Clash of the giant egos
When Hollywood co-stars become public enemies
It was the theme of female friendship that initially attracted Kim Cattrall to the era-defining sitcom Sex and the City.
So it is somewhat ironic that the 61-yearold’s poisonous relationship with co-star Sarah Jessica Parker is in the spotlight, following the tragic death of Cattrall’s brother, Chris.
Parker, 52, wrote to Cattrall on Instagram: “Dearest Kim, my love and condolences to you and yours and Godspeed to your beloved brother. Xx.”
The response from Cattrall was scathing: “My Mom asked me today, ‘When will that @sarahjessicaparker, that hypocrite, leave you alone?’ Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now,” she wrote. “Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven’t already.) You are not my family. You are not my friend. So I’m writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ‘nice girl’ persona.”
Asked about their rumoured feud in 2016 on Howard Stern’s radio show, Parker said: “We were part of a family with (fellow HBO series) The Sopranos and no one ever questioned the relationships of the men on that show... This sort of narrative, this ongoing cat fight, it really upset me for a very long time.”
Cattrall said in 2010: “People don’t want to believe that we get on. They have too much invested in the idea of two strong, successful women fighting with each other.”
Cattrall’s enmity doesn’t extend to her other co-stars. Responding to Cynthia Nixon’s condolences, she wrote: “Cynthia, hearing your voice meant so much to me. Thank you for reaching out. Love Kim #SexandtheCity.”
So what led to this public unravelling? The simple answer, it seems, boils down to disputes over money and a clash of egos. According to several accounts, the root of the tension lies in personal competition.
According to Clifford Streit, the real-life figure who inspired the SATC character Stanford Blatch, tensions stemmed from Cattrall being “a scene-stealer in the best possible sense.” A source who has met Cattrall on several occasions says: “SJP was really jealous of Kim’s character getting more attention than her on the series, when SJP wanted it to be all about her.”
From season two, Parker was promoted to executive producer on Sex and the City at a salary of US$300,000 an episode, leaving Cattrall’s earnings trailing behind.
Cattrall said: “I felt after six years it was time for all of us to participate in the financial windfall of Sex and the City. When they didn’t seem keen on that, I thought it was time to move on.” At the Emmys that year, she sat at a noticeable distance from her co-stars.
The money issue was aired again when it came to the highly successful first film, Sex and the City: the Movie. Cattrall was rumoured to be holding things up with demands for greater remuneration.
Things appeared to reach a head, after plans for a third film were shelved. Parker said last October: “It’s over... we’re not doing it. I’m disappointed.”
Strongly denying reports that her demands for Warner Bros to produce other films she had in development had been to blame for the demise of the project, Cattrall lashed out at Parker. In an interview with Piers Morgan, she said: “This is really where I take to task the people from Sex and the City, and specifically Sarah Jessica Parker, in that I think she could have been nicer. I really think she could have been nicer.” Last month, Parker said she was “just heartbroken” over how things had escalated.
Still, it remains hard to fathom how Cattrall could unleash such anger in such a public forum. “She struggled enormously with her dad’s death (in 2012) and found it very hard to cope,” says one source.
But Parker, she feels, was not to blame. “SJP is a professional. Some think that her nice girl image is fake but I don’t think it is. Every interaction that I’ve ever had with her, she has been incredibly kind and very generous, going above and beyond the call of duty.”