Was Blair Underwood Approached to Play Chivon Williams in ‘Sex and the City’ Before Becoming Dr. Robert Leeds?
On Sex and the City, Blair Underwood guest-starred as Dr. Robert Leeds, the sexy sports medicine doctor Miranda Hobbes briefly dated. Dr. Robert Leeds was certainly a swoon-worthy character who’d be a welcomed addition to the Max reboot. While Underwood hasn’t announced his involvement in And Just Like That…, he’s happy to discuss his participation in the original series.
Recently, Blair Underwood revealed he was offered a different part in Sex and the City but turned it down. The prevailing theory is that he was initially asked to play Chivon Williams.
Blair Underwood recently reflected on his guest role on ‘Sex and the City’
Blair Underwood was already a well-known actor when he was cast as Dr. Robert Leeds on Sex and the City. The casting team behind the series wanted him on the show. They were so interested in him joining the cast that Underwood was offered more than one part.
During a chat with A.V. Club, Blair Underwood revealed that he had been offered a different part on Sex and the City a year or so before he agreed to portray Dr. Robert Leeds. He passed on the role because he didn’t like the storyline surrounding the character. More specifically, he didn’t like the way race was factored into the character arc.
Underwood said he agreed to take on the role of Dr. Robert Leeds because the production team assured him that the part wasn’t about his race. Instead, the storyline centered on the character’s relationship with Miranda Hobbes. Underwood told the publication that the team was true to their word. He said he enjoyed working with Cynthia Nixon and the rest of the cast. He called Nixon, who portrayed Miranda, a “sweetheart.”
Was Blair Underwood offered Chivon Williams before becoming Dr. Robert Leeds?
While Underwood didn’t reveal who he was initially asked to portray, Sex and the City aficionados will easily connect the dots. Underwood dropped plenty of clues about what part the production team had him in mind for before casting him as Dr. Robert Leeds.
Underwood noted that the calls for the two parts came about a year apart. He also revealed that the first role he was offered was directly connected to Samantha Jones and her “curiosity” about Black men. While Underwood didn’t come out and say it, it is pretty clear he was offered the role of Chivon Williams. It is the only character that fits all the clues Underwood offers up.
Who was Chivon Williams in ‘Sex and the City’?
Chivon Williams appeared in a single season 3 episode of Sex and the City. In the episode, his sister, Adeena Williams, introduced him to Samantha Jones and her group at a restaurant. Chivon then starts a romance with Samantha.
While Chivon and Samantha got along just fine, his sister didn’t care for the relationship. By the end of the episode, Chivon and Samantha break up, and he is never mentioned again. Asio Highsmith portrayed Chivon. In more recent years, the episode has been heavily criticized.
