Back in the late '90s and early 2000s, Sex and the City ruled television, having aired six seasons and two movies, and now with a reboot approaching its second season. The show remains much beloved, with the strong female leads, its nuanced portrayal of female friendship, and the way it normalized sex and relationships for women all contributing to both its success and legacy. But while the characters may have been unconditional friends, that wasn’t exactly the case on set. It’s been a known thing for years now that there was tension between Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker, with both women having different sides of the same story The tension was only further confirmed when the reboot And Just Like That… was announced to be going forward without Cattrall’s Samantha Jones. But in a shocking turn of events, it’s now been announced Cattrall will be making a cameo in the show’s second season! How brief or what it entails exactly is yet to be determined, but it’s been said that the cameo will appear in a phone call between Samantha and Carrie, so it's likely she didn't see any of her old co-stars in person.
So, what exactly went down behind the scenes all those years ago? And what was Kim Cattrall’s part in it all?
Was Money the Issue for Kim Cattrall?
A lot of times, when it comes to television and movies, money can cause a huge rift among cast members. In 2004, the year Sex and the City aired its sixth and final season, in an interview on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross Cattrall revealed that salary discrepancies did indeed contribute to the series’ end. She said, “I felt after six years, it was time for all of us to participate in the financial windfall of Sex and the City. When they didn’t seem keen on that, I thought it was time to move on.” And a few years later, in 2008, The Telegraph confirmed that Cattrall and Parker had long had tension over money, dating back to the second season when Parker was given the title of executive producer and thus, had her salary bumped up. This prompted Cattrall to negotiate for a higher salary as well, and it was reported in the same Telegraph piece that crew members revealed the rest of the main cast weren’t happy about Cattrall potentially getting more money.
It was during this time that the first film, Sex and the City (2008), started filming after reportedly being delayed due to salary negotiations from Cattrall. Speaking with The Telegraph, Sarah Jessica Parker seemingly supported Kim, saying: “She mentioned money and no one should vilify her for it. People made a decision that we had vilified her.” And in an interview with Marie Claire Cattrall talked about the rumour of her being the film’s holdup, saying: "Four years ago I was going through a painful public divorce, the series was coming to an end, and my father was diagnosed with dementia. I felt it was time to be with my real family. A year and a half ago, when I was sent the script, I was ready and strong enough to revisit Samantha. In some ways, I'm glad we waited. The script and the experience of making the movie was the best possible reunion." So perhaps money did play a part in the dissolution of both the show and the cast’s relationship, but the rift goes far deeper than that, pinning the actresses against one another with reports of feuds and mean girl behavior. But most notably, it comes down to Sarah and Kim and the feud that never seems to end.
Do Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall Hate Each Other?
There have been so many stories over the years detailing the rifts between the cast members, and while there have been stories circling around every single cast member and their supposed feud with Cattrall, none have been quite as prominent as her supposed feud with Sarah Jessica Parker. The show’s creator Darren Star touched a little on the matter in the aforementioned Marie Claire interview, saying: "I think you have to draw the line between what's happening in gossip columns and what's happening on a set. You can't create that kind of chemistry. When you do a series for so many years, you can't fake it completely." It’s certainly a true fact, and it’s clear that the cast had their good times together, but at some point, things went seriously awry, and it continues on to this day.
Both Parker and Cattrall have denied rumors of a feud over the years, but it’s always been a bit of back and forth. Some days they were denying it, others they were saying there was some truth to it — though not nearly as dramatic as media outlets made it seem. A lot of the denial of these stories came in 2010 when the cast was doing press for the second film. In interviews, the cast would share how sad it was that the media insisted on pitting them against each other and creating false narratives. And years later on Howard Stern, Parker spoke about the rumors once again, saying: "Was every day perfect? No, but this is a family of people who needed each other. This sort of narrative, this ongoing catfight…it used to really confound me and really upset me."
But once again, stories surfaced of Cattrall being the villain among the cast, when it was announced that a third film would not be going forward. It was reported that she refused to do the film unless her list of demands was met, causing the film to be canceled. But Cattrall tweeted out saying the only demand she ever made was that she didn’t want to do a third movie. And she reiterated this in an interview with Piers Morgan when asked if there will ever be more Sex and the City:
“Not for me. That was part of turning 60. That was a very clear moment of, how many years do I have left and what do I want to do with it? What haven’t I done? I feel that the show was the best when it was the series and the bonus was the two movies. / "This isn't about more money. It's not about more scenes. It's not about any of those things. This is about a clear decision, an empowered decision in my life to end one chapter and start another… It's a great part. I played it past the finish line and then some, and I loved it."
She was also asked whether she was friends with her co-stars to which she said they had never been friends, and that she believes Sarah Jessica Parker could’ve been nicer and that she “doesn’t know what her issue is.” And one of the more infamous showdowns between the two was when Cattrall’s brother passed away in 2018. Parker left her condolences on Cattrall’s Instagram, which resulted in Cattrall publicly slamming Parker for exploiting the death and asking her to leave her and her family alone. This was one of the last times Cattrall spoke about Parker and vice versa, though outlets never stopped asking. When And Just Like That… was announced it was slated to go on without Cattrall. HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys said:
“They’re trying to tell an honest story about being a woman in her 50s in New York. So it should all feel somewhat organic, and the friends that you have when you’re 30, you may not have when you’re 50. Just as in real life, people come into your life, people leave. Friendships fade, and new friendships start. So I think it is all very indicative of the real stages, the actual stages of life.”
We Need to Stop Vilifying Kim Cattrall
Of course, it’s sad to see the show go on without Samantha, which is why it’s so exciting to know that the character will be making a cameo. But what’s sadder is how unfairly the narrative has been switched to paint Cattrall in such bad light. That’s not to discount any feuds or any hurtful things said on any of the cast’s part, because we’re all human and it’s natural to not get on with everyone, but Cattrall’s decision to leave shouldn’t make her a villain. Putting aside potential mean girl behavior and cliques on set, and the ever-prominent aspect of money, it’s just not realistic to expect the perfect fairytale among the group. Sure, we’d all love it if the cast was besties in real life and constantly hung out, and that does happen for some casts but it's not the norm for most productions.
In an interview with Los Angeles Times, Cattrall revealed that she was continuously being cast as characters with a certain likeness to Samantha and that her career had been plagued by her feud with Parker. She declined to comment more on the feud, suggesting instead to Google it. She also went on to say that she doesn’t have any regrets. And in an interview with Variety, when asked if she felt like Samantha was still with her she said: “Oh yes. Because parts of her are with me. I played her, and I loved her. I felt ultimately protective of her.” She also said that she doesn’t ever want to be on a set and have the feeling that she doesn’t want to be there. Is that something that deserves to be held against her? She played Samantha for so many years and gave it her absolute all throughout, but it's fair that only playing that character would grow dull for the actor.
At the end of the day, playing best friends on a TV show doesn’t automatically make the actors best friends in real life and that’s okay. That choice is a personal one and making it shouldn’t vilify anybody. Sex and the City will forever be remembered for its prowess in creating a sex-positive environment, one that didn’t shame women for exploring relationships and not having it all figured out right away, and perhaps that’s the biggest lesson to take away from this all. The drama will always be a part of the show’s history, but the important part will always be the show itself and the barriers it broke.