Mario Cantone Always Had Main Character Energy

Between his fiery personality and expertly delivered zingers, Mario Cantone’s performance as Anthony Marentino in Sex and the City made a lasting impression — so much so, it’s easy to forget Cantone only appeared in 12 episodes of the flagship series.

The revival show, And Just Like That, presented a unique opportunity for Cantone to dig deeper into his singular character — following Anthony’s career pivot and emotionally vulnerable foray into a new relationship. He’s grateful for every moment. “It saved my life, that’s how I feel,” the 65-year-old actor tells Bustle. “You come out of COVID and you get this gift — it was unbelievable.”

Three seasons in, Anthony is one of the show’s most compelling characters. The erstwhile stylist and wedding planner now runs the mouth-watering (in more ways than one) Hot Fellas, a bakery whose employees serve sweet treats in short, skin-tight jumpsuits. But the only fella Anthony has eyes for is his partner, Giuseppe (Sebastiano Pigazzi), a young Italian poet. “I liked him right away. He’s got such humility when he’s working around people that are older and have been around longer,” Cantone says of Pigazzi, whom he’s become close with in real life.

Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing for Anthony: There’s a tense relationship with Giuseppe’s mom, Gia (Patti LuPone) and the challenges of navigating his role as “guncle” to bestie Charlotte’s kids. On And Just Like That, there’s plenty of drama to go around — and Cantone hopes it’ll keep coming. “I’ll take some more seasons ... boy, it would be lovely,” he says. “You don’t want something so great like this to end.”

Below, Cantone opens up about working with LuPone, his IRL passion for baking, and a sweet memory with his late co-star, Willie Garson.

In the Season 3 premiere, Anthony gets to be a mouthpiece for the fandom when he presses Carrie about Aidan, because a lot of viewers take issue with that relationship. What’s your take on the couple?

When you’re in love, no one can tell you anything. And that’s just the way it is. When you have a history with someone, [you keep] trying and wanting to be together no matter what the distance is. But yeah, I got to tell her, “What are you, nuts?” That was the best.

As the season progresses, Anthony deals with his own partner’s family — specifically, Giuseppe’s mom, Gia, who’s not a fan. What was it like working with Patti LuPone?

She’s brilliant and hilarious. I had the best time with her, and I adore her very much. I went to London to see her in Sunset Boulevard, and that’s when I first met her. She’s a pro, and she’s fun, you know? She’s one of the girls. She’s Sicilian, like me.

What’s an on-set memory that stands out — whether it’s from this season, or looking back?

My last day with Willie was filmed at the Town Hall Theater in New York, and it was him being on the stairwell in between takes, holding court, telling stories, and being hilarious — that was a great memory. I remember the first day he couldn’t show up because he was very ill, [and I was] being the court jester and trying to keep everybody up. Michael Patrick King [asked] me to do my Bette Davis — he always throws impressions at me.

When Willie passed away, [Sarah Jessica Parker] and I came in the next day, and I really broke down, and she just took me off the set, hugged me, and let me have my moment. That’s an intense memory. I’m sorry it’s so sad — that’s just a thing that’s in the front of my head, that loss.

Thank you for sharing that.

And now I’m working with Sebastiano Pigazzi, who’s become my little brother. I adore him so much. We’ve traveled to Italy together with my husband to meet his family. He’s so young and beautiful that it pisses me off. And he’s a wonderful actor. By this season, kissing him was a little weird, because now we’re like brothers.

Anthony is part of one of my favorite Sex and the City moments, where he’s in the park with Charlotte after she’s had a miscarriage...

I love that scene.

Me too! And he says, “Look at the light.” He can be an amazing friend.

He always had Charlotte’s back. He loves her very much. He’s very blunt with her. He’s the reason why she got married to Harry — he was like, “What are you talking about? Ugly sex is hot!” But I think he tries to open her eyes to the light. He does once in a while now, but she’s got her own family and life — and it’s a crazy life — so unfortunately, they don’t see as much of each other as they used to, but he’s over there for dinner a lot. He’s advised those kids, which I love. I wish there were more of that.

In the latest episode, Giuseppe suggests that Anthony cook for Gia. What dish would you serve if love were on the line?

I cook everything. Italian or Southern soul food are my two things — gumbo, sauce, meatballs, lasagna. I make great pastas. I bake a banana bread that I sell down the street to a coffee shop. I do love that Anthony’s culinary now. Because as a wedding planner [on Sex and the City], I didn’t know what I was talking about.

As the Hot Fellas proprietor... what is the sexiest bread?

Well, I love sourdough. Even before COVID, I had a starter given to me by Chef Charlie Palmer, and I was making sourdough with it all the time. Anthony discovered sourdough during the COVID pandemic, but I had been baking with it for years. It’s a no-knead method made famous by Sullivan Street Bakery’s Jim Lahey. Most of the breads that we use are from Sullivan Street Bakery. I love his stuff. He makes this focaccia that’s called strecci. He stuffs it with different things. My favorite is his soft-boiled egg with crispy prosciutto or with avocado. Oh, my God.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.