Kim Cattrall is standing firm by her decision, no matter how mad or offended she makes fans!
The actress has been adamant about not returning to her Sex and The City role of Samantha Jones in the reboot, And Just Like That, but it’s come with a price. While being honored at the Variety’s 2022 Power of Women: New York event on Thursday night, the 65-year-old got candid about fan backlash and the power of saying no.
Related: Kim & Her Boyfriend Russell Thomas Celebrate 6-Year Anniversary!
Speaking to Extra on the red carpet, Kim started positively by praising the feeling of being surrounded by many powerhouse women, describing it as “superhero time,” saying:
“Just being in the presence of strong women it brings you up a notch or two and you start to feel like a Power Ranger, it’s infectious, empowerment.”
Unfortunately, she hasn’t been getting that vibe from many of Sex and The City’s most diehard fans. Opening up about the response she’s faced for skipping out on the new HBO Max series (even though she says she wasn’t even asked to be in the cast), she explained:
“It’s scary, not everyone is going to agree with you, some fans are going to bully you and make you feel uncomfortable, saying you have to be who I need you to be instead of who you are.”
Unlike many, she’s content with Samantha remaining in the past, adding:
“Samantha lives forever in DVD land and she’s as great as she ever was and I love her and I feel she is protected and life goes on.”
When asked if it’s a “hard no” on joining AJLT — if leading lady and executive producer Sarah Jessica Parker somehow changed her mind and begged her to return — Kim didn’t hesitate to say:
“That’s right, the power of the hard no.”
Interestingly, she’s not on the outs with everyone from the hit series. While at the event, it was actually Sex and The City creator Darren Star who presented her with her award. Cool!
Earlier this week, the How I Met Your Father star spoke in length about the revival in her Variety cover story. While she hasn’t actually watched it, she’s become aware of many of the plot lines, which she says were similar to what the third film was supposed to be. And, in her opinion, that’s not great.
Related: And Just Like That‘s Sara Ramirez Finally Addresses The Che Diaz Hate!
Rumors had been swirling for years that Samantha was supposed to receive unsolicited “dick” pics from Miranda Hobbs’ son Brady in that canceled film — claims Cattrall confirmed, calling it “heartbreaking.” A big reason she decided to leave the franchise was that she sensed that her character was no longer progressing, even though she could think of plenty of engaging stories, she recalled:
“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.”
That certainly would have been a much more meaningful story. But, alas, that never came to be and now Samantha lives on in text messages to Carrie Bradshaw. Certainly not the same to anyone, but it’s not a decision she regrets, the Queer as Folk lead continued:
“I was ready [to leave]. 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.”
That’s probably for the better! We can’t imagine anything good would come from her playing the part longer than she felt was right. The quality of the content would only suffer. Ch-ch-check out her full interview (below).
Thoughts, Perezcious readers?
[Image via MEGA/Michael Carpenter/WENN]