Jono, Ben & Megan - The Podcast - Special Edition - Sarah Jessica Parker **Unedited**

Episode Date: November 19, 2020

Hello and welcome to the Sarah Jessica Parker special! We were lucky enough to have a wine and a Zoom with Sarah Jessica Parker herself, because she's recently launched two wines with Kiwi company Invivo Wines - a Rosé and Sauvignon Blanc. We chatted about Sex & The City, Jacinda Ardern, her marriage to Matthew Broderick and much more (even Ben's Toy Story backpack...) Enjoy, it's a goodie!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey! How are you, mate? I'm well, thank you. How are you? We're good. Usually I only get Zoom calls from my parents. This is literally the most exciting Zoom call I've had. That can't be true. This is very exciting for us. Probably not as exciting for you, but how are you, firstly?

No, it's very exciting for me, but am I crazy? Haven't we done this before, though not on Zoom? Have I gone wrong? The three of us before? Well, I've not spoken to you on the radio before. Have I just made up this whole experience that never happened? Well, listen, if I forgot talking to Sarah Jessica Parker. I feel like I would remember that, but maybe I wouldn't.

Let's pretend we're old friends. It must have been two other scintillating interesting people I was confusing you for. Well listen whoever they were you've definitely downgraded with this interview Sarah. No no no no absolutely not. I know we're very excited. Firstly though how are you at the moment obviously a strange time in the world with a virus going around how's things? Things are are fine you know we we're well, we're okay. So we feel very fortunate. You know, it's getting scary again. That's just the truth. It's getting scary and the numbers are rising. And, you know, here we are again. It's sort of like Groundhog's Day, but enormously,

I mean, we feel really fortunate because we've we've i'm scared to say it but thus far we've been able to to stay healthy so you're in new york at the moment yeah right so what is the city like a ghost town at the moment or is it most people have left or no it's not i mean it's it's it's not as populated as it typically is. And it depends. New York is very much like little provinces. So every neighborhood has its own life and story. And some neighborhoods feel very familiar and are very active and dynamic. And then other neighborhoods, typically where there's more businesses rather than residential, like Midtown feels radically different and unfamiliar. Our neighborhood, a lot of people have come home, which is nice. I mean, not enough to support all of our businesses.

I mean, you all have been through this, so you know the sort of pattern. But it's upsetting because on the whole, the city is not functioning the way we want it to. And, you know, people are hurting. Businesses are hurting. People are sick. And it's a it's a it's a very it's a very pleasant time in lots of ways. I mean, there's lots to be hopeful about and lots that we're excited about. And we feel that, as everybody does, I think, across the globe, that a vaccine will be enormously the antidote to so many problems. But until then, we have a lot of people hurting economically

and physically, and it's a worry. It's a worry. Well, listen, I'm sorry. We started this on a bleak note. We did. I'm so sorry. We're so sorry we put you there. Okay.

We're moving on from that. Let's get a drink. Let's have a drink. Okay. Sarah Jessica Parker. Now, how do you go from starring in TV shows, movie shows to teaming up with a Kiwi company like Envivo and making two wines?

They ask. You ask. They guess your email or something. It's sherryjessicaparker at gmail.com or something. Cheers. Cheers. What time is it there? It's lunchtime here.

Lunchtime. So we've got jam jars here because apparently you like to drink out of jam jars. You know what? I do, and I didn't bring mine in the room because I thought enough people have seen enough jam jars, and I tried to class it up a bit with a proper juice glass. We've got a juice glass. So what are we trying first on this virtual taste testing? So I'm drinking this Sauvignon.

Are you all drinking the Sauvignon? Can we tell you the honest truth? We just got off another Zoom call with the In Vivo people, and this is the first time I've ever pre-loaded for an interview. We're six wines deep here so if I start crying and opening up to you you'll know why. He's got some issues he's going to bring to you later. I'd be honoured.

Let it rip. Okay, so we're going to So how did it happen was I got a call from my agent which is pretty much the standard operating procedure and they said there are these two gentlemen from my agent, which is, you know, pretty much the standard operating procedure. And, and they said, there are these two gentlemen from New Zealand, and they have this business. And would

I be interested in partnering with them? And I was confounded. I couldn't imagine why they'd asked me. And I didn't even have a reputation at that point as being like a wino or anything or having consumed too much or too little. But, but curious because I didn't understand what I could possibly contribute to professionals in the wine industry. But they were nice enough to let me talk to them and to share a lot of their experience and knowledge and wisdom and enthusiasm and talked me into, um, they talked me into basically learning. And, um, and as long as I felt that they were willing to share what they knew, I would feel less of an interloper. Um, and I was just, I mean, you've just spent time with them.

I've had the pleasure of spending a lot of time with them. They're incredibly wonderful men. I'm so fond of them. And I've enjoyed the process. It's been enormously informative. It's been an education. It's been enormously fun. I love the wine. I've learned about your country in all sorts of wonderful ways. The next step is visiting, obviously. So I'm awfully glad that I had the courage to say yes and that they were persistent about me doing so so you're not out there like stomping on grapes with your feet or anything like that like how involved are you through the process because I understand you're quite involved in selecting well I'm always involved in anything that I

that I say I want to be part of because I just think it's for me the most honorable way to to do things so um and I and I said from the beginning that that was important to me and obviously there's lots that I don't know that I'm learning that I shouldn't be involved in um like this right now or not pardon me like this like this chat or not no that's fine okay good okay good I good No, but so I have not yet had a chance to visit. But what we do is I'm involved in all the blending for better or worse. And and all the other sort of minutia that goes along with launching a wine short of actually harvesting the grapes and crushing them, mushing them, you know, putting them in vats of, you know, so that they can become what we want them to be. But I'm involved in all of it.

And that's, you know, in large part because I have generous partners who are willing to let me be like that. Yeah. So you've got here, this is the New Zealand Sauv Blanc from Marlborough. And you've got a French rosé as well, Sarah Jessica. That's what you're having at the moment.

I'm having the Sauvignon Blanc. I didn't know where to start. Are we all reaching the bottom by the end of this? I feel like we've really But you're also on the board of In Vivo. As well. Yes.

Isn't that funny? Yeah. So, yeah. How's that go back? So that's in America, right? So the In Vivo board in America. Yes. And I'll just be honest.

I mean, thus far, it's not really been very taxing. Okay. Oh, that's good. Don't speak. Don't say. Are you getting paid for it because you shouldn't say that on camera yeah oh no meaning they've not asked a lot of you okay oh that's good no i'm on i'm on other boards and they are far they consume much more of my time than

than this board has asked of me thus far you're on the board of the New York Ballet. Yeah. You're an accomplished ballerist. Ballerina, I think they call it. Yeah, I think it is. Well, I was a ballerina. I was a ballerina for years, but I have not danced for many, many years. But, yes, I'm the vice chair of the board of the New York City Ballet. That's pretty cool. Very prestigious.

Very prestigious. And you're quite the entrepreneur as well. You're hocking off shoes. You've got bags. Yeah. You've got the the entrepreneur as well uh you're hocking off shoes you got bags yeah you got the wine as well i'm not hocking off yeah yeah i feel like yeah that was really downgrading what you're doing i have a company we're six years in business now we are a very small um uh shoe company we our shoes are all handmade in italy it's a very small company that i own with my partner it's a very small company that I own with my partner. It's a very small team and we work really, really hard.

And we have two stores in New York City now. But I would be hard pressed to say that I'm really like a shoe hawker. I work really hard and I work in the store and work really hard in the store and in the offices. But I'm not like uh you know i don't know you know you had bags as well and it said on the website you'd be carried away and i thought it was a great pun by the bags was that what something you came up with or not we have a backpack that is um that yes well yes it was hard to it was good it was hard not do that yeah it's a fantastic backpack.

I carry it everywhere. It's the truth. And Oprah picked it last year as one of her favorite things. Oh, wow. That was a big accomplishment for a little company like ours. But it's a great backpack. What can I say? You all say rucksack, don't you?

No, we say backpack. Backpack is good, yeah. Can I get my friend, can you go and get your bag? Can I get him to show you his backpack? Yeah, I'd like to see his backpack. You don't need to see my back. This will lower him in your standards. Okay, so he wanders around, without a word of lie,

he wanders around with this backpack. It's the Toy Story 4. Oh, but that's not charming. Was it free? It was free, of course it was free. I have kids and everyone goes, is that your kid's bag? And I'm like, no, it's my

bag. I like Toy Story. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that bag unless that's a subtle message that you would like me to send you. A Sarah Jessica Parker.

That's what I was angling for. That's why we're doing this, right? I can't compete with a free Toy Story. The amount of movie merch this guy's living off.

He's got Sex and the City underpants on too. Now, of course, we saw you were doing a virtual wine tasting or blind blending virtually, and you were taking the piss out of the New Zealand accent. So what do you think of the New Zealand? I feel like I wasn't taking the piss out of it. I think, first of all, I love the accent. I love your country.

Someday you'll have me. I'd love to have you here. If you're quarantined for two weeks in the jet park motel, we'll take you. I've heard all about it. I've heard all about that motel. But it's a very, I think it's a very hard accent to imitate, and I did it poorly.

And I can't remember what word. It was like blended, I think you were saying, or blended. What was I saying? Blended? Blended, yeah, it was blended. The wine is blended. We're quite lazy when it comes to speaking. I think we just kind of go, no one really cares what we have to say,

so we'll just mumble it. Nobody cares. Nobody cares, yeah. Nobody cares. You also said six in the city you don't say sex in the city you say six like the number six yeah yeah and a lot but i don't but i i wouldn't i wouldn't characterize it honestly as making fun it's very it's this new zealand i think it's very hard to do south african is a hard accent to do because it's just slightly different

enough from a more familiar, you know, English accent, say, for instance. Yeah. A lot of people get quite confused when we say, come and have a party on our deck, which is the decking outside of your house. Yeah. Why don't you just change to come and have a party on our terrace? That's good. As a lover of puns, we are. We were quite disappointed. One of the

newspapers in New Zealand pointed out you should have gone with Sav in the city. I know. I should have. I heard that earlier today. I heard that earlier today. I heard that earlier today. And you're absolutely right. And if I was more mercenary, I would have thought of that myself. But we're much more pure. This is a very pure endeavor. Now, every interview in New Zealand at the moment,

we always like to ask about our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. It's like we want to know what everyone overseas thinks of Jacinda Ardern. Basically, we get newspaper headlines. Sarah Jessica Parker said this about Jacinda Ardern. It's like we want to know what everyone overseas thinks of Jacinda Ardern. Basically, we get newspaper headlines. Sarah Jessica Parker said this about Jacinda Ardern. So we're going to go there. What do you think? What do you know about our prime minister? It'd be very funny right now if you said something really controversial. I don't think she's going to. You know, here's the thing that I think is so not remarkable because it's the way she conducts. And so I don't know that one could find something controversial to

say about her I think she's so she's extraordinary I mean listen I'm getting news from far away I'm not paying as close attention to you know domestic news as you would but I will say she's just

incredibly impressive. She and I think because politics today feels very much dictated by, you know, what is what what people will respond well to. She just seems so much that she is that she governs from kind of a place. It's a very different way of governing. She sees something that she thinks is wrong or is harmful or isn't safe, and she simply does something about it. And there's a much longer process in our country to getting to that point. You know, we, we, we see, um, you know, from, from the outside, you know, we see something violent happen in your country that is unthinkably upsetting. And, um, and she just simply does something about it. And there, it's such a, it's such a, I don't know,

it's such a refreshing way of handling, but she's handling crisis. And she just seems so completely confident. And I think she's respected. I'm sure people disagree with her policies. I'm sure they disagree with choices she makes. But there is such a kind of stability to her approach to governing that is admirable. And because she is a woman, it makes it, for those of us who are women, it's just very inspiring to see somebody lead with authority

and a sort of conviction. She seems, you know, she is, I don't know, she has the courage of her convictions, and it's quite something to witness from the outside. Do you know what the stupid thing about New Zealanders, I don't know if it's stupid or the adorable thing about New Zealanders, I was getting an Uber away from the airport the other day, and her Prime Ministerial car pulls up next,

and you wind down the window, and you're like, Prime Minister, and she winds down the window, and she's like, hello. Because we've interviewed her a few times, we wouldn't be lucky enough. Awkwardly, we had that thing where you kept stopping at the traffic lights, but she was still next to me, having to awkwardly. And the Uber driver, he was like, she's just waving at the car. This is the greatest day of my life. But it is New Zealand.

Everyone knows everyone. Yeah. I mean, that probably also is, I think, characterizes, it suggests something about her that she's very, I don't know, human. She has a I don't know. She seems like like the woman in your class that you can talk to, but also that you might aspire to be like. So she she's very you know, she's she's seriously admired here in this country. I'm sure there are plenty who disagree with the, you know. Yeah, right.

Politics. Enormously. She's a very attractive person. You know what I mean? And I mean that in all ways. It's been very exciting to watch her lead. That's awesome. Now, mate, can I.

Have you heard about our election lately? Oh, yeah. It's been, we have been watching. We've had no coverage over here. That's awesome. Now, mate, can I... Have you heard about our election lately? Oh, yeah. We have been watching. We've heard no coverage over here. What's happening? It might not be covered in your country the way that just... We like cricket in New Zealand. It's a sport and it takes five days for no result.

And that's been like the election in America. It's just keep dragging on and dragging on. Yeah. So we understand where you're coming from. It's like a game of cricket. I haven't heard anything about it. What's been happening over there? I think it's all been serious.

We've talked enough about politics. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Now you've got twins. You've been locked down with twins. How's that gone? They're very pleasant. Yeah? I mean, not always, nor am I. They've become more pleasant with the more of these? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, not always, nor am I. They become more pleasant with the more of these?

Yes. If only they would drink. And your husband, is it 23 years you guys, Matthew Broderick, obviously have been together? That's amazing. Yes, I think we're married 24 years. I think we'll be together about 29 years soon. Wow. That is incredible. 28 or 29 years, yeah.

That's awesome. What does he think of the wine? Is he a fan? He loves it. He loves it. He actually asks, and I'm very careful because I don't actually have just a sort of limitless supply. And we cook a lot.

He cooks a lot. And he's always like, hey, can I use a little bit of that? You don't touch that for cooking. You'd be pretty stoked. You'd like it very much. You'd just be getting boxes and boxes of wine when you get a plentiful supply. Well, we don't have a lot of the first, you know, once it's gone, it's gone. The first one, the grapes are gone.

So I've been treating it like it's – so I know I don't have a lot of it. I would rather give it to people in order to buy it than – Give it to your husband. He's like, he'll sink the business. I don't want to be selfish about it. Yeah, no, I understand. You've got a bottom line to worry about. That's right.

What would the girls from Sex and the City, what would they think about your wine? Because they were Cosmopolitan fans, weren't they? Carrie drank Cosmopolitans i think didn't samantha drink martinis i don't remember i mean i think they would like it enjoy it yeah pardon oh you mean the real people one of the characters probably the characters i don't you know whatever he thought it was a documentary was that was that not oh really yeah no shit so oh yeah playing a character it's like pantomime in your country so Sarah was playing a character. I thought it was Carrie Bradshaw. Oh, shit.

It's like pantomime in your country. So you're not a journalist that writes for, okay, okay, all right. The local butcher, he says, I'll play Santa this year. I gotcha, okay. It's like that. We got together a bunch of friends and we pretended to be other people. Eye-opening, this is eye-opening. I think that they would like it.

Listen, I have to say in all seriousness, I have some friends who consider themselves quite sophisticated. They have very sophisticated palates. They have fancy wine in their homes. They order fancy wine. And I was nervous, but I can't keep this in the house because my friends more than our own consumption my friends love it they love it it's so thrilling i was so relieved i was terrified

to offer it to a few who shall remain nameless well you said you said online uh it was as exciting as the final script of sex in the city getting uh the wine sent to you you were quite as excited now it was pretty exciting, obviously. It was because the blending. The blending. The blending. The blending is one thing, and I'm sure that Rob and Tim are more articulate about. So this thing happens in the blending,

but then it goes back and it becomes sort of more voluminous, right? Why is that there? Close. Let's ask. We're gone. You don't know really what's going to happen between this final decision and once it really goes through the process. Now, Rob, I'm sure, would tell you he's not at all nervous about that because whatever the science is remains the same. It's proportions and everything

but between that final blending and and re and sort of reaching our destination point and that bottle arriving i i was like will it really be what i recall and so i was very very nervous and excited and and i wanted to crack it but I was also terrified that I couldn't take it back. And once I drank it, I was going to have to say something. And I couldn't make it up. I wanted so much to like it as much as I liked it in that process. And I was really happy. I love this wine.

And you know, it's an award winner. You know this wine keeps winning awards. I know, because you sold. You sold, not hocked off, you sold. Yeah, not hocked off. You sold. Not hocked off. Not hocked off.

You sold 500,000 bottles in the States, which is incredible. Yeah, it's incredible. That's amazing. But you know why? Because you're a Syracuse good parker. No, it has nothing to do with me. And I'm not feigning some, you know, it's sold that much because, sincerely,

it's so freaking good. Yeah, it's really good. It is truly great. It's done right by your country and the idea of, like, the Marlborough region and what that means. And it's a gorgeous wine. It is a gorgeous wine.

Yeah. Hey, listen, mate. Are you still wanting to go? Oh, no, I was just going to say, I mean, sorry to bring up Sex and the City because you must be just sick of talking about that. No, no, no, I'm not sick of it at all. Because I feel like every,

but it was such an iconic show, such a massive show. And I was just going to say, when I went to New York, I spent four hours walking around New York with my wife, who was the biggest fan, to find the outside of Carrie's apartment, what they use for the outside.

I was just like, this step looks like it. Surely we could just take a photo. I was like, no, we need to find Carrie's step. I was like, this step looks like it. Surely we could just take a photo. It's like, no, we need to find Carrie's step. I was like, four hours of my life. I got quite grumpy by that. But anyway, it's just that shows the level of the show and how great you were on that show and how much it just resonated with people all over the world.

Thank you. I wish you'd told me in advance I could have directed you right there. Oh, yeah. What he's wanting is an apology from you for wasting four hours of his trip to New York. Yeah. So thank you for that. I owe you four hours. Oh, hey, no.

It wasn't worth it. Hey, we got to talk about that. But you did find the real one on Perry Street? Do you know? I think so. Amanda, my wife, was happy. So I think so. So I feel like we did.

But I was like, every step looked like that to me. But she was just like. A stoop is a stoop is a stoop is a stoop. Unless you're looking for Carrie Bradshaw's stoop. And then those people cannot be. You can't pull the wool over their eyes. No, exactly. Exactly.

Yeah. Sarah, Jessica Parker, this has been an absolute honor. Do you know what I've got to go and do now? I've got to go to my kids' athletics day. And I'm going to be very rowdy. Yeah. Come on, kids. Thank you guys for having me. and do now. I'm going to go to my kids athletics day and I'm going to be very rowdy. Come on kids. Thank you guys for having me. Really truly appreciate it. And now

when I see you again it'll be nice to see you again for real. We'd love to have you in New Zealand sometime or hopefully in the next couple of years it'll be great to have you here. It'd be a thrill. We'll blend some wine together. We can do anything thank you for having us

you Matthew and the kids you can doss at our house as long as you're quarantined at the Jet Park Motel you're more than welcome understood cheers Sarah Jessica lovely to talk to you

take care of yourself be well be safe my best to everybody you too bye guys how do we hang up on her I don't know how we hang up on her

I'll hang up on you you're still there she's gone