Sarah Jessica Parker details her fears of book-banning, likens libraries to ‘sanctuaries of possibility’
Sarah Jessica Parker is seen here in "And Just Like That..."
By Dan Heching, CNN
(CNN) — Sarah Jessica Parker might play a writer passionate about relationships (and shoes) on TV, but in real life she’s an avid reader who holds books near and dear to her heart.
The actress and publishing imprint owner – whose series “And Just Like That…” debuts its third season on Thursday – spoke to CNN this week about her love of reading, and why she fears the ramifications of book bans and library funding being cut.
“Book banning doesn’t really accomplish much, except it just hurts people,” Parker told CNN’s Isa Soares. “Specific to libraries, I will simply say that many people in this country, including me, were raised in libraries, and they’re not just buildings with shelves, they are sanctuaries of possibility.”
The “Sex and the City” star went on the describe how libraries are vital and free connections for many people to utilities such as Wi-Fi, heat in the winter or air conditioning in the summer.
“The opportunity to apply for jobs, to learn languages, to reach information, they are the gateway to compassion and empathy and curiosity, but they are also beacons in neighborhoods,” she said.
“The idea of taking that away, (of) cutting funding and making libraries – almost making it impossible for them to stay open and serve their communities, but to take books away to suggest that someone else’s opinion… just fundamentally it’s counter, it’s anathema to who we are as Americans,” Parker added.
Describing the importance of being able to learn, through books, about “something that is unfamiliar,” and of “learning about each other,” she said that “it seems an impossibility that I would live in a country where I can’t share a diverse or counter-opinion. I’m excited about meeting people who think differently than me, and it’s a way, it’s how we often arrive at the best decisions.”
As for her HBO Max series “And Just Like That…,” Parker mentioned that production on the New York-set show was “a really long season” for the cast the third time around, “but enormously gratifying.”
“For me and I think for the other actors on the show, this season is really big,” she shared. “Everybody has big, exciting, rich stories. It’s robust in love and complications and moments of friendship that are necessary and frustrating, people disappointing one another, people falling short, people stepping up, people being a source of comfort. Enormous curiosity about sexual politics and men, and it’s all there and it was hugely fun to do.”
“And Just Like That…” is now streaming on HBO Max, which like CNN is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.
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