In the ninth episode of And Just Like That… Seema tells Carrie on her birthday that she really thought this year was the year she’d meet a man. Using a realtor analogy, she compared it to having a great house without the luxury of a wood-burning fireplace.
Well, it seems that Seema has finally found her fireplace, and he is played by none other than the handsome French actor, William Abadie.
If he looks familiar to you, you’re not the only one.
Not only did Abadie star in season six of Sex and the City as Tony, the dreamboat who worked at Prada, but he also plays gorgeous zaddy, passionate lover, and head of the perfume empire Maison Lavaux, Antoine Lambert, in Emily in Paris (which is created by Darren Star, who also created SATC).
We know that both Darren Star and Michael Patrick King love to keep it in the family, with many of the guest actors who featured throughout the original series and movies reappearing more than once — sometimes as different characters altogether.
Justin Theroux is a great example of this. He appeared twice in SATC (first in season one, episode seven), as Jared, a sleazy and cringe-worthy author that is an acquaintance of Stanford and has a brief encounter with Carrie. His second — and better known — character in the series was Vaughn Wysel (season two, episode 15), a short story writer with an incredible family, who Carrie sees a potential future with. He isn’t, however, able to “last” during sex; a complex his family strangely knows about.
So far, there has been one other actor in And Just Like That… who featured in Sex and the City as a different character: Seema’s father, who is played by Ajay Mehta. Mehta appeared in season two, episode four of SATC, as the bus boy who offered to “go home” with Samantha after she was stood up on a date.
In Abadie’s case, he first appeared in Sex and the City in season six, episode five, as Tony, the perfectly bronzed and impossibly gorgeous Italian shop assistant at Prada. It’s a memorable scene, not only for Tony’s divine presence, but it’s also the moment we truly realise that Jack Berger not only has no taste, but is also uncomfortable with dating a woman who earns more money than him. A true gentleman.
Carrie attempts to set a newly-single Tony up with Charlotte, inviting him to the premiere of Smith’s play — yes the one with the full-frontal nudity that cements him as a rising star in Samantha’s eyes — but it doesn’t work out because Charlotte isn’t over Harry.
We never hear from Tony again. Until now. And dare I say; he’s even more handsome.
As Seema sits outside a café, drinking a coffee, and fabulously smoking a cigarette in a chocolate brown silk suit and matching dark lippy, a convertible pulls up next to her. Then, a handsome man appears.
Played by Abadie, he looks like an older and sexier version of Tony — but we don’t get a name. He is still speaking in a European accent (it sounds a little more Italian than his natural French accent), so for all we know, it could actually be Tony! Or it could be a new character entirely. Either way, we’re not complaining.
We find out that this new alluring character is the owner of “the hottest club in Brooklyn”, drives a cute vintage convertible, seemingly has his sh*t together, and somehow doesn’t look like a total douchebag in a v-neck tee shirt and leather necklace. Honestly, I could smell the patchouli on him through the screen and I wasn’t even mad about it.
He and Seema have a flirty exchange, and I am truly stoked for her. Such a stylish, successful, put-together, and absolutely stunning woman deserves a lover who challenges her. I want a second season of And Just Like That… just so we can see this storyline play out.
The end of the episode sees Seema and Carrie going to his club, without having the wait in line. This is promising stuff, babes.
We’ve done a deep dive into William Abadie, because we’re here now and we’d be pretty interested in watching anything that features his allure.
And, wow, we’re so glad we did. How could we forget that Abadie is Roman Garrel in the original Gossip Girl? Yep, that’s right, he’s the gorgeous French model that Blair’s dad, Harold Waldorf, leaves Eleanor for. He only features a few times, but each time, he’s adorned with a perfect tan, cashmere turtleneck, and some form of a leather jacket. It’s a whole vibe.
He’s also featured in other classic series, such as Ugly Betty, 90210, The Mentalist, Entourage and The O.C.. Talk about nostalgia.
We’re hoping to see more of Abadie in the world of And Just Like That… and we know we’ll be getting more of him as Antoine in seasons three and four for Emily in Paris.
But for now, let’s just marinate in this gorgeous meet cute between two fabulous characters, and hope that Seema’s fireplace is destined to burn bright.
And Just Like That… is now streaming on BINGE and you can catch up on all of our coverage, here.
