Entertainment

Samantha's back — Sex and the City's Kim Cattrall films cameo on And Just Like That

Kim Cattrall, who played beloved sex-positive, straight-talking Samantha Jones in all 94 episodes of the original HBO series Sex and the City and both movies, will reprise her role in a cameo in the second season of the show's reboot, And Just Like That.

For long-time fans of the Sex and the City franchise, it's simply fabulous news

A blonde woman in a sparkling gown smiles for a portrait.
Kim Cattrall attends the About My Father premiere at SVA Theater on May 9 in New York City. Max, formerly HBO Max, has confirmed that Cattrall will reprise her Sex and the City role of Samantha in a cameo during the new season of the show's reboot, And Just Like That. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

Raise your cosmopolitans and strap on your stilettos, Sex and the City fans, because we have fabulous news.

Kim Cattrall, who played the beloved sex-positive, straight-talking and empowered Samantha Jones in all 94 episodes of the original HBO series and both movies, will reprise her role in a cameo in the second season of the show's reboot, And Just Like That, which follows the group of friends, now in their fifties, as they navigate life and relationships in New York City. 

Cattrall, 66, who is British-born and Canadian-raised, famously did not take part in the first season of the reboot, after previously saying she would never play Samantha again. The show wrote around Cattrall's absence from the iconic foursome by placing her character in London and having her texts occasionally appear on main character Carrie Bradshaw Preston's phone.

Carrie, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, makes plans to meet with Samantha in the first season finale while mourning the death of her husband, Big, a.k.a. John Preston, played by Chris Noth.

Network confirms Cattrall appearance

On Thursday, Cattrall appeared to confirm the news herself by posting a screen shot of the Variety article that first broke the news on her social media accounts.

In an email statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for Max (formerly HBO Max) confirmed that Cattrall will make an appearance on the show, but said they had nothing further to add.

According to Variety, Cattrall will appear for just one scene, where she has a phone conversation with Parker. Citing sources, Variety reported that Cattrall shot the scene in New York City on March 22, without seeing any of the show's other stars.

But that was still enough to get many long-time fans excited, with nearly 20,000 people commenting on Cattrall's Instagram post by Thursday evening.

"Even if you are on the screen for 10 seconds, I will be delighted," one person wrote.

"And just like that ... Now I'll watch it," said another.

Four fashionable women holding cocktails
From left, Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) are reunited for the 2010 movie Sex and the City 2. (Craig Blankenhorn/Warner Bros. Pictures)

'Enough is enough'

While each of the show's three other major stars (Parker; Kristin Davis, who plays Charlotte; and Miranda's Cynthia Nixon) posted the trailer for the new season to their social media Thursday, none appeared to make any mention of Cattrall.

In a 2022 interview on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, Parker said Cattrall had not been invited to participate in the show's revival.

"We did not ask her to be part of this [And Just Like That] 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. That's not 'slamming' her, it's just learning," Parker said.

The same year, Cattrall told Variety, "It's a great wisdom to know when enough is enough,"

And Just Like That premieres June 22 on Max.

Three well-dressed women
Nixon, Parker and Davis reprise their roles as Miranda, Carrie and Charlotte, respectively, in And Just Like That. (Bell Media/HBO)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Natalie Stechyson

Senior Writer & Editor

Natalie Stechyson has been a writer and editor at CBC News since 2021. She covers stories on social trends, families, gender, human interest, as well as general news. She's worked as a journalist since 2009, with stints at the Globe and Mail and Postmedia News, among others. Before joining CBC News, she was the parents editor at HuffPost Canada, where she won a silver Canadian Online Publishing Award for her work on pregnancy loss. You can reach her at natalie.stechyson@cbc.ca.