Carrie Bradshaw might be everyone's favorite TV bestie, but actor Sarah
Jessica Parker isn't exactly winning popularity contests in the real world. What's her deal?
Sex and the City followed the lives and relationships of Carrie Bradshaw and her
three best friends, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha. While all four women appeared to have
wonderful relationships on screen, their behavior on set was apparently a totally different story.
According to a 2017 article by the New York Post titled "Inside the mean-girls culture
that destroyed 'Sex and the City,'" a "clique" began to form around Sarah Jessica Parker on set,
and Kim Cattrall allegedly wasn't part of that inner circle. The New York Post's article went
on to allege that Parker became very close with both Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis. Cattrall,
meanwhile, was allegedly an outsider, with the article suggesting that cast
relations only got worse as the series neared its Season 6 finale.
An HBO spokesperson was even forced to respond to rumors of a feud when it was
reported that Cattrall wasn't invited to stay in the same house as Parker, Nixon,
and Davis when they were shooting an episode on location in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The New York Post alleged that Parker was at the center of this divide.
Despite starring on six seasons of Sex and the City together, along with two follow-up movies,
there doesn't seem to be much love lost between Parker and Cattrall. During her
October 2017 interview on "Piers Morgan's Life Stories," Cattrall
discussed her decision not to return for a third Sex and the City movie, saying,
"And 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."
Unfortunately, the feud didn't stop there. In February 2018,
Cattrall announced the devastating loss of her brother Chris Cattrall on Instagram,
and Parker shared a supportive comment on the post. Days later, Cattrall shared an Instagram
post squarely aimed at Parker where she claimed fake concern and said they are not friends. While
Parker denied she had a problem with her former castmate, it's clear that Cattrall isn't a fan of
hers. Plus, Cattrall's suggestion that Parker could've been "nicer" remains pretty damning.
"No, that's not the way I recall our experience."
Sex and the City has always had a loyal fanbase, with many viewers falling in
love with Carrie Bradshaw, religiously following the ups and downs of her romantic life. However,
Parker's reaction when meeting some of her fans is apparently sometimes strange.
Actor Anya Taylor-Joy was one such fan who
approached her and was a little embarrassed by the interaction,
recounting the story during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in November 2022, saying,
"I was going through a really bad breakup and I was like, 'Hey, I just have to tell you,
like, I've been watching you and Big and it's giving me a lot of hope.' And she was like,
'Oh, that you'll get back together?' And I was like,
'No! That I will survive. That I can like move on from this and that it'll be okay.'"
"Okay, that's... I'm gonna get in my car now."
Of course, it remains unknown why Parker wasn't quite sure how to respond to Taylor-Joy's comments
about Carrie and Big. Being caught off-guard was probably a tough situation for Parker to be in,
and Taylor-Joy admitted to feeling pretty awkward about the exchange. Taylor-Joy did tell Barrymore
it wasn't the best moment for her, suggesting the meeting wasn't all that she hoped it would be.
Fans of Sex and the City have always adored the chemistry between the show's four main characters.
Of course, Carrie remained the lead throughout the duration of the show, and this was allegedly
reflected in their salaries. According to Us Weekly, Parker was reportedly earning as much
as $3 million per episode, while her castmates were taking home approximately $350,000.
Cattrall addressed the pay disparity while appearing
on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross in December 2004, saying:
"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."
Understandably, Cattrall questioned why the cast members weren't paid equitably. The
follow-up series And Just Like That... sees Parker, Nixon, and Davis reportedly taking
home $1 million per episode, proving that negotiations have moved on a lot since 2004.
During an appearance on the Origins with James Andrew Miller podcast,
executive producer Michael Patrick King defended the disparity, saying:
"The show doesn't exist if Sarah Jessica wasn't the blonde star
of the show. [...] I guess for Kim it didn't matter how much the raise
became if there was never parity, but there was never going to be parity."
After those very public disputes between Cattrall and the rest of the Sex and the City cast,
it seemed as though she wouldn't ever be playing her character Samantha Jones again. As a result,
fans were delighted when it was announced that Cattrall would
be making a surprise cameo in the second season of And Just Like That.... However,
Sarah Jessica Parker wasn't necessarily on board with Cattrall's return to the franchise.
While speaking to Variety in 2022, Parker was asked if she would welcome Cattrall
back as Samantha Jones on future seasons of And Just Like That... Parker said:
"I don't think I would, because I think there's just too much public history of
feelings on her part that she's shared. I haven't participated in or read articles,
although people are inclined to let me know."
In spite of Parker's personal feelings on the matter, Cattrall is returning to
play her beloved Sex and the City character, and it seems that she's doing so on her own
terms. According to Variety's sources, Cattrall refused to film with any of her former co-stars,
or even speak to them on set, and that included showrunner Michael Patrick King.
Time will tell whether there's a way for Parker and Cattrall to bury the hatchet once and for all.