“It’s odd, isn’t it? I don’t know how to feel about it,” Cattrall said of how Samantha’s absence was explained in the new series. “It’s so finite for me, so it doesn’t continue. This feels like an echo of the past.” (HBO Max and CNN are both part of Warner Bros. Discovery.)
Of her decision to move on from the franchise years before the new series, Cattrall said it is “a great wisdom to know when enough is enough.”
“I also didn’t want to compromise what the show was to me. The way forward seemed clear,” she said.
Part of Samantha remains with Cattrall, she said, adding that “I played her, and I loved her. I felt ultimately protective of her.”
She said she’s proud of her time as Samantha.
“It’s rare in my business — people wanting more, especially at 65. That feels powerful, that I’ve left something behind that I’m so proud of. I loved her. I loved her so, so, so much. It’s tough competition. The original show is in all of our imaginations. But for me, it feels clean.”
Cattrall was honored The Actors Fund, the nonprofit that offers financial and health assistance to performers and crew, during Variety’s Power of Women dinner on Thursday, where she encouraged the audience to chart their own paths.
“Saying no to the past is saying yes to the future, because you are the screenwriter in the movie of your own life,” she said.
Cattrall currently stars in Hulu’s “How I Met Your Father” and Peacock’s “Queer as Folk.”