Bankrate: How did your struggling years as a young actor compare to the bleak financial horizon you faced returning to work when you realized you weren't going to die young after all? Were you good at managing what money you had, or did you require help from friends and family?
Handler: My family took action during the illness, first by investigating and applying for the Social Security disability assistance, and then by appealing to the New York theater community for help. A fund was set up, donations were solicited, benefits were held, and that money was used to help offset my living expenses during the illness and while I got back up on my feet. So my life became a community project. Other people's money was put in my bank, just as their blood was pumped into my veins. But, yes, after five years of treatment, I was at a lower financial baseline than before I'd ever worked a day in my life. I was starting over from scratch, or slightly below scratch.
Bankrate: What's the worst part of career interruptus for an actor?
Handler: Watching others thrive while you're struggling can be painful, but I think for most people, career takes a pretty distant back seat in importance when you're fighting for your life. Once I was back out on the street, I did pretty well in getting back in the game. Though I do still sometimes wonder what career opportunities I might have had, had I not had the interruptions I did. Then again, I also wonder which young actresses I might have gotten to sleep with, so not every loss is a financial one.
Bankrate: Despite a hefty body of stage work, you're probably best known as Harry Goldenblatt from "Sex and the City." What convinced you to take the role?
Handler: There really wasn't any question about taking it. In fact, I fought hard to get it. I'd just moved to Santa Monica, Calif., after 26 straight years in Manhattan but flew myself back to New York to audition. Another actor was already close to being cast, but I managed to take it away, which meant moving right back to New York for another year. I saw it as a very rare opportunity to get onto a high-quality hit show, playing a character that was both comedic and romantic. I thought it would be worth whatever it took.
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Bankrate: What parts of your life informed your portrayal of Harry?
Handler: Well, he's supposed to be incredibly good in bed, so I applied all my knowledge and confidence in that area.