Kim Cattrall surprises fans with her return as Samantha Jones in ‘And Just Like That’

Kim Cattrall, who played the iconic role of Samantha Jones in the hit series ‘Sex and the City’ and its two film adaptations, has made a cameo appearance in the season 2 finale of the sequel show ‘And Just Like That’. The actress had previously declined to reprise her role in the Max reboot, citing personal and professional reasons.

A phone call from London

The cameo scene showed Samantha calling her longtime friend Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) from London, where she had moved after ending her friendship with the other three women. Samantha had planned to surprise Carrie at her farewell party, as she was moving out of her apartment, but her flight was delayed by three hours.

Kim Cattrall surprises fans with her return as Samantha Jones in ‘And Just Like That’
Kim Cattrall surprises fans with her return as Samantha Jones in ‘And Just Like That’

Samantha asked Carrie to put her on speaker so she could say goodbye to the “fabulous” apartment and pay her respects. She also joked that she was calling as “Annabelle Bronstein”, a reference to an old episode of ‘Sex and the City’ where Samantha pretended to be a British woman to get into an exclusive club.

The phone call was brief but emotional, as both women expressed their love and gratitude for each other. Samantha also said that she was happy for Carrie and her new husband, Mr. Big (Chris Noth), who had survived a heart attack in the first episode of ‘And Just Like That’.

An improvised moment

According to the showrunner Michael Patrick King, who spoke on the show’s Writers Room podcast, the scene was not scripted entirely. He revealed that Kim Cattrall improvised a key moment from her cameo, when she kissed her phone after saying goodbye to Carrie.

“It was totally [an example of] an actor playing a moment. And it’s really nice,” King said. He also added that he imagined that Samantha was always in touch with Carrie, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis), even though she was not physically present.

A rift between co-stars

Kim Cattrall’s return to the ‘Sex and the City’ universe was unexpected, as she had reportedly been involved in a long-running feud with Sarah Jessica Parker. The actress had publicly stated that she was not interested in reprising her role as Samantha, and that she felt disrespected by Parker and the producers.

However, in May 2023, news broke that Cattrall had agreed to make a cameo appearance in ‘And Just Like That’, after HBO boss Casey Bloys personally reached out to her. The actress filmed her scene without any contact with Parker, and said that it felt like “dipping my toe back in time”.

A third season on the way

‘And Just Like That’ has been renewed for a third season by Max, ahead of the season 2 finale. The show has received mixed reviews from critics and fans, who have praised its portrayal of aging and friendship, but also criticized its lack of diversity and relevance.

The show follows the lives of Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte as they navigate their 50s in New York City, along with new characters such as Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez), Lisa Todd Wexley (Nicole Ari Parker) and Seema Patel (Sarita Choudhury). The show also features guest appearances from original cast members such as John Corbett, David Eigenberg and Willie Garson.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *