Lucy Liu Details Wild Security Measures on ‘SATC’ Set Over a Birkin Bag
Lucy Liu didn’t understand the extra security measures behind filming an episode of Sex and the City with an Hermès Birkin bag.
Liu, 57, opened up about starring in a season 4 episode of SATC back in 2001, and what it was like filming with the designer bag while appearing on Vogue’s “Life in Looks” YouTube series. In the video, which was shared on Tuesday, January 9, Liu recalled, “I was playing myself and when they asked me to play me I was like, ‘What does that mean? What do people think of me?’”
She explained that her whole gig “actually revolved around the Hermès bag.”
“In the rehearsal, I was using this fake bag, and then when we actually shot, [there was] security, people dressed in suits like Men in Black,” she said. “They had a safe where this Hermès bag was.”
She continued, “I was like, ‘What is the big deal with this bag?’ They had white gloves on, the whole nine yards.” Now, looking back at the cherry red purse, Liu agreed, “You know what? It’s a big deal.”
In the episode, Samantha (Kim Cattrall) uses her PR connections to acquire the bag. She tries to use Lucy Liu’s name to skip a five-year waitlist and get the bag, but Liu finds out and she ends up taking the purse for herself. She also fired Samantha for using her name.
At the time, a store clerk told Samantha the bag was worth $4,000, which would certainly be higher today. Birkin bags start around $9,000 and can go up to $10 million. Jane Birkin’s original personal bag sold for $10.1 in July 2025 during an auction.
The Birkin bag was created in inspiration of Jane Birkin after she met Hermès executive Jean-Louis Dumas on a plane in 1981. She was frustrated about the contents of her bag falling out on the plane, which inspired Dumas to create a functional purse for women.
Birkins are so expensive and rare to get because only a few are made per year, and each takes around 15-20 hours to create in France.
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Stars who have extensive Birkin collections include Drake, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian and more.
Back in 2017, Drake, 39, revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he’s been collecting Birkin bags for years to someday give to “the woman [he ends] up with.” He has different sizes and colors of the purse, including a small red bag, an orange design, a gray look, a purple purse, a teal number and more.
Kardashian, 45, was spotted carrying a $100,000 Himalaya Niloticus crocodile Birkin in 2023 while attending a soccer game in Osaka, Japan. She styled the luxe handbag, featuring white and brown details and silver hardware, with off-white cargo pants and a sleek tank top. She added even more glam to her look with a full beat, including dewy skin, smokey eyeshadow, long lashes and glossy lips. Her brunette hair was slicked back into a high ponytail.
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Lucy Liu
Article source: https://www.usmagazine.com/stylish/news/lucy-liu-details-security-measures-on-satc-set-over-a-birkin-bag/