As a teen, Lindsey Gort’s Sunday nights were filled with A-list parties, bottomless cosmopolitans and brag-worthy sex — all from the comfort of her NYC apartment.
“I was living with three other girls, and we would watch ‘Sex and the City’ every week obsessively,” the young actress recalls. “I always considered myself more of a Samantha. I’ve never been afraid to speak my mind.”
Over a decade later, things came full circle when it was announced that Gort, 29, would play a young Samantha Jones — the role immortalized by Kim Cattrall in “SATC” — in “The Carrie Diaries,” which turns back the clock on “SATC” protagonist Carrie Bradshaw to her high school years.
But the road to such a provocative role started down a wholesome path. Born and raised in Scottsdale, AZ, Gort was just 3 when she would repeatedly stop and rewind a VHS tape of “The Wizard of Oz” to memorize the words to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” She soon got involved in local theater, and it stuck. She’s been focused on her acting career since, including a recent minor role in the Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg action flick, “2 Guns.”
But when her big break came in May to join the upcoming season of “The Carrie Diaries” as Samantha, who wasn’t in the first season, she nearly lost the role — twice.
“It was horrible,” she says of the audition process. “It’s pretty typical for an actor, the rejection. It was between me and three other girls, and I found out they were holding out for a bigger name.” But after two actresses fell through, Gort nailed the part.
Audiences can expect things to get racier going forward on the show, which was notably tame during its first season. The season premiere sees Carrie meet her future BFF at a rock star-studded club in the city, and the aspiring writer sees more of the fierce bartender than she bargains for.
“There are certain things you just can’t show [on The CW], but they’re implied,” Gort says. “I feel nude when I’m shooting, not wearing much more than underwear and pasties, but there’s definitely a lot of sexuality this season. I’m teaching everybody the ropes.”
Gort hopes to add depth to the iconic role by portraying the insecurity that comes with being a 20-something alone in the Big Apple. “When you haven’t made a name for yourself or figured out what you’re going to do with your life, it’s unsettling. Samantha will be more vulnerable with her life and her emotions,” she says.
Fans of the original Samantha will also be relieved to know that Cattrall herself has given Gort her blessing. She tweeted some words of advice to the up-and-comer — “Wishing Lindsey Gort as much fun with Samantha Jones as I had. Break a leg! Kim” — but Cattrall still leaves some big (and very expensive) shoes to fill.
The question is, will Gort be able to master those sky-high Louis Vuittons?
“After filming for 15 hours a day in the same pair of heels,” she says, “I definitely won’t be wearing heels as often when I’m not on set.”