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'Sex & the City' Star, 68, Turned Down Her Iconic Role for Unexpected Reason
'Sex & the City' Star, 68, Turned Down Her Iconic Role for Unexpected Reason originally appeared on Parade.
Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall revealed she felt hesitant about taking on her now-iconic role as sultry publicist Samantha Jones.
During a June 12 The Times interview, Cattrall said she turned down playing Samantha, not once, but four times, as reported by People magazine. She explained she was in her early 40s at the time of casting and felt audiences wouldn't view her as sexy because of her age.
"Self-inflicted ageism," said Cattrall with a laugh during the interview. "Well, that changed — 40 became sexy. It became, 'Man, let's have more of that.'"
She also wanted to clear up some disinformation about Samantha, who was never shy when describing her romantic life.
'She wasn't a nymphomaniac — well, some people might have thought she was — but she was just enjoying the main course. Everyone else was nibbling on the appetisers when she was going for the steak. And it was always on her terms — that I always insisted on," said Cattrall to the publication.
The 68-year-old actress, who has made one cameo for the 2021 Sex and the City reboot And Just Like That..., also clarified that she isn't all that similar to Samantha.
"I'm the antithesis of her [Samantha] in many ways. I'm a serial monogamist, and then some," said Cattrall, who has been married three times.
Cattrall opened up about her audition process for Samantha during a 2008 Paley Center panel, alongside her Sex and the City castmates. She said she was given the script for the pilot before Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays Carrie Bradshaw, "was attached." Cattrall also said she wasn't all that interested in starring in a series about dating.
"I thought this is really painful. This is about dating which is a really scary time in most of our lives," said Cattrall.
She said, however, that she began taking interest in the show, which aired from 1998 to 2004, when Parker officially signed on to the project.
"I'm such a fan of Sarah's work. I thought, 'Wow this could be really interesting,'" said Cattrall.
In addition, the actress said she was blown away doing the cast's first read-through.
"I got to hear the voices of each character," said Cattrall during the 2008 panel.
'Sex & the City' Star, 68, Turned Down Her Iconic Role for Unexpected Reason first appeared on Parade on Jun 13, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
