Photo: Cheatsheet
There have been rumors about Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall’s relationship for years. But now, the two women have each released a statement clearing up any confusion regarding their split.
The actress has revealed her side of the story, spelling out details for the first time on what actually happened between them that resulted in their rift – and the true reason behind Cattrall’s non-recruitment of HBO Max’s And Just Like That, which starred nearly every series regular from the original show.
“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,” Parker told The Hollywood Reporter’s Award Chatter podcast.
“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.’”
And Just Like That compensated for the absence of Cattrall’s character Samantha by projecting a falling-out Carrie (Parker) had with her friend following an argument about not needing a publicist anymore. And then she moved to London.
“We felt comfortable moving on without her and without that part because we knew what Michael [Patrick King] wanted to do,” Parker stated of the plot. “And we thought he handled it beautifully – that she was there and she was present – and that was kind of nice of us and, I think, the audience.”
King told EW to clarify that a scene in And Just Like That in which Carrie and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) talk about missing Samantha was not his way of conveying that Cattrall will return.
“It’s Carrie and Miranda talking about their friendship and how strange it is that they’re not together forever. It’s not a tease saying Kim Cattrall’s coming back,” he explained.
“Samantha lives in London. Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha have had a little bit of a split. So really what it is, and why it resonates, is because everybody believes those friendships were forever. The audience believed those friendships were forever, and so did the main characters. We’re trying to mirror that feeling, but it’s not an invite. It’s a story point.”
A month ago, Cattrall revealed her side of the story, stating that she wasn’t recruited to be a part of And Just Like That and that she had “made her feelings clear” since the conclusion of the third film.
“The studio, when we were going to do the third movie, there were things that she requested that they were not able to do. They didn’t feel comfortable meeting where she wanted to meet,” Parker stated. “And so, we didn’t do the movies because we didn’t want to do it without Kim, and the studio wasn’t going to do it, so it fell apart.”
