Any Sex And The City fan will be familiar with the faults in Mr Big’s loyalty to Carrie Bradshaw throughout their on-and-off relationship. Jetting off to Paris at a moment’s notice, returning to New York married to another woman, not introducing her to his nearest and dearest—the list goes on.
But when it comes to their real-life counterparts, the pair are remarkably close.
Ahead of the release of And Just Like That…, Chris Noth sat down with the Guardian about what fans can expect to see, and most importantly, how he felt about Kim Cattrall’s notable absence from the reboot and his feelings toward her and Sarah Jessica Parker’s falling out.
While the pair remain distant, Noth made it clear that he and Parker—whom he calls ‘SJ’—are as close as ever, defending her character which was put into question during the infamous feud.
“I have to tell you, I have absolutely no idea what her thinking is, or her emotions,” he said, referring to Cattrall. “I do know that I’m very close with SJ and [Cattrall’s] descriptions of her don’t even come close.
“I liked her, I thought she was marvellous in the show and some people move on for their own reasons,” Noth told the publication. “I don’t know what hers were. I just wish that whole thing had never happened because it was sad and uncomfortable.
“I just don’t like to see anyone talking down about SJ because she’s a target and people can be nasty,” he continued. “I feel very protective of her and I was not happy about that. That’s all I’ll say about that.”
For those who need a reminder, Cattrall—who famously played Bradshaw’s best-friend Samantha Jones in the franchise—and Parker reportedly began a dispute over salary disagreements and when the former wasn’t interested in participating in a third film. By 2018, their tension rose to breaking point after Cattrall tragically lost her brother. When Parker offered her condolences on social media, Cattrall wasn’t having it, calling her “cruel” and claiming that she was “exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your ‘nice girl’ persona”.
As for Parker, she has remained rather tight-lipped over the situation, only opening up about their disagreement when needed. In a 2018 interview with People, Parker admitted that Cattrall’s words about her were “hurtful”, but chose her words carefully to avoid confirming they had a disagreement.
“I’d just like to remind everybody that there is no catfight,” she told Vulture that same year. “I have never uttered an unkind, unsupportive, unfriendly word, so I would love to redefine it.
“There were four women on the set and I spent equal time with all of them, so this was not a set with two women who didn’t get along. I’ve always held Kim’s work in high regard and always appreciative of her contributions,” Parker said.
“If she chooses not to do the third movie, there’s not a lot I can do to change her mind and we must respect it. That’s the only thing I’ve ever said about it, you know?
“There is no catfight. There never has been a catfight. I’ve never fought with someone publicly in my life, nor would I. And I spent time with all of the women on the set. People need to recall that it wasn’t just two women on the set fighting because that just never happened.”
And even more recently, Parker addressed the status of their friendship while responding to social media comments from fans.
“I don’t dislike her,” she corrected a commenter in early 2021. “I’ve never said that. Never would. Samantha isn’t part of this story. But she will always be part of us. No matter where we are or what we do.”
As for Noth, he was intending to take a leaf out of Cattrall’s book and not return for the reboot, however, he admitted that he felt “a little uncomfortable” with how Carrie and Big’s marriage issues were dealt with in the franchise’s second—and highly controversial—film.
He also admitted to having little to offer his character by taking on the role yet again, but that was until the show’s writer and director Michael Patrick King convinced him otherwise.
“It was a long conversation, it continued through the pandemic and he took in a lot of my ideas and we came up with a way for me to work into it,” Noth said.
Will Carrie and Big’s marriage stand the test of time? Will Samantha and her hilarious antics return to our screens? Only time will tell.
Mark your calendars, And Just Like That… is set to premiere on BINGE on December 9. Don’t have BINGE? No worries. You can watch the reboot for free with a two-week trial if you sign up here.
