Why Cynthia Nixon was ‘very reluctant’ to reprise her role as Miranda Hobbes in 'Sex and the City' revival
Cynthia Nixon said that she was hesitant to reprise her role as Miranda Hobbes in the "Sex and the City" revival, "And Just Like That," saying that she advocated for more diversity in the reboot before she agreed to join the cast.
The Emmy-winning actress and former New York gubernatorial candidate said in an interview with News Corp Australia published on Tuesday that being a part of the revival was "a very hard decision," and before agreeing, she voiced her concerns to the writers and her fellow stars about featuring more diverse characters.
"It was a very hard decision. 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," Nixon said.
But Nixon said that her castmates and the writers were receptive to the conversation.
"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," she said.
In the new chapter of "SATC," Sarah Jessica Parker reprises her starring role as Carrie Bradshaw and Kristin Davis is back to play Charlotte York-Goldenblatt, but Kim Cattrall, who was part of the original foursome as Samantha Jones, decided not to be a part of the new project.
Some of the new characters in the revival include Nicole Ari Parker as Lisa Todd Wexley, Karen Pittman as Dr. Nya Wallace, Chris Jackson as Herbert Wexley, LeRoy McClain as Andre Rashad Wallace and Cree Cicchino as Luisa Torres.
Nixon reflected on the lack of diversity in the original "SATC" series, which ran on HBO from 1998-2004, but said that she is "grateful" to have played the role of Miranda.
"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," Nixon said.
Nixon, Parker and Davis, who are in their mid-50s, first played Miranda, Carrie and Charlotte when they were in their 30s.
The stars spoke out about the ageism they experienced as they reprised their role.
The revival also addresses sexism and ageism, which were also tackled in the storylines of original series.
Ahead of the debut of "And Just Like That," Nixon praised the writers for not bringing in younger actresses to cater to a new generation, telling Vogue, "I like that we're not trying to youthify the show. We're not including, like, a 21-year-old niece."
