“Parts of [Samantha] are with me. I played her, and I loved her. I felt ultimately protective of her.
I’ve played so many different kinds of characters, you think — why that character? Why then? It was a time coming out of AIDS and making sex positive again. There were so many parallels of me growing as an actor and that character. I would never want to look back on that with anything other than pride. That I did that, that it existed. I don’t know how I did it sometimes, because it was really scary. Especially when I started dating. My husband and I broke up [in 2004]. That was really different for me.
I felt like it was a show about single women. I felt like I was now cast as a cougar, which became not as positive as other aspects. People say, ‘You coined it.’ I didn’t feel that was part of my character. There was never a desperation; it was always on her terms, which I loved. That was a bit of an adjustment, suddenly being single. I think when you become that recognizable for a very specific kind of character and you go out in the real world — those images, that collective consciousness, we all share.
I was never asked to be part of the reboot. I made my feelings clear after the possible third movie, so I found out about it like everyone else did — on social media.
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[And Just Like That…] is basically the third movie. That’s how creative it was.
Can you imagine going back to a job you did 25 years ago? And the job didn’t get easier; it got more complicated in the sense of how are you going to progress with these characters? Everything has to grow, or it dies. I felt that when the series ended, I thought that’s smart. We’re not repeating ourselves. And then the movie to end all the loose ends. And then there’s another movie. And then there’s another movie?”— Kim Cattrall speaking with Variety about her iconic run as Samantha Jones on Sex and the City, and its Samantha-less reboot, And Just Like That… Cattrall will appear this year on Hulu’s How I Met Your Father, and Peacock’s Queer as Folk, reboot.
Chrisk
I agree that she was always their equal. Never cast as a desperate older women chasing after young guys. It was perfect for it’s time.
Cam
The storyline they originally had for Samantha in the 3rd movie sounded bad. Smart of her to distance herself.
dwick
They were going to have Miranda’s 14 year old son send her d*ck pictures. I have absolutely no words to describe my disgust.
cuteguy
First the body shaming of Samantha in the first SATC movie then her illegal sexting with a 14 yr old Brady in the proposed 3rd film proved how toxic Michael Patrick King was towards Kim mistreated and abused her. She comes off with her integrity in tact and MPK has that garbage AJLT. Kim is a true role model
bachy
I was always impressed by Cattrall’s bravery and control as an actor. Her role as Samantha included a lot of nudity and consistently bordered on the pornographic, but she somehow managed to keep it non-pornographic – through comedy. I have no doubt that balancing act took a LOT of artistic negotiation with the writers, the director, the cameramen, crew, and her fellow actors. Cattrall’s brilliant performance came off as devil-may-care and hilariously funny, but it must have been meticulously choreographed on every level. Brava!
Creamsicle
Yeah, I feel like Grace & Frankie tried to make a knockoff Samantha with the Brianna character, but the humor isn’t the same. There’s less exploration of power and desire, so it comes off as a flat mean nympho, rather than a woman who knows what she wants and enjoys power play.
bachy
@Cream: Everyone was talking about a Samantha spin-off but Cattrall either wasn’t interested or it never came together. I’d love to see a Samantha-like character with her own show! But which contemporary actress could handle a role like that?
Cam
And you can see the typical Hollywood B.S., the unsourced “leaks” that all attacked her. Before the age of social media they probably would have worked.
cuteguy
The storyline for Samantha in SATC had her sexting with a 14 yr old Brady. That was reprehensible enough but how Michael Patrick King had continually disrespected Kim, can anyone really blame her for not wanting to continue with that toxic abuse? They body shamed Samantha in the first SATC movie. Kim/Samantha carried the series and subsequent movies but she was never treated with the respect she deserved. We can all see what happens when you remove Samantha out of the picture and you get the trainwreck that is AJLT. Good for Kim for respecting herself enough to walk away from that tryant Michael Patrick King.
bachy
@cute: I always suspected there was some kind of secret, passive-aggressive vendetta against Kim. I couldn’t tell if it was MPK or SJP or what. But it seemed like the storyline kept putting her in increasingly degrading situations. I even felt the “cancer” storyline was inappropriate to Samantha: it seemed like her character arc suddenly ricocheted from lightweight sex farce to Lifetime disease melodrama. It just didn’t make sense!
inbama
I hope the QAF reboot is better than the “How I Met Your Father” turkey.
Her part in it is about as thrilling as Julie Andrews’s narration for “Bridgerton.”
IanHunter
I am hoping it is too. I am looking forward to the QAF reboot, but it can never replace the original.
Kangol2
IanHunter, which QAF original? The British one or the American remake?
jc555
SATC was a great series… until the ending. Another woman gives in to a man who done her wrong for years. And then a silly movie. And then a stupid move. Just let it die.
andrewmpls
And then an absolutely terrible reboot series. Kim Cattrall is right and it actually says a lot that the other three went along with it. After the second movie and it had become just a money grab, meh. That’s show biz and Kim Cattrall didn’t want to play that game, anymore.
Fahd
She has emerged from the intrigue with her dignity intact. The endless, not-good rehashing with the included spite towards her has just made the others seem like greedy money grubbers. Hats off to Kim!