Carrie Bradshaw and The Dude have more in common than you might think. They’re both fashion icons (The Dude’s signature sweater, The Westerley, was recently released by Pendleton and retails for $239). They both became cultural icons in 1998. And they each have a signature cocktail.
Still, it’s a bit of a surprise to see them toasting in a new Super Bowl ad from Stella Artois—especially each with a beer in hand rather than The Dude’s favorite, the White Russian, and Bradshaw’s typical Cosmopolitan.
Last week Jeff Bridges, who played The Dude, the laconic protagonist at the center of The Big Lebowski, sent about half the internet into wild speculation about a sequel when he tweeted a short video of his current self in Dude gear—that iconic sweater and sunglasses. The date, 2.3.19, flashes at the end—the date for the 2019 Super Bowl. True believers hoped that was teasing an ad for the sequel.
Sarah Jessica Parker, who played Carrie Bradshaw on six seasons (and in two movies) of Sex and the City, coyly posted a video to Instagram with the caption, “Revisiting a beloved character. Briefly and with a twist.” SATC fans know that a third movie is all but impossible, so there was less speculation than in Big Lebowski circles. She framed it as a promotion for “Pour it Forward,” a clean water initiative from Water.org and Stella Artois.
In an interview with The Huffington Post she imagined Bradshaw’s life in 2019, saying, “I imagine and hope that she’s reading and writing and surrounded by people that she’s fond of and people that are fond of her.” A friendly drink with The Dude seems like it would fit that bill, though it doesn’t seem likely that either one of them would order a second round of Stella.