Why isn't Samantha in And Just Like That?

9 December 2021, 16:24

Sex and the City reboot: why didn't Kim Cattrall return for And Just Like That and what happened to her character?

And Just Like That has finally arrived on our screens, with the first two episodes available to watch now.

The Sex and the City spin-off will catch up with Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte, who are now in their 50s and still living in New York.

As well as Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, a number of other familiar faces from the original cast have returned for the reboot.

One notable character who's missing, however, is Samantha - and many viewers may be wondering why she hasn't returned for the series.

Here's your need-to-know...

• Sex and the City reboot: How to watch And Just Like That in the UK
• How many episodes of And Just Like That are there and when are they released?
• Sex and the City cameos: All the celebs who featured in the original series

Why isn't Samantha in the Sex and the City reboot?

Kim Cattrall did not want to return to do the reboot, having previously revealed that she no longer wanted to play Samantha.

In an interview with Piers Morgan in 2017, she said: “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? I feel that the show was the best when it was the series and the bonus was the two movies,”

She also said that she turned down the offer of a third film, saying: “The answer was simply thank you, but no, I’m good.

"This isn’t about more money. It’s not about more scenes. It’s not about any of those things. This is about a clear decision, an empowered decision in my life to end one chapter and start another."

Kim continued: "It’s a great part. I played it past the finish line and then some, and I loved it."

She also confirmed that she and Sarah Jessica Parker had 'never been friends', saying: "We’ve been colleagues and, in some ways, it’s a very healthy place to be."

Watch the trailer 'And Just Like That' for Sex and the City

What happened in Samantha's character in And Just Like That?

The first episodes saw the characters confirm that Samantha had moved to London.

In episode one, Carrie says: "It’s kind of like she’s dead, we never talk about her, she stopped returning my calls."

Miranda then added: "Her pride got damaged."

To this, Carrie replied: “I thought I was more to her than an ATM,” and Miranda and Charlotte said that Samantha had been ignoring their messages, too.

"I guess that’s all we could do," says Miranda, and Carrie says: "I always thought the four of us would be friends forever."

A source previously told the Daily Mail: "Sending her to Los Angeles wasn’t an option as we’d done that in the first movie, so having her character based in London really was the perfect way to keep her alive and explain her absence.

"Viewers will learn that she is thriving in England even though she has fallen out with Carrie."