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, but as Page Six revealed, Kanye West had his membership revoked due to his anti-Semitic rants.
One of Jones’ fondest memories is of asking Prince to perform at the Soho House branch in West Hollywood. The star asked Jones to play first, so he played drumsticks on the piano.
By 2025, the 30th anniversary of the opening of the chain’s first club in London’s Soho, there will be 20 houses across the states.
Next came a “pa*sion project” for Jones; a Soho House in Rhinebeck, 100 miles from town. It will be built on the grounds of the Grasmere Estate and modeled on two retreats that Jones opened in the English countryside; Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire and Babington House in Somerset.
“I’ve always been determined to find a version in upstate New York, and it should be ready in a few years,” Jones revealed; “It will be a country getaway.”
