Ladies who labor at 40
Darren Star created “Sex and the City.” Wednesday night brings the Season 4 finale of his “Younger” on TV Land so he and his tribe — like
Sutton Foster and Debi Mazar — spoke at the 92nd Street Y. And 900 backsides sat to listen.
Early on, did Darren ever create a flop?
“Forget early on. Always happens to us all. A writers’ room, sitting in a grungy space eight hours a day banging your head against a wall, is like detention.
“This show’s story came from a book I’d read. The idea of women, age 40, working, not hiding it or pretending to be what they’re not, intrigued me. I couldn’t believe Sutton Foster, with that incredible look, was 40. I knew she was right for the part.
“I spend months in LA writing, then it’s New York. We film here in Silvercup Studios, the same stages where we did ‘Sex and the City.’ I love working here.
“One day in Williamsburg our crew was set up in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood, where every other week’s another religious holiday and work isn’t allowed. We were filming on a street. Or trying to. They wouldn’t let us. It was some sort of festival with thousands outside. We could not get a single shot.”
So why film here?
“Because it’s New York, and I like that the whole place is a public industry.”
So if he likes New York, why live in California?
“Because when it’s freezing in January is why I like California.” A writer, the man’s clearly a smartass. OK, so Mazar. “My role in ‘Younger’ is I play an artist. My character’s gay. I love gay people. Way back in the ’80s, I was speaking about safe sex. Listen, I don’t have to worry about what my mother thinks of me playing a gay role. She had me at 15. She’s open-minded and, basically, couldn’t care less. Gays love me. I’m their champion. “After this, I’m off to Spain. It’s a movie for Lifetime. Meanwhile I’m taking language lessons. I don’t speak Spanish, and in this movie I have to speak Spanish. “Also my second cookbook, ‘Super Tuscan,’ is out Oct. 3. Simon & Schuster. I gained a little weight writing it but, fortunately, I hide that because I know how to dress.”