Kim Cattrall on 'The Boomer List' & the Lasting Legacy of "Sex And The City"

Kim Cattrall on 'The Boomer List' & the Lasting Legacy of "Sex And The City"
About this video
YH is at the New York premiere of the documentary 'The Boomer List' where we catch up with the one and only Kim Cattrall, who shares her thoughts on the lasting legacy of her now-iconic HBO series "Sex and the City"! She also talks about how playing Samantha inspired her to write a book, plus she tells us about her Canadian series "Sensitive Skin" and what advice she would give to herself when she was just starting out! 'The Boomer List' is available to stream at pbs.org/americanmasters DVD available now at ShopTHIRTEEN.org & ShopPBS.org
CHAPTERS
KEY MOMENTS
FULL TRANSCRIPT
Read alongShow ↓
Baruch here in New York and the baby boomers are booming here at the premiere of the Boomer List, where I just caught up with Kim Cattrall. Now, we actually met when I was 14 years old and you gave me this autograph. And this is the autograph that got me through my adolescence, so thank you.
Oh my god.
I have saved this in a plastic for 12, 13 years. In plastic.
Oh yes. Very, very sanitary.
And on the other side, Candace Bushnell wrote a note when I was 14 saying the real Mr. Big. Oh that's these two notes got me through everything.
That's sweet.
Now, of course, you're working on so many projects and yet we keep getting re-introduced to you on Sex and the City because it's always on TV. Do you ever stop and re-watch any of the episodes?
I have. And what I come away with is how much fun it is. It really is. Even to watch it, I, I think about the day we shot it and what was going on and the memory of it, but also just to take it at face value as just an audience member, it's just so much fun.
Why do you think it continues to resonate with so many people of all ages?
Well, I think it's very well written. And I like to think it's well played and uh, it speaks about issues that I think people are dealing with, which is um, being single and getting attached and uh, feeling vulnerable. And those were what those girls were going through. They also were about having fun and depending on each other and I think it's a Valentine to women, to friendships and also to New York.
Did you find that your character really influenced you off-screen?
I think that she made me a little bolder in certain areas. I don't think I would have um, written a book about uh, sexual satisfaction if I hadn't played Samantha. But there were other things that I think I led the way for in some ways to inspire women maybe in a different way. But it it all comes back to, I think, playing, having an opportunity to play somebody who's very different. Is a, it breaks the mold of what is expected of how a woman should be or a man should be. And it it doesn't reinvent it, but it gives it a very specific singular point of view. And uh, that's that's the moment that you wait for as an actor is a role like that.
Now, with Sensitive Skin, of course, you're back in Canada where you grew up. How does that feel?
Oh, it was wonderful to make Sensitive Skin. We did six episodes. It's an adaptation of a British series, uh, called Sensitive Skin. And it's about a couple going through a woman's midlife crisis. It's a half-hour dark comedy and I'm very proud of it.
What piece of advice would you give Kim Cattrall 20 years ago, 30 years ago, just starting out on her career?
I think um, what I would say it's going to be okay. It's going to it's going to turn out fine. Relax.
Good advice.
Yeah.
Timestamps are approximate — click one to jump the player.
PEOPLE MENTIONED
- Kim Cattrall
Main interview subject, discussing her career and projects.
- Candace Bushnell
Mentioned by the interviewer for an autograph note.
- Samantha Jones
Character played by Kim Cattrall in 'Sex and the City'.
FAQ
What is 'The Boomer List'?+
Why does 'Sex and the City' still resonate with audiences?+
How did playing Samantha Jones influence Kim Cattrall?+
What is Kim Cattrall's series 'Sensitive Skin' about?+
What advice would Kim Cattrall give her younger self?+
WATCH & SHOP






