Sex And The Cityreturned to screens last week with the release of the new spin off series And Just Like That. And Kim Cattrall– AKA Samantha Jones has been living her best life since opting out of the series…much to the disappointment of many mourning fans.
Sipping on cocktails, eating cacio e pepe on holiday in Rome, and sharing every second on social media, Kim has been channelling serious break-up energy as she shows her followers, who notably don’t include her ex-cast-mates Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, that she’s moved on for the better.
‘It’s kind of like she’s dead, we never talk about her,’ Carrie tells Miranda of Samantha in And Just Like That’s early scenes.The plot tells of how the pair fell out after Samantha was fired as Carrie’s publicist, moved away to England, and stopped answering her former friend’s calls.
But while Samantha hides away from drama in London, and real-life Kim indulges in Italy, viewers have been unable to hide their disappointment at Kim’s absence from And Just Like That.
Beneath every chic Rome upload have been hundreds of comments lamenting: ‘We miss you so much in the series’, with some begging ‘Please come back’ and others claiming, ‘I’m not watching that rubbish without you’.
Meanwhile, supporters have hailed Kim as an ‘unbothered queen’ and reassured her: ‘You didn’t miss anything by not doing the return. Have fun in Rome.’
Although Samantha’s cutting jokes, unapologetic sexual escapades and refreshingly frank nuggets of wisdom have been an undisputable loss from the Sex And The City universe, we couldn’t help but wonder… did she do the right thing by opting out of the reboot?
Kim has been transparent in the past about conflict between her and Sarah Jessica Parker on set. She consequently refused to do the third SATC movie and branded her relationship with the cast ‘toxic’.
This feud culminated in 2018 when SJP shared her ‘love and condolences’ with Kim after her brother passed away. Kim responded in a separate post, writing: 'Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now. Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven’t already). You are not my family. You are not my friend.'
Problematic co-workers aside, it really did seem Kim had fallen out of love with the rom-com drama after she told the Women’s Prize For Fiction this year that she wouldn’t be able to nail the role without any passion underneath her and was keen to ‘explore stories that [she] hadn't heard before'.
Kim explained: 'I am lucky enough to have a choice... And it's, it's something that I feel very lucky to have. And I'm very protective of it. But I wouldn't be any good doing something that I really didn't want to do.’
A toxic environment, and an urge to explore new challenges are certainly justifiable reasons to turn down a job offer. And Kim appears very happy with her decision to swerve And Just Like that as she frequently logs on to Twitter to like fan’s comments praising her choice.
‘And just like that… I find myself only wanting to watch anything @KimCattrall is in. This is a Kim appreciation tweet,’ read one post liked by the actress. ‘And just like that…I want to rewatch the 2014 HBO Canada prestige Toronto-set dramedy Sensitive Skin starring Kim Cattrall,’ said another.
In an interview with The Guardian that went viral last year, Kim famously said: ‘I don’t want to be in a situation for even an hour where I’m not enjoying myself’. As you watch her grin on Instagram in Rome while her spaghetti is laden with pepper and pecorino cheese, the carefree joy of the moment is infectious.
This is a woman that has put herself first. She has chosen what she wanted to do, over what she was expected to. Kim gifted us her performance as Samantha, but she doesn’t owe it to us either. Let her enjoy her pasta in peace.