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The beloved 90-year-old cartoon mouse—now with his own museum in NYC called Mickey: The True Original Exhibition (open through February)—tugs at the heartstrings of one of our favorite famous New Yorkers: Sarah Jessica Parker, a former Disney star herself.
In her own words: “He’s always had a presence. Growing up, I didn’t have a television, so I would go to other people’s homes to watch Mickey Mouse, which was nice. He’s a figure that doesn’t require much introduction. Every generation is familiar with Mickey."
Channeling Minnie Mouse with her bright red skirt and Victorian-esque ears, we got a chance to chat with Parker during the opening party for Mickey’s pop-up exhibit last week. Read on for what the Sex and the City and Divorce star (and shoe designer) has to say about the icon as well as her favorite places in New York.
Was there a particular Disney character you gravitated toward as you grew up?
Mickey! Mickey is a superstar.
I see that he has even inspired your fashion accessory choice for the evening.
These ears were made by my friend L’Wren Scott many, many years ago when Disney created these incredible windows for Barneys. I wore them tonight because they’re sentimental.
If you could design a pair of shoes for Mickey or Minnie Mouse, what would they look like?
It would be nice to design for Mickey. I think a spat would be great for him. It’s a classic, like him.
If you could write a love letter to any New York institution, which would your choose and why?
I think a lot of what I love goes hand in glove with something else. Things don’t exist on their own, necessarily. I would definitely say Jefferson [Market] Library is very important for not just myself and my community, but my family. So is Three Lives Bookstore. It’s a real gathering place for information and the exchange that happens there is very wonderful and important.
I also saw that your recently wrote a little obituary for Tortilla Flats on Instagram as it’s closing.
I did! It’s horrible as are the countless other closings that make no sense to me. We should all buy Jeremiah Moss’s book, Vanishing New York.
Luckily, we already have. We’ve also had the pleasure of speaking to Moss a year ago, in case you want to read that, too. For more details regarding “Mickey: The True Original Exhibition,” click here.