“And Just Like That” had to get a little creative when reviving “Sex and the City,” after original star Kim Cattrall made it very clear she’s done playing Samantha Jones, for good.
And with the first season of the revival now over at HBO Max, creator Michael Patrick King and Sarah Jessica Parker opened up to Variety about how they worked around that glaring cast omission — starting with the fact that they never even asked her to return in the first place.
King confirmed the show never reached out to Cattrall about appearing in the new season, “because she’s said what she said.” He added that he has “no realistic expectation of Kim Cattrall ever appearing again,” saying the door is closed as far as he’s concerned.
And if Cattrall suddenly reversed her decision about reprising the role, Parker, at this point, wouldn’t really be on board anyway.
“I don’t think I would, because I think there’s just too much public history of feelings on her part that she’s shared,” she explained. “I haven’t participated in or read articles, although people are inclined to let me know.”
“We didn’t go to Kim for this, you know,” she continued. “After we didn’t do the movie and the studio couldn’t meet what she wanted to do, we have to hear her and listen to her and what was important to her. It didn’t fit into what was important or needed for us.”
SJP went on to point out that Samantha is still very much part of the show and believes they handled the character on the revival “with such respect and elegance,” without making her a villain.
“She was a human being who had feelings about a relationship, so I think we found a way to address it which was necessary and important for people that loved her,” Parker added. “There’s a very distinct line between Samantha and Kim.”
Warning: Finale spoilers below.
With Samantha moving to London following a falling out with Carrie between the second “Sex and the City” movie and the new series, the character only appeared via text messages as she and Bradshaw slowly worked their way out of their friendship funk. The finale saw Carrie head to Paris to release Big’s ashes, before texting Samantha and asking her to meet up for a drink. While viewers didn’t see it happen, we’re at least content with the understanding that it happened and they were able to smooth things over.
“I think that the conversation was grown up,” Parker speculated about the meeting. “I think it was a détente. I think it allows for comfort on all sides.”
The first season of “And Just Like That” is streaming now on HBO Max.
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