Kim Cattrall’s much-buzzed-about “And Just Like That” cameo isn’t expected to air until August, but author Candace Bushnell is already planning to tune in.
Bushnell ― who wrote the original “Sex and the City” column for the New York Observer, which became the 1996 book anthology on which the original HBO series was based ― praised Cattrall’s surprise decision to appear on “And Just Like That,” Max’s revival series, in a pair of interviews commemorating the 25th anniversary of the franchise this week.
“When I heard the news I was happy and surprised,” Bushnell told the New York Post’s Page Six on Tuesday. “The fans love Kim and I think it will be great for the show. There was a piece missing. She was a major part of that girlfriend circle.”
She went on to note: “I think will be a great season. I’m happy that Kim is going to go on there. I think it’s probably the greatest thing for the show. A lot of people miss Samantha.”
Cattrall stunned fans last week by confirming she’ll reprise her role as sex-positive PR maven Samantha Jones on the Season 2 finale of “And Just Like That.”
The actor’s portrayal of Samantha on all six seasons of “Sex and the City” and its two feature films made her a series favorite. After the release of the second movie, however, she repeatedly vowed never to return to the franchise amid reports of a behind-the-scenes feud with co-star Sarah Jessica Parker.
Though longtime “SATC” viewers may be thrilled by Cattrall’s return, her “And Just Like That” appearance will be limited ― for now, anyway ― to a single scene that is believed to take place in a town car. The scene was reportedly filmed in a New York parking garage without the presence of “And Just Like That” showrunner Michael Patrick King or Cattrall’s former co-stars Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon and Parker.
Bushnell, for her part, appears to remain on good terms with Cattrall. The author joined writer-producer Darren Star and fashion designer Patricia Field, both of whom worked on “Sex and the City” but have not been involved with “And Just Like That,” at Variety’s Power of Women event last year, where Cattrall was honored.
Speaking to Variety on Tuesday, Bushnell acknowledged that Cattrall’s return was very much “a business decision, as these things always are.” Still, she remains excited, adding: “Her character represented a lot of freedom and permission for women.”
Elsewhere in her Page Six chat, Bushnell said she was also delighted by the return of actor John Corbett, who is reprising his role as Aidan Shaw, the former fiancé of Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw. By all accounts, Corbett’s character arc on the series will be considerably more substantial than Cattrall’s, and his appearance was teased in the show’s latest trailer.
“It’s so real to me,” Bushnell said. “It is like an ex-boyfriend could come back into your life. It is that the one who got away, so I think that’s interesting.”