FOR the past 13 years it’s been Gucci handbags at dawn for Kim Cattrall and the rest of the Sex And The City cast . . . yet she’s bagged a part in the new series of the sequel.
The British-born actress is to make a sensational return in the second run of And Just Like That — working with her “frenemy” Sarah Jessica Parker.
But after the lukewarm response to the first series and the fact Kim, 66, has been out of the spotlight in recent years, the move is probably more about necessity than female unity.
A TV insider said: “It was one of the most sensational bust-ups in showbiz, with both leading ladies involved in a stand-off lasting years.
“When And Just like That was made, the creator of the show gave a firm ‘no’ to the idea of her returning, and Kim made it clear she felt the same way.
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“But many fans said it just didn’t feel like Sex And The City without the woman who gave the series more sex than any other character.
“And Kim will no doubt have realised that this will now be the biggest job of her career, a fact she has probably reconciled herself to.
“So what fans have ended up with is almost guaranteed to delight them, even if it’s an uneasy truce for the actresses themselves.”
Not since 2010 has Kim appeared alongside Sarah, 58, and the other two women in their fab New York City foursome — Cynthia Nixon, 57, and Kristin Davis, 58.
Sarah plays writer Carrie, while Kim, Cynthia and Kristin featured as her pals Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte.
‘You are not my friend’
Through the HBO series, which aired on Channel 4 in the late Nineties and early Noughties, they became huge stars and went on to make two Sex And The City movies, in 2008 and 2010.
Over six saucy seasons, they scooped seven Emmys and eight Golden Globes, but cracks had been emerging towards the end of the TV show’s final run.
A big problem was the fact that although the romcom drama was based around Sarah’s character, it was Samantha who seemed to steal the scenes.
Tensions rose further after Kim — born in Liverpool to British parents who later emigrated to Canada — asked to be paid £720,000 an episode, which was up from a reported £253,000.
But Sarah, who was the executive producer, got an even higher wage.
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Kim was also unhappy about how Samantha was increasingly being portrayed, saying: “I felt like I was now cast as a cougar, which became not as positive as other aspects.”
Slowly cracks became chasms, and in 2018, things came to a head when Sarah expressed her sympathy in the wake of Kim’s brother taking his own life.
Kim wrote on Twitter: “My Mom asked me today ‘When will that @sarahjessicaparker, that hypocrite, leave you alone?’ Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now.
“You are not my family. You are not my friend.
“Stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ‘nice girl’ persona.”
Kim later confirmed: “We’ve never been friends. We’ve been colleagues.”
The total breakdown in relations seemed to be sparked by Sarah “pressuring” Kim to take part in a third movie.
It was eventually scrapped before filming began.
Kim felt like she had been portrayed as a diva for saying “no” and added: “Sarah Jessica Parker could have been nicer. I don’t know what her issue is.”
So when the sequel to SATC, And Just Like That, came out two years ago, Kim only found out about the project via social media — and learned Samantha was absent.
Like the original concept, it featured Carrie lunching, designer shopping and bantering with her pals Charlotte and Miranda.
Samantha’s absence was explained by her “moving to London for work”, with one of them remarking: “Sexy sirens in their 60s are still viable over there.”
Carrie no longer needed a personal publicist, and when she let Samantha go professionally, Samantha sacked her as a pal.
In the show all of the women tried to get in touch, but Samantha never responded.
In words that sounded like a slight to Kim, Carrie says: “I kept leaving her voicemails asking her to please call me back so we could talk and fix it.
“Look, I understand that she was upset, but I thought I was more to her than an ATM.”
When Carrie’s husband Big, played by Chris Noth, 67, had a fatal heart attack at the start of the series, Samantha sends flowers.
They were the only bouquet that Carrie allowed to be on display at the funeral.
Samantha’s absence was mourned by fans and critics, which Kim seemed to revel in.
She said: “I’ve come to the conclusion that really the greatest compliment I could have as an actor is to be missed.”
Only last year Kim insisted there was no way back.
She said: “It’s a great wisdom to know when enough is enough. I also didn’t want to compromise what the show was to me. The way forward seemed clear.”
But Kim will now feature in a scene at the end of the new season, though notably she doesn’t physically appear alongside Sarah, Cynthia or Kristin.
Released yesterday by Sky, the trailer may provide a clue to Sarah’s current state of mind as it begins with words that could sum up her complicated relationship with Kim.
She says: “You don’t move on because you’re ready to, you move on because you’ve outgrown who you used to be.”
But Kim hasn’t even hinted at the reason for her apparent U-turn.
Whipped into frenzy
It may have coincided with changes in her life, both professional and private.
Her mother, Shane Cattrall — a vocal critic of Sarah — died aged 93 in December.
Kim’s career in the last few years has seen mixed results. In 2020 she was the lead and executive producer on US drama Filthy Rich, which was axed five episodes in.
Since then she has been the narrator on two other US-based series, How I Met Your Father and yet another reboot of Queer As Folk.
But nothing has been quite in the same league as the show that made her an international star.
Crucially, Kim might have been influenced by the success of Netflix series Emily In Paris, which is also made by SATC creator Darren Star.
It too features an older, no- nonsense, sexy head of a PR organisation called Sylvie, who millennials lapped up, and SATC stalwarts compared to Samantha.
They were whipped into a frenzy when Darren was asked about the possibility of Kim appearing in the third series of Emily In Paris, which was a possibility as she was living across the Channel in London.
He said: “It’s about finding the right role for the right person. And I would love to work with Kim and it’s just about finding a role that’s worthy of Kim.”
Seeing how loved Samantha was might just have tipped the balance for both Kim and the creators of And Just Like That.
Although the actress only has a small part in its next 11-part series, it’s likely to be a test of how well she’s received — with a view to potentially bringing Samantha back entirely in any third series.
And it’s perhaps no coincidence that it would be highly likely to air next year — 20 years since the final episode of Sex And The City.
- The first two episodes of And Just Like That will be available on Sky Comedy and Now on June 22.
