11 Sex and the City cameos you've probably forgotten all about

It’s been 11 years since we waved goodbye to Sex and the City (after the abysmal second movie), with the revival delving into what life and love looks like for our favourite friendship group now that they’re in their fifties (of course, this series is sans Samantha, with Kim Cattrall quitting the show following a very public feud with Sarah Jessica Parker).

Before Big chased Carrie to Paris to tell her that she was ‘the one’, Bradshaw dated a veritable smorgasbord of men – a number of whom were played by actors who have gone on to enjoy hugely successful careers. Consider Sex and the City to be the American equivalent of The Bill for jobbing young actors, only swapping out the police uniform for couture and cosmos.

Here are some Sex and City cameos you may have totally forgotten about…

Justin Theroux

Poor Justin Theroux. The actor and screenwriter, who usually plays slick, yuppie-types (American Psycho and The Girl on the Train are among some of his previous credits) found himself playing not one, but two pretentious writers in New York.

In The Monogomists (season 1, episode 7), Theroux was cast as a stuck-up writer in his twenties who chats Carrie up at a bar. In Shortcomings (season 2, episode 15), he appeared in a more developed role as another writer, Vaughn. While Carrie loves Vaughn’s cosmopolitan and liberal family, she doesn’t feel any sexual connection, which wasn't helped by Vaughn's struggles with premature ejaculation.

Bradley Cooper

In his first ever TV role before he was considered an international sex symbol, Bradley Cooper played Jake, who locked lips with Carrie as she tried to put her abysmal New York magazine cover behind her (remember They Shoot Single People Don’t They? in season 2, episode 4?).

After he nipped into the shops to buy a packet of cigarettes, he confronted Carrie with her Single and Fabulous cover, which saw her storm out of his convertible and sashay home.

Alan Cumming

The screen legend, best known for his roles in Emma, GoldenEye and The Good Wife, was one of the many celebrity cameos in the incredibly cringeworthy The Real Me (season 4, episode 2). Cumming featured as a flamboyant fashion designer for Dolce and Gabbana who convinced Carrie to walk in a New York fashion show wearing a blue blazer and a tiny pair of bejewelled panties. It may have been considered a *look*, but it wasn’t one Carrie wore well, especially when she fell face-first on the catwalk.

Will Arnett

Before he played a depressed horse, Will Arnett had a brief dalliance with Miranda in La Douleur Exquise! (season 2, episode 12). While Carrie was trying to process the news that Big was moving to Paris, Miranda was excited about her burgeoning new relationship with a guy she met at a book swap. They seemed to be perfect for one another on paper, with their relationship heating up when Miranda discovered that her new love interest only liked to have sex in public. Obviously, they were not built to last...

Bon Jovi

After Carrie’s second huge break-up with Big – which saw Carrie running around New York announcing she was “better off without him” – her tired friends insisted that she cart herself off to therapy. Given her seamless ability to find a date anywhere, Carrie met Seth in her therapist’s waiting room in Games People Play (season 2, episode 13).

Seth was played by none other than Jon Bon Jovi, whose character admitted he was in counselling because he had sex with women and then ghosted them. Carrie sure knows how to pick 'em.

Vince Vaughn

Even when they weren't in the city, there was still plenty of sex for Carrie and the girls. In Escape from New York (season 3, episode 13), they all fled Manhattan for a holiday in Los Angeles, which led Carrie to Keith Travers. While Keith, played by Hollywood regular Vince Vaughn, gave the impression that he was oh-so-debonair and wealthy, it turned out that he was merely someone who housesat for Carrie Fisher. Not a bad gig, if you ask us.

David Duchovny

Carrie reunited with her high school boyfriend in Boy, Interrupted (season 6, episode 10). While she expected Jeremy to be a bit of a loser, it turned out that her old flame, played by David Duchovny, certainly had the X factor and the pair quickly reignited their romance – that is until Carrie discovered that he was actually in a rehabilitation facility following a breakdown.

John Slattery

It's only fitting that John Slattery, who is known for playing suave characters in Mad Men, Veep and Spotlight, was cast as a similarly charming persona in Sex and the City. In the first two episodes of season 3, Slattery wooed Carrie as politician Bill Kelley, with Bradshaw's character very much enjoying her very own ‘Jackie O’ era. However, things quickly stopped being quite so politically correct when Bill revealed he was a fan of golden showers – and asked Carrie if she’d like to partake.

Despite being a sex columnist, Carrie refused to acquiesce and the relationship reached an uncomfortable ending.

Kat Dennings

It’s not just men who had juicy debut roles in Sex and the City. Marvel mainstay Kat Dennings landed her first on-screen role when she played a bratty but incredibly rich teenager who hired Samantha to do the PR for her Bat Mitzvah in Hot Child in the City (season 3, episode 15).

Alanis Morissette

Carrie found it a jagged little pill to swallow when she dated Sean in Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl (season 3, episode 4), who was bi-sexual. The pair attended a party together, where they met his friend and ex Dawn, played by Alanis Morissette, who Carrie ended up kissing during a game of spin the bottle. Following that encounter, Carrie realised that she wasn't comfortable in the relationship and left Sean.

The episode has since drawn heavy criticism for its biphobic attitudes, with a particular point of contention being the girls describing bisexuality as “a layover to Gaytown" during brunch.

Geri Horner

Ginger Spice herself turned up in Manhattan as Phoebe, a British socialite who bragged to Samantha about her Soho House membership in Boy, Interrupted (season 6, episode 10). Jealous of Phoebe’s on-demand access to a pool during the sweltering New York summer, Samantha managed to obtain entry to the exclusive members' club by pretending to be the wealthy Annabelle Bronstein.

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