Why Chicago Fire's David Eigenberg Found Starring In And Just Like That 'Scary'
These days, TV fans know David Eigenberg best as the compassionate Lieutenant Christopher Herrmann on "Chicago Fire," but another recent production has actually seen him delving back into his past to revive another iconic role. Indeed, the actor has reprised his "Sex and the City" role of Miranda Hobbes' (Cynthia Nixon) love interest Steve Brady for the new sequel series "And Just Like That." While revisiting such a classic role may sound like slipping back into a familiar pair of comfortable shoes, Eigenberg said that he actually found the process unexpectedly daunting.
In an interview with Us Weekly, Eigenberg spoke about the trepidation he held while gearing up to revisit Steve and the "Sex and the City" universe. "It's been 20 years since the TV show almost. It was scary," the actor explained. "I've always been an in and out guy. I say that on 'Sex and the City!' I pop in and pop out, so I was trying to find my sea legs a little bit. But it was fun, we snapped back into it. It's always great seeing the same lovely faces."
Eigenberg influenced his character's updated portrayal
Not only did David Eigenberg manage to settle back into his role as Steve on "And Just Like That" after his initial reluctance, but he even had a creative impact on how the character was portrayed in the "Sex and the City" revival series. As it turns out, Eigenberg's real-life hearing issues influenced Steve's use of hearing aids in the new show. In an interview with Vanity Fair, series co-writer Elisa Zuritsky explained how the character's trait came to be. "When [showrunner] Michael Patrick [King] reconnected with David Eigenberg about the show, the very first thing that David said was, 'I got hearing aids.' It was literally what he led with," she explained. "That actually wound up being Steve's tone about his aging."
While Eigenberg is comfortable with the new direction for Steve, some fans have taken issue with his overarching storyline in the new series, which sees his longtime romance with Miranda is steadily fizzling out as she moves on to new passions. Nonetheless, the creative team behind "And Just Like That" have stressed that they love Eigenberg and his character despite the hardships they've written for him. "Everyone on the show, every single person, loves David Eigenberg as a human being," Zuritsky said. "We love him as an actor. We love Steve. We are really invested in the Steve-ness of him. He's so full of life, and the Steves out there are good guys."