Here’s Why Kim Cattrall Isn’t Interested In Playing Samantha In A ‘Sex & The City’ Reboot
HBO Max is reportedly eyeing a limited series reboot of the iconic NYC-based dramedy Sex and the City, and longtime fans are getting their hopes up for a full-cast reunion. However, there could be trouble in the concrete jungle. Kim Cattrall’s quotes about not returning for more Sex and the City explain her choice, and honestly, her reasoning is super relatable.
The 1998 series was so popular that it ran on HBO for over six seasons, received two spin-off films, and almost received a third. That is, until Cattrall pulled out of the project in 2016. While E! News reported ongoing feuds, pay snubs, and bad scripts as the reason why Cattrall refused to reprise her role as Samantha Jones, the actress herself told The Daily Record in 2016 that she felt many of the themes in the show would be outdated and problematic by modern standards — and let's face it, she's not wrong. "I think the climate changed," Cattrall explained. "To have four women talking about shopping trips and spending $400 on shoes when people are having trouble putting food on the table? It doesn’t mean we don’t need that but I think the pendulum swung in a different direction."
Now, amid talks of a limited series Sex and the City spin-off in 2020, Cattrall still isn't budging. In fact, in a Dec. 22 episode with the Women's Prize for Fiction podcast, she admitted she felt lucky to leave the series behind her. "It was a lot of fun and I loved it and being in new territory is always exciting. I felt like we were," she said of the show. "Walking away, even if it's the only thing to do, you always feel, it's a bit of shame, I think. The taste of shame and you have to let go of that. You don't want to become that caged bird."
She then spoke candidly about the backlash she received for pulling out of previous spin-off projects. "I remember getting a lot of grief on social media for not wanting to do a film. It was astonishing some of the things people wrote to me — 'I work in a bank and I don't like this person and I don't like the hours, but I do it. So you just do it! Give me what I want. I do it. I'm miserable, you be miserable too,'" Cattrall shared.
Cattrall now feels grateful to be in a position where she has more agency over the direction of her career. "I'm lucky enough to have the choice, not that I haven't worked for it. I have," she stated. "It's something I feel very lucky to have and I'm very protective of it. I wouldn't be any good doing something that I really didn't want to do," she added.
Based off Candace Bushnell's 1997 novel of the same name, Sex and the City was a pioneering series that, at the time, pushed boundaries when exploring unfamiliar ideas about sex, love, and relationships. However, critics today charge the show can be outright offensive by today's standards, and another spin-off of the once cutting-edge series just wouldn't fit 2020's modern dynamic — especially amid the advent of shows with more inclusive casts, like Euphoria, I May Destroy You, Insecure, and more. Sure, another spin-off of the iconic show would have an audience, but who wants to dive back into the past when the future seems so much more interesting?
