Kim Cattrall has broken her silence on the Sex And The City reboot And Just Like That, revealing that she was never asked to be a part of the series and that she found out about it through social media.
The British-born actor starred as Samantha Jones in the original six series of the show, which ran from 1998 to 2004, as well as two feature films released in 2008 and 2010.
The reboot sees Sarah Jessica Parker return as New York City columnist Carrie Bradshaw, Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes and Kristin Davis as Charlotte York.
In an interview with Variety, Kim said she was not approached to reprise her character as she had previously made her “feelings clear” after she turned down a script for a possible third movie in 2017.
“The series is basically the third movie. That’s how creative it was,” she said. “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.”
Samantha had been written into the script for the potential third movie, which would have seen her receive unwanted “dick pics” from Brady, Miranda’s 14-year-old son – a storyline she described as “heartbreaking”.
Remarking that it was an “understatement” to say her character wasn’t progressing, Kim went on to offer what she believed to be a more compelling storyline.
“Why can’t Samantha, who owns her PR company — maybe she had to sell it because of financial woes? 2008 was tough,” she said. “I mean that’s a scenario that was kind of off the top of one of my reps’ heads, and I thought that’s a great idea. That’s a conflict. Instead of an underage boy’s…”
“I would have preferred for all of us to have some kind of event to warrant a third film. That didn’t happen. But also, I was ready,” she added. “As difficult as it was, and as scary as it is to stand up and not be bullied by the press or the fans or whomever — to just say, I’m good. I’m on this track. It was so great working with you. I so enjoyed it, but I’m over here.”
Kim also admitted that she had not watched the new 10-part series, which debuted earlier this year.
Reflecting on why she closed the door on playing Samantha, she said: “It’s a great wisdom to know when enough is enough.
“I also didn’t want to compromise what the show was to me. The way forward seemed clear.”
Despite Kim’s physical absence from the reboot, her character lives on in the series ― with Carrie communicating with Samantha via text throughout the season ― which Kim said was “odd” and “feels different than the Samantha that I played.”
The show also depicted a dissolution of the pair’s friendship after Samantha was apparently dropped as Carrie’s publicist, prompting Samantha to move to London.
For years there have been reports of a real-life rift between Kim and SJP, with some concluding this influenced her departure.
Discussing her relationship with her Sex And The City co-stars, Kim said: “I think we were colleagues. My colleagues aren’t my friends. It was professional.”
She admitted she found it “odd” that she was still referenced in the latest storyline, but said knowing fans wanted more of her was a “really wonderful feeling”.
She added: “That feels powerful, that I’ve left something behind that I’m so proud of. I loved her. I loved her so, so, so much.
“It’s tough competition. The original show is in all of our imaginations. But for me, it feels clean.”
She added that parts of her character, who became beloved by millions of fans for her sex-positive and ambitious attitude, remain with her and she feels “ultimately protective of her”.
Kim has since appeared in the new How I Met Your Father TV series as well as a reboot of 1999 series Queer As Folk.