Kim Cattrall reveals she turned down ‘Sex and the City’ four times before accepting the role that changed her life

Kim Cattrall reveals she declined Sex and the City four times due to fear of ageism before agreeing to play Samantha.

Kim Cattrall has once again become a trending topic after revealing in an interview with The Times that she turned down the role of Samantha Jones no fewer than four times before agreeing to star in Sex and the City. The iconic HBO series, which redefined television in the late ’90s, nearly lost its boldest character.

“Self-inflicted ageism,” she said with a laugh, explaining the reasons behind her initial refusals. Now 68 years old with an established career, Cattrall reflects on how the social standards of the time influenced her decision: “That changed — the forties became sexy. It became: ‘Come on, we want more of that’.”

Far from being a caricature, her character embraced sex freely and unapologetically. “She wasn’t a nymphomaniac — although some thought she was — she simply enjoyed the main course while others nibbled on the starters. And always on her own terms, which I insisted on from the start.”

Despite her connection to Samantha, Kim Cattrall distances herself from the character: “I’m quite the opposite. I’m a serial monogamist… and then some.”