Sarah Jessica Parker says she 'felt responsible' for Willie Garson's health on 'And Just Like That' after he confided in her

• Willie Garson passed away in September following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
• Parker said Garson told her confidentially about his cancer before filming "And Just Like That."

Sarah Jessica Parker told Vulture that she "felt responsible" for her co-star Willie Garson's health on the set of "And Just Like That" after the actor confided to Parker that he had pancreatic cancer.

Garson, who starred in "Sex and the City" and its reboot as Carrie's (Parker) best friend Stanford Blatch, passed away in September at the age of 57 after a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer. At the time, multiple cast members of "Sex and the City" posted touching tributes for Garson.

Last week, following the release of the last "And Just Like That" episode starring Garson, the cast and crew spoke to Vulture about the impact Garson had on the show and on their lives.

Parker and Garson had been friends long before the "Sex and the City" series and the 56-year-old actress told Vulture that Garson had asked her to keep his diagnosis confidential.

"I knew before we started shooting that Willie was sick," she said. "He asked me to keep that confidential, and I honored that. It was fraught for me to know that he was sick with that particular, terrifying diagnosis. We were a vaccine-mandated show, but nonetheless, a lot of our scenes were with a lot of background players, and I had great concerns about Willie staying as healthy as he could while shooting."

She continued: "I couldn't share that with anybody. I'd only keep track of him, and I felt responsible in some ways for his health, his well-being on the set."

Parker explained that the cast found out around the time of shooting the second episode of the season, which was Garson's last day on working on set. Parker said the day was "particularly difficult" for everyone because they were filming a fictional funeral whilst knowing that a member of the cast was sick.

"And for Willie to have to leave, you knew that it was serious," Parker added. "If Willie could be there and do one more episode or one more scene, he would have done it. But he knew what he needed to do to take care of his son and of himself, and I am so glad that he did that because when he passed away, he wanted to do so in an environment and circumstance that made him feel safe and comfortable."