And Just Like That: Kristin Davis Shrugs Off The Kim Cattrall Controversy

The second season of the "Sex and the City" reboot and sequel, "...And Just Like That," hits the small screen in just a few weeks, and yet another cast member is weighing in on the Kim Cattrall of it all. This time, it's Kristin Davis, who plays Charlotte York-Goldenblatt on both series.

Speaking to The Telegraph about the show's upcoming return, Davis was asked to talk about the Cattrall drama, and she was very blunt about the entire issue. "You have to respect people's wishes," Davis told the outlet. "I'm not gonna waste energy on it. I can't change anybody. I do understand fans' feelings — that they're upset... I wish I could fix it, but I can't. It's not in my power."

This feels like a very Charlotte response, and in any case, though Cattrall is set to return as her iconic character Samantha Jones in a very short cameo, it's been reported that she managed to film her cameo without interacting with Davis, her former co-stars Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Jessica Parker, or the showrunner, Michael Patrick King. Naturally, the leading ladies have been asked about Cattrall's absence now that the classic quartet is down to a trio, and Davis is no exception — and the actresses have been fielding questions about their missing fourth for years now.

When it comes to Samantha's glaring absence throughout most of "...And Just Like That," it all apparently comes down to a feud between Parker and Cattrall that's lasted several years. In the aftermath of the two movies, Cattrall has been pretty outspoken about how she feels slighted and mistreated by Parker, and has felt that way for years. After Cattrall declined to do a third film, she told Piers Morgan in 2017 that she experienced a "toxic relationship" with her co-stars and singled out Parker, saying she "could have been nicer," continuing, "I don't know what her issue is."

The two have had a contentious back and forth ever since, with Parker denying any wrongdoing and Cattrall remaining as feisty as her character, even attacking Parker on Instagram publicly when her former costar offered condolences in the wake of Cattrall's brother's passing. The show ended up taking this real-life strife and somewhat working it into the plot; at the beginning of "...And Just Like That," Carrie (Parker) says that she and Samantha fought when Carrie fired Samantha as her book publicist, and Samantha simply moved to London and stopped talking to all of the girls entirely.

After fans were furious that the character who arguably put the "sex" in "Sex and the City" was absent from the long-awaited reboot, Cattrall did ink out a deal to reappear for a cameo in "...And Just Like That," but it comes with plenty of restrictions. As we mentioned earlier, Cattrall filmed her scene away from literally anybody else involved with the production — and not only that, she brought another former franchise name with her. Pat Field, a legendary stylist who's currently working on Darren Star's "Emily in Paris" (Star originally created "Sex and the City" before handing the reigns to Michael Patrick King), is returning to dress Cattrall despite not being involved with any other part of the new series.

According to reports, Samantha's return seems like it'll be a direct result of a text message exchange seen at the end of Season 1. Carrie, finally ready to let go of her late husband Big (Chris Noth), who dies in the reboot's first episode, brings his ashes to Paris and illegally dumps them into the Seine. From there, she texts Samantha in London, asking if they can meet up while she's abroad... and Samantha says yes. Cattrall didn't film her scene with Parker, though, and it's reportedly a phone call between the two characters.

As for Davis' character, she'll continue the journey she started during Season 1. Charlotte was always the most conservative of the outspoken, gregarious women on "Sex and the City," and when one of her children, Rock (who begins the series as Rose), reveals that they're non-binary, challenging Charlotte's worldview. After Charlotte and her husband Harry (Evan Handler) learn about this from one of Rock's teachers, they're initially shocked but supportive, though Davis acknowledges there's more to come between Rock and Charlotte. "The Rose journey is going to be a long one," she told Vanity Fair in late 2021. "It's probably not something that's going to have a distinct end within this season, at least. Hopefully, we'll get to come back and you'll see what ends up happening with Rose."

As far as Davis is concerned, though, this journey won't last forever. In that same Telegraph article, she said she wouldn't change anything about her time as Charlotte, including in the reboot, but she thinks the story will only go so far. "I really don't think we'll still be doing it in 10 years time," she said. "That would be weird."

"...And Just Like That" returns on June 22, 2023 on HBO and Max.