And Just Like That's Mario Cantone says he was once cut from a TV show for being gay
Mario Cantone, best known for his decades-long role as Anthony Marentino on Sex And The City and more recently it's reboot And Just Like That, has opened up about the discrimination he once faced for being gay – claiming he was even cut from a TV show as a result.
Speaking on the Allison Interviews podcast, Cantone revealed that back in the mid 1980s whilst he was performing stand-up comedy, he was scheduled to appear on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show. But, the And Just Like That star claims he was removed at the last minute due to his sexuality.
"When he [the talent co-ordinator] saw me, he said, 'Oh my god, you're amazing! We are going to shape six minutes for you'," Cantone recalled. "Then he looked at the video again, because he filmed it that night, and he said, 'You know what? Your comedy has a gay edge to it, and I think it’s going to make Johnny nervous, so I’m going to cancel you'."
Sadly, the actor said this wasn't the only time he was discriminated against because of his sexuality, revealing that this "happened a lot" and noting how his friends had advised him not to disclose that he was gay whilst he was starting out his career in LA. But, he says this didn't stop him from "being me", adding that he "didn't care" what people thought of him or his sexuality.
Later in the interview, Cantone opened up about the loss of close friend and co-star Willie Garson, who passed away from cancer last year aged 57. When asked if the And Just Like That cast and crew knew that Garson was sick, Cantone said: "I didn't know until a month in when he told me and told everybody. Sarah [Jessica Parker, who plays Carrie Bradshaw] said that she knew and that she kept it kind of under wraps."
As for whether Garson had "struggled" to get through filming, Cantone replied: "No, he was great, until he just wasn't there anymore, until he just couldn't come in." On that note, Cantone revealed that viewers didn't get to see what their character's marriage would have been like on the much-anticipated SATC reboot, admitting that their plotline had to be rewritten to accommodate for Garson's absence towards the end of his battle with cancer.
Cosmopolitan UK has reached out to NBC for comment.
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