period and I think he understands that, OK, this is going to be a busy few months and then I’ll be home.” Perhaps that’s why she and
Matthew are determined to give the children as normal an upbringing as they can. That and the fact she was part of a large brood herself. Born into a working class family in Ohio, she was the youngest of four to parents Stephen and Barbara Parker. But when her parents divorced and her mother married Paul Forste, a businessman, in 1969, with whom she went on to have four children, SJP became one of eight. “I‘ve always been
around a large family and I’ve always kind of made a family, and I don’t know if that’s because of what I come from or it’s what I enjoy. But I always like to be in a group of people – the chaos, the coming and going – it’s the sound that I’m familiar with.” In fact, this homeliness
is part of who she is. Forget the giddy urban whirl of hip restaurants and bars, SJP prefers to stay home and cook – another skill her alter ego never possessed. “We cook dinner,” she
From dazzling on the red carpet to spending quality time with her children, SJP’s heart lies with her family
I always like to
be in a group of people – the chaos, the coming and going – it’s the sound that I’m familiar with
says with a smile. ”We’re home nearly every night – we don’t really go out very much. You know, two toddlers in a restaurant is not fair to anybody around us. So somebody’s got to fix them dinner and they’re not old enough to fix it themselves!” And unlike Kate Reddy, who
‘distressed’ shop-bought mince pies 18 DECEMBER 2011 | CANDIS.CO.UK
to make them look home-made, SJP even bakes – though she bats away any ‘super-mom’ ideas. “I wouldn’t say I’m a great baker and I don’t bake a lot,” she insists, “but I do make my children’s birthday cakes every year.” And this Christmas, the second with her beautiful twins, she’s eager to celebrate with her family around
her. “I can’t wait to get the house ready. We buy our tree on the 19th but it stands bare until Christmas Eve. We put the children to bed after they’ve left milk and cookies for Santa and oats for the reindeer, then Matthew and I decorate the tree while they’re sleeping so they can come down to a magical sight. After that it’s present mayhem!” Acting is clearly another passion and is something she’s been doing for decades, having started as a child when she landed the lead role in Broadway musical Annie. Since then she’s starred in movies including 80’s classic Footloose, L.A. Story with Steve Martin, Hocus Pocus, and comedies Did You Hear About the Morgans? and Failure to Launch. But it was her Sex And The City fame that catapulted her to A-list status, and gave her the chance to produce – a role she plans to expand. “I love acting,” she
says. “It’s still the most challenging thing and I care enormously about it. But there’s something fascinating about producing,” she adds. “The conversations you have and the process of
developing a script is interesting. My father was a writer, my brother is a writer, so perhaps it’s not surprising I love working with writers.” What may be surprising is that she doesn’t go in for faddy diets or strict exercise regimes to maintain her slim, toned body. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been on a cross-trainer,” she
Interview Jessica Young, Famous Additional material Flic Everett Photos Rex Features, Allstar, Ondrea Barbe/Corbis, image.net