Sarah Jessica Parker Recalls 'Scary' Scene with 'Proper Combatant' Diane Keaton

Sarah Jessica Parker is looking back at what it was like to face off with the late Diane Keaton. In a recent CNN special, "The First Christmas Without Diane," Parker revisited a nerve-racking scene she filmed with the Oscar-winning actress, who died in October at 79, for the 2005 holiday movie "The Family Stone."

"In theory, it was scary," Parker said of the scene, which serves as the film's emotional climax, according to Entertainment Weekly. "I was very nervous about it." The film centers on Keaton's character, Sybil, as her family gathers for what could be their last Christmas together after she reveals her breast cancer has returned and metastasized. The tension escalates when her eldest son (Dermot Mulroney) brings home his high-strung girlfriend, Meredith, played by Parker.

The scene Parker found so daunting involved her character attempting to mend fences by giving each member of the Stone family a thoughtful gift. "I did feel like [Keaton] was a real combatant, like we were in proper swordplay," Parker recalled. "And that I had to be both capable of that but also not win." She added that these moments gave her an invaluable opportunity to "watch [Keaton] work and to see how she puts it all together," which ultimately improved her own performance.

Parker also shared fond memories of Keaton's famously inquisitive personality off-camera. She explained that Keaton loved to ask her costars deeply personal questions about everything from money to other "funny, provocative" topics. "I think it was simply because she was so interested in people," the "Sex and the City" star said. "She loved knowing odd facts about people and, I guess, what makes a person an individual was very interesting to her."

In a lighter tribute, Parker shared a small detail that she felt captured Keaton's ahead-of-the-curve nature. "She was the first person I ever saw put ice cubes into a pinot noir," Parker revealed. "Now everybody puts their pinot noir in the fridge. So of course, typically as usual, she knew something before everybody else."

Keaton died from pneumonia on October 11, prompting a wave of tributes. According to reports, "The Family Stone" director Thomas Bezucha is currently working on a sequel and said he feels compelled to "honor [Keaton] even more" following her death.

PRISM Insight: The posthumous reflection on Diane Keaton's work illustrates a shift in how Hollywood engages with the legacies of its icons. Beyond simple memorials, the industry is creating a 'living legacy' through dedicated specials, sequels, and public anecdotes. This trend transforms mourning into an active, ongoing dialogue with an artist's impact, allowing new generations to connect with their work while providing studios with a powerful way to leverage proven intellectual property and enduring star power.