Kim Cattrall‘s Samantha Jones knows good sex, and isn’t afraid to ask. But does that make the iconic “Sex and the City” character a “nymphomaniac”? Not quite.
Cattrall told The Times that she still disagrees with some audience reactions to the beloved role. Cattrall starred as publicist Samantha in six seasons of “Sex and the City” from 1998 to 2004, and reprised the role for the 2008 and 2010 movies. She later made a cameo in the Season 2 finale of revival series “And Just Like That” in 2023.
“[Samantha] wasn’t a nymphomaniac — well, some people might have thought she was — but she was just enjoying the main course,” Cattrall said. “Everyone else was nibbling on the appetizers when she was going for the steak. And it was always on her terms — that I always insisted on.”
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Samantha was arguably the on-screen epitome of sex-positivity before the term even existed as a colloquialism. And while Cattrall is proud of the character, she can’t totally relate to her: “I’m the antithesis of her in many ways,” she said. “I’m a serial monogamist, and then some.”
Cattrall also recalled how she turned down the role of Samantha four times, believing that at age 41, she was too old to be considered sexy. “Self-inflicted ageism,” Cattrall said when asked why. “Well, that changed — 40 became sexy. It became, ‘Man, let’s have more of that.’”
Cattrall previously said to Today that she is “protective” of Samantha almost 30 years since the series began. “I don’t think I’ll ever say goodbye to Samantha,” she said. “She’s like a lot of other characters that I’ve done over the years. I get very emotionally attached and protective of my characters. She gave me so much, and I’m so appreciative of her.”
As for her “And Just Like That” presence, Cattrall is calling it a one and done cameo (Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie does text Samantha in Seasons 1 and 3, but Cattrall only appeared onscreen for Season 2.) “This is as far as I’m going to go,” Cattrall said at the time. “It felt like dipping my toe back in time and having a wonderful afternoon. And then a great martini!”
