The cast ofAnd JustLike That…are opening up about Samantha’s presence in theSex and the Cityrevival.
During their conversation, Cohen pointed out that “one of the successes of the show” was how producers kept Samantha’s character involved, despite Kim Cattrall not being part of the series.
Cattrall, 65, has long maintained that shewould never return to the franchise,citing tension with her costars. The HBO Max revival still found a way to incorporate her character, explaining in thepremiere episodethat Samantha moved to London for work and her “pride got damaged” after Carrie (Parker) had to let her go as a publicist due to the state of the publishing business.
Though Cattrall was physically absent from the 10-episode series, her character was present throughout the show as she and Carrie communicated over text message multiple times, including after thesudden deathof Mr. Big.
After Cohen asked the cast who specifically wrote Samantha’s “pitch-perfect” dialogue, Parker, 56, revealed her thoughts on the character — and how “everybody brought a piece of Samantha unknowingly.”
“Anyone can take this on, but what I wanna say is that there’s this fourth person, and she’s absent from their lives,” she said. “I feel like every new person that joined us [had] a piece of [her.] Karen’s character’s directness and Nicole’s sort of effervescence and Sarita’s sort of grounded very sultry [personality].”
The Sex and The City cast.HBO/Courtesy Everett Collection
“Like everybody brought a piece of Samantha unknowingly,” Parker continued. “Everyone was like, ‘You’re the new Samantha.’ We were like, ‘No, no, they’re the new Seema. They’re the new Nya.’ So I think we all feel like even if we weren’t sure that ultimately the way it was threaded through, it felt really right.”
Davis, 56, agreed with her costar, telling Cohen thatAJLTshowrunner Michael Patrick King was the person behind the dialogue and that he “cares so deeply about all of our characters.”
“I don’t think that he would’ve ever wanted anything less than what you’re saying, Andy, which was to have her be a presence that was respectful and also have us deal with what that’s like to have someone who’s gone from your life,” she said. “Unfortunately, that is something that does happen in life. People separate for different reasons and you lose friends and that’s a hard thing that’s very rarely written about. So I felt like it was respectful and I relate to it certainly.”
Expressing her thoughts on the matter, Pittman, 45, said she felt Samantha’s involvement “sort of stayed in line” with the show.
Kristin Davis and Sarah Jessica Parker on AJLT.Craig Blankenhorn/HBO Max
“It was aligned with what I feel likeSex in the CityandAndJust Like That…does, which is it brings to the surface that even though friendships or relationships change, there’s still that love there,” she explained. “And I just felt like Samantha was such a loving presence in the story still through all 10 episodes and it was not just handled respectfully, but authentic to how this story was created years ago. And to how the stories of these women in these friendships have developed over time is consistent. So I loved it.”
Pittman added, “I remember sitting at the table reads and thinking to myself, ‘Wow, this character is still so endeared to me.’ And I have such a heart connection to who Samantha was and is still, and I think that that is a credit to the writers and how it was handled.”
When Nixon, 55, and Davis were asked if they had heard from Cattrall about her reaction to how Samantha was handled, they both responded with a “no.”
Later in the conversation, Cohenasked Parker about the potential for a second seasonofAJLT.
Though Parker couldn’t share too much, she did tell Cohen, “Well, I’d love nothing more than to give you the scoop, Andrew, but I think it would be premature. But you know, I think it’s a healthy, enthusiastic conversation.”
RELATED VIDEO: Sarah Jessica Parker: ‘I Don’t Think I Would’ Be Okay with Kim Cattrall JoiningAnd Just Like That…
HBO and HBO Max Content Chief Casey Bloyspreviously said King and Parker would be majorly influentialin whetherAJLTgets the green light for another round.
He added that he thinks there “will be” a second season, “but they’re talking and making sure they want to jump in.”
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“It’s a big commitment, and they’ll come to us and let us know what they’re thinking but I’m feeling good about it,” said Bloys.
Bloys also briefly spoke on if Cattrall would join season 2 ofAJLT, saying, “I don’t think [she’d return]. I think they handled it really sensitively and really well. I don’t expect to have those conversations.”
Season 1 ofAnd Just Like That…is available to stream on HBO Max.
source: people.com
