Sarah Jessica Parker Recalls 'Cruel' Comments About Her Appearance: 'It Felt So Purposeful'

Sarah Jessica Parker may have become a cultural icon as the beloved Carrie Bradshaw, but the "Sex and the City" star admits the scrutiny that came with fame took a painful toll on her self-image.

In a candid interview released Wednesday, Sarah Jessica Parker opened up about the harsh and often deeply personal criticism she endured at the height of her "SATC" fame between 1998 and 2004.

When speaking on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, SJP said, "I think just discussions of my physical person [were the hardest]."

"Like, stuff that I couldn't change and wouldn't change and had never considered changing. Or even still after hearing something that was like, 'What? Somebody would say that?' — even still, no interest in changing it," she added.

Parker, who got her start as a child star, reflected on how the comments, often centered around her looks, left her stunned.

"I didn't feel like I could sit in a room and someone would say to me, 'You're really unattractive,'" she mused. "And then I could say, 'Wow. Well, first of all, that's hard to hear. But second of all, why do you seem angry about it? Or why do you feel it's necessary to comment?'"

Sarah Jessica Parker revealed she hit a breaking point after reading a particularly brutal comment in a magazine.

"I was just like, 'Why is this a problem? Why is this deserving of your time and why do you seem to delight in saying it?'" she questioned.

"I called two of my friends, who happened to be male, because I knew that they might know about it," she said. "And I was just like sobbing because it felt so purposeful. I think that's the only time I really cried about it."

"It felt like a kick in the rubber parts," the "Hocus Pocus" actress added. "It was just an accumulation of a season of that kind of commentary. No one was trying to make me aware of it, but it gets [back to you]."

Podcast host Alex Cooper acknowledged Sarah Jessica Parker's vulnerability, noting the double standard women often face when it comes to appearance. While women are frequently scrutinized for how they look, she pointed out, men rarely experience the same level of pressure.

"I can go make a whole episode about it. 'Why do we feel so comfortable commenting on women's bodies? Why do we feel like women have to actually look like a statue?' Where we celebrate men and a beer belly, and everyone's like 'he's hot!' It's just the double standards are insane," Cooper said after hearing SJP's revelations.

Before "Sex and the City," Parker said she lived relatively under the radar and was mostly known for her work, not her looks or private life.

"Being on a television show in particular … was probably a real test of my coping mechanisms because I wasn't prepared, and this was before social media. So I really wasn't prepared for public commentary," Sarah Jessica Parker recalled.

"There was no chatter about me," she added. "It was the personal stuff that I was really not prepared for."

"At that time, I thought I was a fairly confident person," SJP continued. "But I think it really comes into question and is tested when you're kind of filleted in a way. We're better for those kinds of experiences, but not all of us are good at it right away."

Sarah Jessica Parker, who became synonymous with New York glamour and Manolo Blahniks during her time as Carrie Bradshaw, has seen the "Sex and the City" franchise evolve over the years.

The original six-season series spawned two films, a short-lived prequel, "The Carrie Diaries," and the current spinoff "And Just Like That." However, she admits she hasn't watched the latest installment, despite being an executive producer.

Still, the legacy and paycheck endure. Variety previously reported that Parker, along with co-stars Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, earned $10 million each for season one of "And Just Like That," though it's unclear if they've received raises since.

Season 3 of "And Just Like That" is currently streaming on Thursdays on Max, with Parker reprising her role as the ever-evolving, ever-fashionable Carrie Bradshaw, this time, a wealthy, widowed author navigating life and love once more.