Former Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall has spoken out to correct a long-held misconception about her iconic character, Samantha Jones.
The 68-year-old actress portrayed the bold and confident PR executive in the hit series from 1998 to 2004, alongside co-stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis, who played Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte respectively.
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Cattrall’s character — a fortysomething woman who chose to remain single and unapologetically embraced her sexuality — became a feminist symbol to many. However, she was also frequently mislabelled as a nymphomaniac.
Speaking to The Times, Cattrall refuted this notion:
“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.”
She added:
“And it was always on her terms — that I always insisted on. But I’m the antithesis of her in many ways. I’m a serial monogamist, and then some.”
Cattrall, who was born in Liverpool but raised in Canada, has been married three times. Her first marriage, to Canadian writer Larry Davis, was annulled after two years. She later wed German architect Andreas Lyson, a union that lasted seven years. In her early forties, she married musician Mark Levinson. The couple co-authored a book in 2002 titled Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm, but separated two years later.
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Although Cattrall returned to the role of Samantha in the two Sex and the City feature films released in 2008 and 2010, she did not take part in the 2021 reboot, And Just Like That, citing tensions with co-star Sarah Jessica Parker. She has since confirmed she will not return for the third series.
Reflecting on her time in the role, Cattrall said:
“I created a fantastic character that I loved, and I put a lot of love into it. And if I’m remembered only for that, then that’s really OK.”
The actress also revealed that she initially turned down the role of Samantha four times, doubting that audiences would find a 41-year-old woman sexy.
“Self-inflicted ageism,” she noted. “Well, that changed — 40 became sexy. It became, ‘Man, let’s have more of that.’”
