Sarah Jessica Parker talks about recreating live performances with AI
Sarah Jessica Parker said artificial intelligence “terrifies” her and questioned whether AI-generated characters could replicate real-life performances.
NEW YORK — Sarah Jessica Parker smiles as she walks into her midtown hotel suite. A week earlier, at the first Golden Eve Celebration on January 6, the “Sex and the City” icon was honored with the Carol Burnett Award, which honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions in and out of television. But this star isn’t here to talk about television.
Parker, 60, likes to talk about reading and aging. And how, for her, these two things are intertwined. She first noticed changes in her vision while reading in bed while in Ireland.
“I just remember that moment…just realizing that your eyes weren’t doing what they always did so well and so beautifully,” she says.
Even everyday tasks like looking at menus, sending text messages, and reading instructions while cooking became more difficult.
She visited an eye doctor and discovered that she was experiencing age-related myopic blur, according to the American Optometric Association. This is a condition that affects nearly all middle-aged adults. This normal change in the eye’s ability to focus, called presbyopia, begins in your early to mid-40s and can progress until age 60. This was frustrating for Parker, an avid reader, actress, and on-the-go mom.
“My eyes were shot out.”
As a judge for the prestigious literary award, the 2025 Booker Prize, Parker read 169 books. She spent seven months reading 153 books. Then I reread the long list of 13 titles, then the final list of 6 titles.
“There are only five judges, so you can’t hide. You have to be well prepared,” she recalls. “But there were times when I ended up going blind.”
She told her daughter Loretta that she was shot in the eye. She went for a routine eye exam, and the doctor said she had to stop reading every 20 minutes and focus her vision on distant objects.
Towards the end of Booker’s vetting process, she began using VIZZ, a prescription eye drop to treat blurred myopia, for up to 10 hours. She currently serves as the brand’s spokesperson.
As a parent, she was always on the move and vision problems began to affect her daily life. I now take better care of my eyes and find that tasks like doing laundry and grocery shopping are easier.
“It’s just different,” she explains, “there’s a clarity.”
Sarah Jessica Parker starts a conversation about accessibility in reading
For decades, Parker carried an extra suitcase just for books when he traveled. Then she got a Kindle. This included all the books in one small device. But now she’s back to physical books. “I’d rather have a book than two extra shirts or a skirt,” she says. “I want to pick up a book.”
We are facing a literacy crisis. According to a YouGov study, by 2025 two out of five Americans will have read no books at all. However, in the reading community, debate continues between audiobook enthusiasts and skeptics. Apps like Audible and Libby make it easier than ever to listen to audiobooks, but some say audiobooks don’t count as “real reading.” However, for people with visual impairments or other physical limitations, audiobooks can be a huge accessibility benefit.
“I don’t think we should judge how people consume books,” she says. “Books have had a great year, but reading is down significantly…so I don’t think there’s a wrong way or a right way.”
