‘I wanted to push it!’ Giddy Kim Cattrall breaks her silence on Samantha Jones’ return in And Just Like That… and details groveling call from HBO and her demand to bring designer Patricia Field back
Kim Cattrall has finally broken her silence on her shock return as Samantha Jones in Sex and the City spin-off, And Just Like That… and revealed her demands to reprise her role after years of refusals.
The actress, 66, who played the iconic man-hungry publicist in six seasons of the show and two movies, detailed how a groveling call from network Max (formerly HBO) and her demand to bring back designer Patricia Field sealed the deal for her return.
Speaking on Wednesday’s The View, the giddy star said: ‘It’s very interesting to get a call from the head of HBO saying, “What can we do?” and I went “hmmm, let me get creative”.
‘And one of those things was to get Patricia Field back and I thought if I’m gonna come back, I gotta come back with that kind of Samantha style, I gotta push it, and we did!’
Field, who was responsible for the many boundary-breaking outfits on the original show run, was unable to return as costume designer for AJLT due to her commitments on Emily In Paris, with Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago dressing the stars for the reboot.
Yes! Kim Cattrall has finally broken her silence on her shock return as Samantha Jones in Sex and the City spin-off, And Just Like That… and revealed her demands to reprise her role after years of refusals
She’s back! Cattrall’s return comes amid her explosive feud with star Sarah Jessica Parker
Last month Cattrall’s shock return was revealed – despite her explosive feud with star Sarah Jessica Parker.
According to Variety, Cattrall will return for only one ‘cliffhanger’ scene, which she shot on March 22 in New York City, without seeing or speaking with stars SJP, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis. The scene was also shot without AJLT showrunner Michael Patrick King.
In the scene, Samantha, who has moved to London, will have a phone conversation with Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw.
The New York Post also revealed that Cattrall’s cameo was so secretive that her name did not even appear on the call sheet for the day, leaving people stunned at her presence.
An insider said show staffers were ‘definitely shocked, very intrigued on how they’re gonna write this in – and very excited. She said she’d never do it! She said she’d never come back!’
It was claimed her scene was filmed in a town car in a parking garage near Silvercup Studios in Queens.
Sex And The City designer Patricia Field returned to dress Cattrall for the scene. AJLT’s second season premiered on June 22 on Max.
Samantha did feature in AJLT season one – but only over text message as Carrie repeatedly tried to repair their friendship. AJLT saw Carrie claim Samantha had cut her off and moved to London – due to fury at the writer firing her as a publicist – in a storyline Cattrall slammed for being inauthentic to the character.
Icons: The actress, 66, who played the iconic man-hungry publicist in six seasons of the show and two movies, detailed how a groveling call from network Max (formerly HBO) and her demand to bring back designer Patricia Field sealed the deal for her return
Winner: Speaking on Wednesday’s The View, the giddy star said: ‘It’s very interesting to get a call from the head of HBO saying, “What can we do?” and I went “hmmm, let me get creative”
‘And one of those things was to get Patricia Field back and I thought if I’m gonna come back, I gotta come back with that kind of Samantha style, I gotta push it, and we did!’
Hell has frozen over: Cattrall will return for only one scene, which she shot on March 22 in New York City, without seeing or speaking with stars SJP, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis (pictured together in SATC season six)
Last seen: The explosive reveal will both delight and shock fans of SATC as Cattrall has previously refused to ever reprise her fan-favorite role as the man-hungry publicist – having last played the character in much derided 2008 film, Sex and the City 2
Confirmed! Season 2 of And Just Like That… will return June 22 on HBO Max
Enemies: In the scene, Samantha, who has moved to London, will have a phone conversation with Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw (pictured together in 2008)
The explosive reveal will both delight and shock fans of SATC as Cattrall has previously refused to ever reprise her fan-favorite role as the man-hungry publicist – having last played the character in much derided 2010 film, Sex and the City 2.
Even SJP has claimed she does not want Kim back – when asked by Variety in a 2022 interview if she would be ‘OK’ if Cattrall, 65, was able to come back to the show if some ‘miracle were to happen,’ after their very public feud exploded back in 2018.
Parker responded: ‘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 added: ‘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,’ Parker said. ‘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. There’s a very distinct line between Samantha and Kim,’ Parker continued.
‘Samantha’s not gone. Samantha’s present, and I think was handled with such respect and elegance. She wasn’t villainized. 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.’
Patricia has publicly pledged her allegiance with Kim since the show ended, and in December last year, said she is interested in doing a series with her.
The two-time Emmy winner told Page Six: ‘I would love to do a show with [Kim].’
Back in December, Patricia also slammed Cynthia Nixon over her fashion demands when asked about her former assistant Molly Rogers’ work styling the cast on And Just Like That.
The Oscar nominee admitted she ‘liked some of it, but not all of it’, during an interview with the Sunday Times.
She added: ‘I know those gals! Sarah Jessica [Parker] thinks she knows everything – and she does. Cynthia Nixon thinks she knows everything – and she doesn’t! Even today, when I speak with Molly, it’s about Cynthia. I say, “I remember what you are going through.”
Speaking about Kim’s absence from the popular series, Field said: ‘It is a vacuum. I hear it everywhere. Everyone is mad she won’t be in it.’
SCRAPS AND THE CITY: HOW DID KIM AND SARAH’S FEUD BEGIN?
May 2008: SJP defended Kim when she was asked whether she supported her decision to delay the filming of the first SATC movie due to salary disputes
December 2009: Kim and Cynthia Nixon attend SJP’s premier for Did You Hear About The Morgans? in a show of support and SJP tells Elle that she wouldn’t have done the SATC film without Kim
January 2010: In an interview with the Mail, Kim expressed her exasperation over the never-ending feud rumours saying ‘People don’t want to believe that we get on’
May 2010: Kim admits that ‘sometimes feelings get hurt’ during grueling filming hours due to the amount of time the women spent together
August 2016: SJP wishes Kim a happy 60th birthday and addresses her as her ‘old friend’
October 2016: Kim once again defends feud rumours but admits not every day working together is easy or perfect
September 2017: SJP confirmed a third SATC movie… and then announced it was happening
Willie Garson, who played Carrie’s BFF Stan tweeted, ‘Disappointed for all crew holding on for negotiations to conclude for their jobs, and of course, for the fans. Leave it at that. #Truth.’
October 2017: Kim Tells Piers Morgan that SJP ‘could have been nicer’ about the SATC 3 demise
February 2018: Kim blasts ‘cruel’ SJP and says she is not a friend nor family to her
DailyMail.com exclusively revealed in September 2017 that a third Sex and the City movie was essentially ‘torpedoed’ due to Cattrall’s excessive demands.
Cattrall reportedly demanded that Warner Bros. step up and produce other movies she was developing, or she wouldn’t star in Sex and the City 3.
Parker, Nixon and Davis were all set to reprise their roles, with production slated to happen that fall, though the project completely fell apart and never went into production.
Cattrall denied the story, tweeting, ‘The only DEMAND I ever made was that I didn’t want to do a 3rd film….& that was back in 2016.’
Tensions had reportedly brewed between Cattrall and the rest of the cast since the start of the show, which escalated when one of her only allies – creator Darren Star – left the show and was replaced by Michael Patrick King, who created And Just Like That.
The feud escalated in 2018 when Cattrall blasted Parker for talking about Kim’s brother Christopher, who was found dead in Canada, in a TV interview.
‘Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now. Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven’t already) You are not my family. You are not my friend. So I’m writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your “nice girl” persona,’ Cattrall said in the post
Needless to say, most weren’t surprised when Cattrall wasn’t part of And Just Like That… with the actress revealing that she was never asked to be a part of the show.
It was revealed in the first episode of And Just Like That… that her character, Samantha Jones, is now living in London.
In 2022 Cattrall revealed she was never asked to be a part of the new Sex And The City reboot And Just Like That… and was heartbroken over a plotline in a pitched third film which involved her character receiving unwanted ‘dick pics’ from Miranda Hobbes’ 14-year-old son Brady and ultimately led to her turning down the project.
‘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,’ the actress told Variety.
When asked how she felt learning about the reboot, she replied, ‘I was like, “Ooooh.” How’s…’
Phenomenon: SATC has become one of the most iconic television shows of all time
Will he be back? Some fans speculated that Kim’s return could pave the way for her true love Smith Jerrod (played by Jason Lewis) to return to the SATC universe
The interviewer offered, ‘How’s that going to work?’
‘You said it. Not me,’ Kim replied.
‘It’s a great wisdom to know when enough is enough,’ Kim said of not returning to the show. ‘I also didn’t want to compromise what the show was to me. The way forward seemed clear.’
Kim says she read the script for the third film and was disappointed to see how Samantha’s story would play out. Apparently, Samantha was to be sent unwanted ‘d*ck pics’ from Mirandas’ 14-year-old son.
‘It’s heartbreaking,’ Kim said of the storyline.
Kim would have rather liked to have seen Samantha being forced to sell her PR company to ‘some guy who’s wearing a hoodie’ as a result of the 2008 financial crisis.
‘Why can’t Samantha, who owns her PR company — maybe she had to sell it because of financial woes? 2008 was tough. Some people are still recovering. She had to sell it to some guy who’s wearing a hoodie, and that’s the dilemma she has. 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…’ she said.
Fury: The feud escalated in 2018 when Cattrall blasted Parker for talking about Kim’s brother Christopher, who was found dead in Canada, in a TV interview
Ended: Cattrall told Parker she was ‘not her friend’ and slammed her
Ultimately, Kim decided not to take part in the third film after seeing her character’s lack of progression.
‘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. And this is exactly what I wished for: to be in different places playing different characters because I’m a character actress.
‘And 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.’
She shaded the new series, claiming it was essentially the same as the script for the third film, which also saw Mr. Big die.
‘The series is basically the third movie. That’s how creative it was,’ she said.
Kim was really ready to throw in the towel after filming the second SATC movie.
‘Everything in me went, “I’m done,”‘ Kim said.
Yet she does appreciate fans noticing her character’s absence. ‘I’ve come to the conclusion that really the greatest compliment I could have as an actor is to be missed.’
Kim also addressed her relationship with her co-stars, whom she was allegedly at-odds with during their time filming the show. Kim said they had a professional relationship yet never considered them friends.
Not the only OG returning: John Corbett will also return as Aidan Shaw in the second season
‘I think we were colleagues. My colleagues aren’t my friends. It was professional.’
Kim does not ever plan on reprising her iconic role.
‘That’s a no,’ she said of a potential return. ‘It’s powerful to say no.’
Despite having no desire to return to the show, Kim had fond memories connecting with Samantha and fleshing out her character.
Kim also revealed she turned down the role three times before finally joining the show.
‘I turned it down three times. I didn’t think I could do it. At 42, I really didn’t think I could pull it off. I finally said, “You’re making a mistake here.” We did the pilot — it was good but it wasn’t there. And then it started to find its way. I realized, because I’d never done a series before, the more you play the character, like in theater, the more you add to it and change. I remember one day, a laugh came out, and I thought, “Holy s**t, that’s great. Sam just got a new laugh.”‘
Kim admitted it was ‘odd’ watching the show continue Samantha without her.
‘It’s odd, isn’t it? I don’t know how to feel about it. It’s so finite for me, so it doesn’t continue. I think I would ponder it more if I didn’t have something like “Queer as Folk” or “How I Met Your Father.” That’s kind of where I’m centered around. This feels like an echo of the past.
‘Other than the really wonderful feeling of — it’s rare in my business — people wanting more, especially at 65. 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.’
Elaborating on her ‘clean’ break, she said: ‘Yeah, it was years ago. It was 2017 when all this was happening. I just thought to myself, “No, this is right.” And you can’t go against that feeling. I don’t ever want to be on a set and not want to be there.’
It ain’t over: DailyMail.com exclusively revealed in September 2017 that a third Sex and the City movie was essentially ‘torpedoed’ due to Cattrall’s excessive demands
Kim also said she was unaware of remarks made by Sarah, who said she wouldn’t be OK with Kim returning as Samantha again.
‘I don’t think I read it,’ she said.
‘It wouldn’t happen anyway,’ she added. ‘So nobody has to worry about that.’
Unsurprisingly, she has not seen any of the new reboot.
Kim has been embroiled in a public feud with Sarah for a while now – calling her former costar names like ‘cruel’ and ‘toxic’ over the years – and many people believe that’s why she didn’t want to participate in the new show.
According to Cosmopolitan, Sarah earned a much larger salary than her costars during her time in the show – which eventually led to it going off the air in 2004.
‘I felt after six years, it was time for all of us to participate in the financial windfall of Sex and the City,’ Kim said in a 2004 interview about the pay-difference, right after the series came to an end.
‘When they didn’t seem keen on that, I thought it was time to move on.’
However, for years after Sex and the City concluded, Sarah and Kim denied that there were any hard feelings between them, and they even went on to film two SATC movies together.
‘My colleagues aren’t my friends’: The actress addressed her connection with her former co-stars and said they had a ‘professional’ relationship
But in 2017, things came to a head when Kim decided she did not want to be a part of the third Sex and the City movie.
‘The answer was simply: “Thank you, but no. I’m good,”’ Kim explained at the time during an interview with Piers Morgan.
‘This isn’t about more money, it’s not about more scenes … This is about a clear decision, an empowered decision in my life, to end one chapter and start another. I’m 61. It’s now.’
Many of the stars of the show took to Twitter to share their disappointment over the third movie being canceled, and Kim called her former costars ‘toxic’ for not reaching out to her privately.
She continued: ‘We’ve never been friends. We’ve been colleagues, and in some ways, it’s a very healthy place to be.
‘Nobody ever picks up the phone and tries to contact you and say, “How you doing?” That would have been the way to handle it. This is, it feels like, a toxic relationship.’
Sarah later responded to Kim’s claims while chatting with Andy Cohen.
‘I found it very upsetting because that’s not the way I recall our experience. It’s sad, but I always think that what ties us together is this singular experience,’ she said.
‘It was a professional experience, but it became personal because it was years and years of our lives, so I’m hoping that that sort of eclipses anything that’s been recently spoken.’
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