When the announcement broke that Sex And The City was returning to our screens, there was a noticeable absence on the cast list. While three out of the four original stars are set to reprise their roles for a spin-off series, the reboot won’t feature Samantha Jones, the iconic character played by Kim Cattrall for over a decade.
The 64-year-old actress has refused to take part in the revival of the hit HBO show, due to start filming in spring with former co-stars Kristin Davis (Charlotte), Cynthia Nixon (Miranda) and Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie) – with whom she’s openly spoken of a strained relationship.
As Closer went to press, Kim was yet to directly address the new ten-episode series, called And Just Like That, but admitted on Twitter she’d had “quite a week” and liked a tweet from a fan that read, “I applaud doing what is best for you and think this is a great example of putting yourself first.”
When a fan asked Sarah Jessica Parker, 55, who’s also an executive producer of SATC, on Instagram if she and Kim “dislike” each other, the star (also known as SJP) replied, “No. I don’t dislike her. I’ve never said that. Never would. Samantha isn’t part of this story, but she will always be part of us.”
The latest SATC saga blows open the feud that dampened the magic for fans when rumours swirled about on-set tensions between Kim and her co-stars. On-screen they were best friends, off-screen it was a different plotline.
It all seemingly began on the very first series in 1998, with British-born Kim the most famous out of the foursome, having big name films Mannequin and Big Trouble In Little China under her belt.
Actor Clifford Streit – who worked with the show’s writer and reportedly inspired the character of Stanford Blatch – claimed there was conflict on set from the start because Kim was “a natural comedienne, and a scene-stealer in the best possible sense – the camera went straight to her”, despite Sarah’s character Carrie being the lead.
Check out: Sex and the City cast - where are they now?
Sex and the City cast - where are they now? slider
1 of 20Sarah Jessica Parker - aka Carrie Bradshaw
Carrie had a weekly column and managed to live in a New York City apartment - the dream. She chased Mr Big around NYC (even though he was trash) and she even cheated on Aidan Shaw with him - rude. The last time we saw Carrie she returned from Abu Dhabi after cheating on hubby Mr Big with Aidan - full circle, tbh.
2 of 20Sarah Jessica Parker - now
Sarah Jessica Parker has since starred in The Family Stone, Failure to Launch, Did You Hear About The Morgans and New Year's Eve. She's also starred on Glee, HBO show Divorce and she's produced her own independent drama. She's married to actor Matthew Broderick and they have three children; James and surrogate twins Marion and Tabitha.
3 of 20Kim Cattrall - aka Samantha Jones
Confident, outspoken and sexy AF - Samantha Jones is literally everything we want to be. She stayed away from long-term relationships but went on to fall for Richard Wright however he left her devo when she found him cheating on her. She then went on to date Jerrod and the pair moved to LA however she broke up with him in Sex and the City 2 and moved back to NYC.
4 of 20Kim Cattrall - now
Following SATC, Kim went on to continue acting in movies and Broadway productions. In 2018 she tweeted that her brother had gone missing and hours later it came to light that he had died by suicide. After SJP apparently wrote condolences on Kim's Instagram, Kim hit back and claimed Sarah was "exploiting" her brother's death.
5 of 20Cynthia Nixon - aka Miranda Hobbes
Miranda didn't trust men (classic) but after falling for Steve Brady (and having a few ups and downs) she fell pregnant with Brady. The pair co-parented their son and eventually gave in to their feelings and reunited. However, Miranda was left heartbroken during the first Sex and the City movie when Steve cheated. Luckily they made it through their rough patch and she even bagged a new job at a law firm during the second movie.
6 of 20Cynthia Nixon - now
Cynthia has continued acting and in 2018 she announced she was running for governor. She's since Christine Marinoni. In 2006 she was diagnosed with breast cancer but she beat it.
7 of 20Kristin Davis - aka Charlotte York
The easiest way to describe Charlotte York is as a hopeless romantic. All she wanted was a husband and kids and it appeared that she found that in Trey MacDougal however when she found out he couldn't "get it up" it took a toll on their marriage and they split. She then fell for Harry Goldenblatt who was not her type but they eventually tied the knot and welcomed Lily (through adoption) and Rose into the world.
8 of 20Kristin Davis - now
Following her time in the Sex and the City series, Kristin continued to star in films and TV shows. She's also an ambassador for Oxfam and she adopted her daughter Gemma in 2011 and her son Wilson in 2018.
9 of 20Chris Noth - aka Big
We had a love/hate relationship with Big because he was Carrie's true love but he was also the ultimate f--kboy. However, when Carrie moved to Paris and was finally ready to forget all about him, he soon changed his tune and they made things work. In the final episode of SATC we finally discovered that his real name was John James Preston.
10 of 20Chris Noth - now
Chris has continued acting in theatre, TV and film. He's also a co-owner of a New York music venue and a tequila company. He's married to actress Tara Lynn Wilson and they're parents to two sons.
11 of 20John Corbett - aka Aidan Shaw
Aww Aidan; the one that got away, tbh. We still think Carrie should have stayed with Aidan - he treated her like a queen, built furniture (hashtag handy) and gave her a second chance after she cheated on him. Despite almost making it down the aisle; Aidan moved on, got married and had three children - although he did kiss Carrie in Sex and the City 2.
12 of 20John Corbett - now
Not only has John continued acting but he's also released two country albums. He has been in a long-term relationship with actress Bo Derek since 2002.
13 of 20Evan Handler - aka Harry Goldenblatt
Harry is definitely the least problematic out of all the Sex and the City characters. He was 100 per cent himself and loved Charlotte despite the fact that she was going through a divorce. He remained faithful and the pair welcomed two daughters into the world.
14 of 20Evan Handler - now
Evan has continued acting and he's also released his own books and has written for magazines and The Huffington Post. He tied the knot with Elisa Atti in 2003 and four years later they welcomed her daughter Sofia into the world.
15 of 20David Eigenberg - aka Steve Brady
Steve and Miranda's relationship started as a one-night stand but they ended up actually dating. It didn't last and the pair split. When Steve discovered he has testicular cancer he ended up sleeping with Miranda and she fell pregnant. They planed to co-parent their son but eventually reunited as a coupe. In the first Sex and the City movie, Steve cheated on Miranda but by the end of the film they got back together.
16 of 20David Eigenberg - now
Just like the rest of the cast, Steve has continued acting. He's married to Chrysti and they're parents to son Louie and daughter Myrna.
17 of 20Willie Garson - aka Stanford Blatch
We always loved Stanford. He was Carrie's BFF and always had her back. He did not get on with Charlotte's pal Anthony but the pair went on to get married in Sex and the City 2.
18 of 20Willie Garson - now
Willie has continued acting in films and TV shows - including Wizard of Waverly Places. Despite playing Carrie's gay best friend, Willie is actually heterosexual and in 2009 he adopted son Nathan.
19 of 20Mario Cantone - aka Anthony Marentino
Anthony was actually Charlotte's wedding planner for her marriage to Trey MacDougal and despite that relationship not working out, Anthony and Charlotte stayed pals. Anthony went on to marry Stanford despite them not getting along for years.
20 of 20Mario Cantone - now
Mario has continued his acting career on Broadway and in 2011 he married musical theater director Jerry Dixon after dating for 20 years.
Having known each other since their teens on the New York theatre scene, Sarah and Cynthia were close, and they quickly became friendly with Kristin – but there were reports Kim was not part of the clique.
During a location shoot in the early 2000s, Sarah reportedly rented a house for her, Cynthia and Kristin, with Kim staying by herself – although an HBO spokesperson said this was because her husband was supposed to be joining her.
By the end of the final series in 2004, relations were said to have got so bad it was claimed no one was talking to Kim – “not even in the make-up room,” one insider said. In 2009, during filming for the second SATC film, it was rumoured that Kim and SJP were “no longer speaking”.
WATCH: ‘I was the queen of getting told off’: Paige and Finn expose their Love Island Secrets
READ MORE
Sex and the City is 20 years old - here's what we learnt from the show
EXCLUSIVE! Celebs Go Dating's Anna Williamson: 'Wayne Lineker kept Chloe Ferry up at night'
Two decades after her show debut, Kim addressed the thorny issue of the doomed third Sex And The City film, calling out SJP directly on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, saying, “She could have been nicer”.
Their animosity came to a head a year later in 2018, when Kim hit out at “cruel” SJP and accused her of “exploiting” the tragedy of her younger brother’s death after her former co-star offered her condolences via Instagram.
For her part, SJP has always denied any “feud”. “There is no catfight, there never has been a catfight,” she insisted in 2018. But Kim has a different version of events, saying of the show, “It was a blessing in so many ways, but after the second movie I’d had enough. I couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t just replace me with another actress instead of wasting time bullying. No means no.
“I don’t want to be in a situation for even an hour where I’m not enjoying myself. I want to choose who I spend my time with personally and professionally. It’s my life.”
Get the best celeb interviews in Closer magazine each week.