We couldn’t have been happier when Kim Cattrall, aka Samantha Jones, made a long-awaited return to our screens in the finale of And Just Like That, even if it was for all of one minute. And it turns out Kim Cattrall is continuing to keep fans talking off-screen, too.
In an interview with Vogue Greece, the Sex And The City star said she is ‘thankful’ to her mother, Shane, for showing her to 'not allow others to control' her narrative. We'll let you decide what narrative she might be referring to there.
‘For me, a woman in her 60s, I think that the biggest challenge is to keep being relevant, to keep working, to have something to say. My idol was always my mother,’ she said in the interview, which was translated to English in PEOPLE by Kim's rep. ‘Even though she could never connect to a job that made her happy, and she was depressed and alone for long periods of time, she never lost her spirit.’
She continued ‘that’s something she passed on to me. I am thankful to her for teaching me to defend myself and not allow others to control my narrative. That is a very important lesson for young women.’
In the past, Kim, 67, was adamant that she wouldn’t be returning as Samantha, leaving it behind after reading the script for the third movie and being less than impressed. According to Kim, she ‘wasn’t asked’ to be part of the reboot, continuing ‘I made my feelings clear after the possible third movie, so I found out about it like everyone else did — on social media.'
‘The series is basically the third movie. That’s how creative it was,' she added in the interview with Variety, adding ‘I also didn’t want to compromise what the show was to me… The way forward seemed clear.’
Kim’s initial reluctance to take up the role could also have been down to her public rift with co-star Sarah Jessica Parker. This reared its head in 2018, when Sarah shared her condolences to Kim after her brother, Chris, died. Kim said at the time 'I don't need your love or support at this tragic time @SarahJessicaParker. My Mom asked me today "when will that @SarahJessicaParker, that hypocrite, leave you alone?"'
And who can forget when Kim admitted she was ‘not friends’ with many of her other co-stars, including Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon. Last month, it was revealed that Samantha's cameo was filmed without any contact with her former colleagues.
It seems that Kim found the strength for the role in her late mother's words, who passed away in December last year aged 93. At the time, Kim commemorated their close relationship by sharing seven pictures of her mum on Instagram over the years, captioning the post ‘Shane Cattrall 1929 – 2022 Rest in peace Mum.’
Earlier that year, she shared a heartfelt post on Mother’s Day with a photo of the pair hugging and smiling at the camera with the caption ‘Happy Mum's Day Mum. 93 Years young.’
This isn’t the first time Kim has praised her mother’s strength. In 2008, she told the Liverpool Echo ‘What I have realised about women in Liverpool is that they are incredibly strong. My mum grew up without a dad, so she was raised by my grandmother,’ continuing 'although my family moved to Canada when I was young, we would go back to Liverpool quite a few times because my mom missed it so much. She had some terrific times in the city.’
Kim’s comments come at a time when many actors are addressing what success looks like in their 60s - and beyond. This year, Angela Bassett and Michelle Yeoh, both in their 60s, won their respective categories at The Golden Globe Awards. And need we remind you of Jennifer Coolidge’s inspiring speech at the Critics Choice Awards, where she said 'for anyone who has given up hope… … it’s not over until you’re dead.’
And in Kim's case, this sentiment certainly rings true.