NEED TO KNOW
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Kim Cattrall played Samantha Jones on Sex and the City throughout the show’s 1998 to 2004 run
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Fans regard the actress as the perfect choice for the scandalous businesswoman, but Cattrall wasn’t sold on the character herself
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The actress admits in a recent interview that she wasn’t sure if audiences would find a woman in her 40s sexy
Kim Cattrall didn’t always see the vision for herself as Samantha Jones.
Speaking with The Times, the actress, 68, admits that she thought the character was a bit of a stretch when she auditioned for Sex and the City at 41. In fact, she turned down the role four times before accepting it, unsure that she could make audiences believe a 40-something woman was sexy.
“Self-inflicted ageism,” she laughs, looking back on that perspective. “Well, that changed — 40 became sexy. It became, ‘Man, let’s have more of that.’ “
While the narrative around the character became that she was almost too indulgent about her sex life, Cattrall insists it was central to the power of the character overall.
“She wasn’t a nymphomaniac — well, some people might have thought she was — but she was just enjoying the main course. Everyone else was nibbling on the appetisers when she was going for the steak. And it was always on her terms — that I always insisted on,” she says.
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That said, Cattrall notes that she is “the antithesis of [Samantha] in many ways,” adding, “I’m a serial monogamist, and then some.”
In recent years, fans who loved the role have had trouble coming to terms with Cattrall’s complicated feelings about being part of the popular ensemble. The actress, however, has come to terms with it.
“I created a fantastic character that I loved, and I put a lot of love in it,” she says. “And if I’m remembered only for that, then that’s really OK.”
Love for Cattrall’s return to the popular franchise grew after the actress artfully reprised her iconic role in the season 2 finale of the revival series, And Just Like That…, making fans want even more of the character. Prior to that, Samantha was featured in the first season solely via text message exchanges with Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker).
In the much-anticipated cameo appearance, Samantha called Carrie from London, saying she was going to surprise her in New York City, but was unable to due to plane delays. Her character was dressed in a stylish silver jacket and red ensemble from Patricia Field, who designed the costumes in the original series.
At the time, Cattrall said during an appearance on The View, “I just thought that if I’m going to come back, I gotta come back with that Samantha style.”
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