Longtime Sex and the City fans were shocked when Kim Cattrall revealed she wasn’t asked to be a part of And Just Like That, and now Sarah Jessica Parker is revealing exactly the reason why. SJP told THR that “we did not ask her to be part of this because she made it clear that that wasn’t something she wanted to pursue, and it no longer felt comfortable for us, and so it didn’t occur to us. That’s not ‘slamming’ her, it’s just learning. You’ve got to listen to somebody, and if they’re publicly talking about something and it doesn’t suggest it’s some place they want to be, or a person they want to play, or an environment in which they want to be, you get to an age where you’re like, ‘Well, we hear that.’”
The actress didn’t hesitate to note how Kim was a “huge contributor” to Sex and the City’s success. “Her portrayal of that role was wonderful, and it filled out everything, right? There were four points on the picture, and they were all important,” SJP continued. She revealed that showrunner Michael Patrick King was crucial in addressing Samantha’s absence on the show.
“But we felt comfortable moving on without her and without that part because we knew what Michael wanted to do. And we thought he handled it beautifully — that she was there and she was present — and that was kind of nice for all of us and, I think, the audience,” Sarah Jessica said.
The Hocus Pocus alum also took a moment to address the drama with Kim that has been amplified by the media over the years. “It’s so painful for people to keep talking about this ‘catfight’ — a fight, a fight, a fight. I’ve never uttered fighting words in my life about anybody that I’ve worked with ever,” Sarah Jessica stressed. “There is not a ‘fight’ going on. There has been no public dispute or spat or conversations or allegations made by me or anybody on my behalf. I wouldn’t do it. That is not the way I would have it. So I just wish that they would stop calling this a ‘catfight’ or an ‘argument,’ because it doesn’t reflect actually— There has been one person talking. And I’m not going to tell her not to, or anybody, so that’s been kind of painful for me also.”
The rift between SJP and Kim has kicked up a notch after negotiations with Warner Bros. for a third Sex and the City movie fell through because, according to SJP, there were “things that she [Kim] requested that they were not able to do.” Back in 2017, Kim told Piers Morgan that her decision to not do the third movie had nothing to do with money but because she wanted to close the chapter on Samantha.
When Kim was asked about her relationships with her main co-stars, Kim said she and the other women had “never been friends.” She went on to say, “This is really where I take to task the people from Sex and the City, and specifically Sarah Jessica Parker. I think she could’ve been nicer. I really think she could’ve been nicer. I don’t know what her issue is.” SJP later said on WWHL that Kim’s words about her were “really upsetting.”
Things continued to snowball for the former co-stars for years. After the And Just Like That finale, SJP admitted that didn’t think she’d be OK with Kim ever returning to the role of Samantha on AJLT “because I think there’s just too much public history of feelings on her part that she’s shared.” Kim responded directly to SJP’s comment via Variety. “It would never happen anyway. So nobody has to worry about that,” she said about returning. Kim also noted that she 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.”
Sarah Jessica and Kim’s careers no longer cross paths and likely never will again. Sarah Jessica, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis will return for And Just Like That season 2 after a successful first season. Kim plays the older version of Hilary Duff’s character in the hit Hulu series How I Met Your Father. She also stars in the upcoming Queer As Folk