And just like that, Sarah Jessica Parker is giving her take on how the Sex and the City revival handled the absence of Kim Cattrall's character Samantha.
As fans well know, Cattrall—who starred alongside Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis in the original series and movies—had made it clear that she had no interest in reprising the role and wouldn't be joining the cast of the reboot And Just Like That….
Instead (warning: spoilers ahead), viewers learned that Cattrall's character Samantha and Parker's character Carrie had a falling out after Carrie fired Samantha as her publicist. And while Samantha never physically appeared on the new show, her presence was still felt through Carrie's occasional text exchange with her.
During the Feb. 14 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Parker noted she couldn't take any credit for the way Samantha's absence was handled other than that she "got to sort of convey the messages since they're not spoken." Instead, she gave all the kudos to the show's head writer and showrunner Michael Patrick King as well as to his "extraordinary group of amazingly talented writers."
As Parker explained to Andy Cohen, "It was an idea because Samantha is not gone. The actress that played that role is no longer playing that role, but people aren't absent from your life when you don't want them to be. And I thought that, in typical Michael Patrick fashion, he, you know, threaded it through with grace and dignity and respect, you know, and love and affection for that character. And I thought it mimicked many friendships that, you know, challenge each other and struggle and want to remain connected in a way because it's too painful."
This isn't the only tea (or should we say Cosmo?) that Parker spilled. She also responded to fans' argument that Carrie should have called 9-1-1 sooner after her husband Mr. Big (played by Chris Noth) suffered a heart attack.
While Parker pointed out Carrie did call for help, she still acknowledged "that's an understandable and logical expectation." But she viewed the scene as "suspended animation" and explained, "It's this moment where everything stops and then whatever collapsing of time that happens does not stop her from taking care of somebody in a fashion that you would want and expect from your partner or your husband or wife."
In her mind, she continued, Carrie, "struggled through this moment and tried to get him to be responsive and then she, you know, came to her senses I'm going to say after about two to three seconds…and then of course she called 9-1-1 and got all the help she needed from the professionals."
Watch the video to see her interview.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family).