Cynthia Nixon on why she was 'reluctant' to return for Sex and the City reboot
Cynthia Nixon has been enjoying some exciting (and steamy) storylines as Miranda with co-star Sara Ramirez in And Just Like That, the Sex and the City reboot which is currently airing episodically.
But the actress has revealed that she was "reluctant" to return to the drama when she first received a call from co-star Sarah Jessica Parker about the idea – and would only get on board if adjustments were made to the glaring lack of diversity in the original series.
"It was a very hard decision," the star told the Herald Sun. "I really didn’t think I was going to do it – I was very reluctant. But the more I talked to Sarah Jessica, [writer-creator] Michael Patrick King, and Kristin [Davis], about the things that I couldn't go back without – a real sea change in terms of the lack of diversity in the original series, they were on board."
The new series features a more diverse and LGBTQ inclusive cast, with non-binary actor, singer and activist Sara Ramirez starring as Che Diaz, and Nicole Ari Parker joining as Charlotte's cohort Lisa Wexley.
Nixon continued: "I was floored by how hard everybody listened, and how collaboratively we worked together to, not just redecorate the house, but to build a whole new house – that had us in it but new characters, too."
The new series follows Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw, Nixon's Miranda and Kristin Davis' Charlotte as 50-something women navigating friendship and relationships – a rarity for far too long on TV.
"The characters are 55 so they're in menopause," Nixon explained. 'And menopause is the punchline of a lot of jokes and certainly has its unpleasant aspects. But it’s a time when women have spent decades looking after other people and can again focus on themselves: who am I? Who do I want to be?"
While Nixon has been critical of the original show for being "tone deaf on race and gender", she's still "proud" of the series and her close-knit co-stars, who she describes as "sisters".
"I’m very proud of the original series – despite it being occasionally tone deaf on race and gender – and being Miranda has opened up so many amazing roles for me over the years, but the further I get away from Miranda, the better they get, because people have stopped thinking of me as just that one character," she said.
"And it's given me a creative connection with my sisters that you never get as an actor where you get to work together for 20-something years. It’s the gift that keeps on giving forever and ever."
And Just Like That continues on Sky Comedy and NOW TV.
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