Sex and the City fans are still heartbroken about Kim Cattrall's absence from the 2021 reboot, And Just Like That. They feel that without her, it won't work out like the series and the two films. However, fans kinda expected the actress' decision following the explosion of her feud with the show's lead, Sarah Jessica Parker back in 2017. In the last decade, there were also rumors about the Mannequin star's demand for a salary increase.
SJP made $3.2 million per episode while Cattrall only made $350,000 per episode despite earning multiple awards for her performance as the iconic sex goddess, Samantha Jones. She reportedly asked to receive closer to $1 million per episode but was denied, hence the cancellation of the planned 7th season. These negotiation issues were also said to have delayed filming for the first movie.
But did you know that keeping the Porky's actress in the cast was already a problem before the show even aired in 1998?
Kim Cattrall 'Wasn't Into It' At First
It's hard to imagine anyone else playing the role of Samantha Jones. That's why Cattrall was the first choice of SATC's casting directors, Ellie Kanner and Russell Gray. Ironically, the actress was the last to join the cast since she turned down the role five times. According to Kanner and Gray, "she wasn't into it." The Filthy Rich star later admitted that it was because she "was practicing ageism" on herself.
"At the time I was just about to turn 41... I felt I couldn’t be the sex bomb anymore," she said at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. "You have to understand that this was 1997. We’ve come a long way since then - 40 is now the new 25, 60 is the new 40. I was just thinking: 'Who is going to believe it? And do I want to do it?'" The actress also had doubts about the kind of role model Samantha was going to be.
"I just felt that the comedy wouldn’t work," she explained. "I wondered whether this was how women talked and whether this sexual voraciousness was a positive role model." Cattrall was also reluctant about Samantha being a mother at one point as originally written in the script. She said she "kept turning down the role because they kept wanting Samantha to have kids." To her, "there was no way that this woman would ever have children."
What Convinced Her To Play Samantha Jones
12 to 13 weeks after multiple failed attempts at casting her, Cattrall finally decided to have coffee with SATC's writer, Darren Star. She then agreed to do a one-time read with HBO. The main reason? Production agreed to Samantha never having kids. "They finally said they would cut that part out and I said: 'okay let’s do it,'" Cattrall revealed. "We had a blast. From the very first read-through I felt there was something in the room, something was present."
SJP was also not keen on playing Carrie Bradshaw at first. The Hocus Pocus actress didn't want to do a TV series at that time. "I think what cinched it for Sarah Jessica Parker was, I mean, obviously, everything, the script, the director, Darren, of course," Kanner told Cosmopolitan. "But also was the fact that they were willing to shoot it in New York and they were willing to shoot a certain amount of episodes, 13 episodes, which was kind of unusual at the time... They said they were willing to shoot in New York. For her."
How Playing Samantha Jones Changed Kim Cattrall's Life
Despite not wanting to reprise her role, Cattrall has fond memories about her SATC role. "I loved the sexuality and freedom of Samantha. But the thing I loved most about her was that she had no judgment," she said. However, the actress said that playing such a sensual character wasn't that good for her love life. "When you play a character for so long—and I played Samantha for 14 years—you can get associated with that in your personal life," she said at an event in Sydney, Australia.
She continued, "I used to feel I was a disappointment because most men were expecting Samantha." She also revealed that the show "cost me my marriage." The actress opened up about the demands of filming the HBO series. "I was never [home], and my husband got lonely and upset and competitive, and it was really difficult, it was really hard," she said. "[I ended up] spending more time with my Sex and the City family than I did with my real family."
Still, the Sensitive Skin actress misses the role, much like her fans. "When you lose your job of 13 years there is a bit of a grieving process. I miss Samantha," she confessed. "Every time I see re-runs I am really struck by how fresh it is, what a wonderful character she is, and how those four characters, to me, made up one complete woman."