What’s really driving Kim’s bitter feud with SJP?
Sex And The City is making a surprise TV comeback, but fans have been left wondering what the real reason is behind Kim Cattrall’s refusal to join the historic reunion
❛ KIM WAS A SCENESTEALER… THE CAMERA WENT STRAIGHT TO HER ❜
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.
ON-SET CONFLICT
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 scenestealer in the best possible sense – the camera went straight to her”, despite Sarah’s character Carrie being the lead.
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 makeup room,” one insider said. In 2009, during filming for the second SATC film, it was rumoured that Kim and SJP were “no longer speaking”.
LASHING OUT
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.”