Not even a tragic death could stop the war between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall.
Who's right and who's wrong in this decades-long battle? Judge for yourself as we take you
inside Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall's feud.
After years of rumors that Kim Cattrall and Sarah Jessica Parker didn't exactly click
on the set of "Sex and the City," Cattrall admitted that the biggest reason the show
ended in 2004 was because of money.
During a 2004 appearance on "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross," Cattrall explained that
after six years of being at the center of an enormously popular show, she felt like
everyone should be making more money. Unfortunately, those in charge didn't agree, and as she put
it,
"When they didn't seem keen on that I thought it was time to move on."
This effectively killed the idea of putting out a seventh season of the show or moving
forward with a "Sex and the City" movie, though the team did eventually reunite for two films.
It completely makes sense that Cattrall would have lobbied HBO for more money. After all,
of the four main characters, Samantha Jones was certainly the one putting the "sex" in
the show's title. Cattrall was reportedly paid $350,000 per episode, and allegedly asked
for $1 million per episode to continue on with the show.
After the first "Sex and the City" movie made $415 million at the box office, everyone was
scrambling to make a second film. Everyone except for Cattrall, that is, who reportedly
requested more money before she would commit. She received it, but by the time filming began,
she and Parker were not speaking at all. The energy on set was apparently tough, with New
York magazine reporting in 2009,
"Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall are no longer speaking, which is making everyone
on the set of the new ‘Sex and the City’ movie uncomfortable."
Years later, Cattrall also admitted on an episode of "Life Stories" that there wasn't
really a reason for her to keep in touch with Parker or fellow co-stars Kristin Davis and
Cynthia Nixon. She said,
"The common ground that we had was the series and the series is over."
"I just wish that Sarah had been nicer."
In 2010, Kim Cattrall spoke to the Daily Mail. Inevitably, the topic of her feud with Sarah
Jessica Parker came up. Surprisingly, Cattrall insisted that the real problem between the
two of them was that the press and the public didn't want to believe that the two women
were friends, or at least that they got along, because it wasn't as exciting. As she put
it,
"They have too much invested in the idea of two strong, successful women fighting with
each other. It makes for juicy gossip and copy."
Cattrall also praised Parker's leadership skills, adding that she would love to move
on to another topic. Cattrall said,
"She and I are sick of this. It's exhausting talking about it, and a real bore."
This echoes the sentiment expressed by Parker in an interview with Elle in 2009, when she
said,
"I don't think anybody wants to believe that I love Kim. I adore her. I wouldn't have done
the movie without her. Didn't and wouldn't."
In 2016, Parker was asked to address the rumors once again, and this time suggested that any
gossip was firmly rooted in sexism. As she told Time,
"They just didn't do it to the 'Sopranos' guys. It was so strange to me and upsetting.
[...] We were all at liberty to walk away at any time! But nobody asked those questions
of shows with men. Isn't that interesting?"
Unfortunately, it seems that any truce between Parker and Cattrall wasn't meant to last.
In 2017, amid reports that a third "Sex and the City" movie was pushed back indefinitely,
the same old story reared its ugly head.
The Daily Mail reported that while Parker, Nixon, and Davis were all signed on for a
third film, Cattrall wouldn't get back to anyone about what she wanted to do. A source
reportedly close to production told the publication that Cattrall was the reason why the movie
wasn't going forward, adding,
"Kim had the audacity to tell Warner Bros that she would only do this if they made other
movies she had in development."
Davis confirmed that a third movie wouldn't be moving forward, writing on Instagram,
"I wish that we could have made the final chapter, on our own terms, to complete the
stories of our characters. It is deeply frustrating not to be able to share that chapter."
However, piling blame on to Cattrall seems a little unfair, especially as the actress
had previously expressed a lot of love for her "Sex and the City" character. Of a possible
return to the franchise, she told the Daily Record in 2016,
"It could be fun though. To say goodbye completely to Samantha would be pretty hard."
After being blamed for the cancelation of a third "Sex and the City" movie, Kim Cattrall
took to Twitter to set the record straight. Cattrall categorically denied reports that
she had made extra "demands" in order to agree to star in a third film. She also revealed
that she'd said no to the movie a full year before the news was made public in 2017.
When Cattrall appeared on an episode of "Life Stories," she finally pulled back the curtain
on whether or not there was a feud. She admitted she and Parker had never really gotten along
as anything more than "colleagues." Plus, she also claimed that she hadn't fully bonded
with Cynthia Nixon or Kristin Davis, either. Sarah Jessica Parker reacted to Cattrall's
comments on an episode of "Watch What Happens Live."
"I… Just heartbroken."
As for why she was ready to leave the franchise behind her, Cattrall explained that she had
reached a state of clarity in her life and no longer wanted to compromise. When asked
if fans would ever see her reprising the role of Samantha, Cattrall revealed on ITV's "Life
Stories,"
"Not for me. That was part of turning 60. That was a very clear moment of, how many
years do I have left and what do I want to do with it? What haven't I done?"
In February 2018, Kim Cattrall's brother was tragically found dead in Canada. After Cattrall
shared the news on Instagram, there was an outpouring of support, including from Sarah
Jessica Parker and the rest of the "Sex and the City" co-stars. Parker left a public comment
on Cattrall's Instagram offering her condolences, but the comment seemed to enrage Cattrall.
Days after announcing her brother's passing, Cattrall accused Parker of exploiting her
brother's death simply to get good press.
After creating a public post rejecting Parker's support, Cattrall went in hard on her former
co-star, writing on Instagram,
"Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then
and now. Let me make this VERY clear. (If I haven't already) You are not my family.
You are not my friend."
"If Sarah Jessica Parker watches this, what would your message to her be?"
"I think it's pretty clear."
Subsequently, Parker revealed that she simply chose to not respond to Cattrall's Instagram
post or any of her comments. As the actress told People,
"So there was no fight; it was completely fabricated, because I actually never responded.
And I won't, because she needed to say what she needed to say, and that is her privilege."
Even though it had literally nothing to do with him, Jason Lewis, who played Smith Jerrod
in the franchise, revealed that he supported Parker's point of view on the matter. Speaking
on KTLA, Lewis said,
"Listen, I have to say that Sarah was always just so lovely and such a consummate professional,
and I think that people should remember their graciousness and the things that have been
given to them."
"Sure Jan."
Seemingly, some feuds really are forever, and in 2019, Kim Cattrall opened up to The
Guardian about her time on "Sex and the City." Making it clear that she wasn't happy about
being vilified for turning down the third movie, Cattrall explained,
"It was a blessing in so many ways but after the second movie I’d had enough. I couldn’t
understand why they wouldn’t just replace me with another actress instead of wasting
time bullying. No means no."
Cattrall also told the Los Angeles Times that she would like to retire the topic of any
fight with Sarah Jessica Parker once and for all. As she bluntly put it,
"Everything is on Google, so I encourage you to Google it, about anything that I've said."
“There! I cannot believe you would judge me after everything we've been through."
Cattrall also suggested to the Los Angeles Times that playing Samantha Jones had negatively
impacted the trajectory of her career in the United States. As a result, she was generally
only offered roles that were similar to the one she played on "Sex and the City," which
is why she began working in England instead.
The "Sex and the City" spin-off "And Just Like That" finally hit HBO Max in December
2021, without Kim Cattrall, of course. After sharing news of the new show on Instagram,
Sarah Jessica Parker was inundated with comments about Cattrall's absence from the reboot.
Replying to one fan, she wrote,
"No. I don't dislike her. I've never said that. Never would. Samantha isn't a part of
this story. But she will always be part of us. No matter where we are or what we do."
In February 2021, HBO's chief content officer Casey Bloys justified Samantha's absence from
the revival, telling TV Line,
"Friendships fade, and new friendships start. So I think it is all very indicative of the
real stages, the actual stages of life."
Whether or not we'll be hearing about Parker and Cattrall's alleged feud ever again remains
to be seen.
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