Cynthia Nixon refused SATC reboot unless it had more diversity

Cynthia Nixon has taken a swipe at the original Sex And The City series, claiming it was ‘tone deaf’ on race and gender issues – despite the spin-off receiving criticism for being ‘woke and dull.’ 

The actress, 55, who confirmed her own daughter was transgender in 2018, has reprised her role as Miranda Hobbes for new spin-off series …And Just Like That.

And Cynthia, happily married education activist Christine Marinoni since 2012, said she was reluctant to return for the new reboot unless the creators made it more diverse.

Consequently the has been given a woke makeover, with Miranda – now a woman  in her ’50s – experiencing a sexual awakening and embarking on a same-sex fling.  

In an interview with News Corp published by the Herald Sun, she said: ‘But the more I talked to Sarah Jessica [Parker], [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,’ she said.

She added: ‘I’m very proud of the original series – despite it being occasionally tone deaf on race and gender.’

In a previous interview with Elle UK last week, Nixon gushed about And Just Like That’s ‘breath-taking’ new cast of non-white and gender diverse characters.

‘It’s part of the reason we wanted to do the show – to go back and [undo] the things that we really got wrong,’ she told the magazine.

The actress has also discussed her relationship with son Samuel, 23, who she revealed was transgender in June 2018.

Speaking to Alan Cumming and Chris Sweeney on the Homo Sapiens podcast, she said: ‘Before I ever had an inkling my kid might be trans I read a really extensive article… [about] all of these parents of pre-pubescent kids who were really struggling with this.

‘There was one dad who said “At a certain point, the decision seemed to me I could have a dead son or a live daughter” and it’s like, after you say that, what more is there to say?  

‘You can make all the arguments that you want… but the fact is, as a parent, as a human, you should listen to what people tell you about themselves.

Samuel was born Samantha Mozes in November 1996 to Cynthia and her then-partner and college sweetheart Danny Mozes. 

Touching on sexuality, the star, who is married to Christine Marinoni and is a advocate for LGBTQ rights, Cynthia said: ‘It’s different but it’s the same as when you think about 30/40 years ago and more, the arguments given to gay people that “This is just a phase,” “You’re gonna grow out of this.”’ 

Miranda’s sexual awakening during a recent episode of And Just Like That… when she shared a steamy moment with bisexual Che Diaz, has been lauded by fans of the Sex And The City reboot.

After watching episode three, entited When In Rome, fans have praised the storyline as they declared online they are ‘happy she is finally coming out’ and admitted the sex-positive scene made them feel ‘tearful’. 

Although Miranda is in a hetrosexual marriage with Steve in the series, they rejoiced that Miranda was finally able to live as her authentic self.

One person wrote: ‘We always knew Miranda was gay. I’m happy she finally coming out.’

Another said: ‘After screaming ‘you’re gay!’ at Miranda for years I cried when she finally got her gay awakening.’

A third person shared several images of Miranda from the series so far and wrote: ‘Mirand’s gay awakening era so true.’

A different person wrote: ‘Miranda and Che [series of eye emojis]’, hinting at a potential romantic relationship between the two characters.

Another posted a picture of Melissa McCarthy doing a heart symbol and wrote: ‘Me watching Miranda come into her late in life Queerness!’

Elsewhere another viewer joked: ‘My mentioned how Carrie went home to her apartment and I was like??? Anything post Miranda’s gay awakening did not register with me.’

However the show has received a mixed response and some brutal reviews that brand Carrie Bradshaw’s return to screens ‘grim’, ‘awkward’ and a ‘painful downer’.          

The new series sees three of the four original leading ladies reuniting, with Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon reprising their roles as Carrie, Charlotte York, and Miranda Hobbes. 

But it seems the on-screen star power was not enough to wow critics, who wasted no time in slamming the show’s lack of humor, overly-woke storylines, and ‘awkward’ plotlines following the premiere of the first two episodes in December. 

According to the New York Times, the ‘cringey’ series has ‘lost its touch,’ with writer James Poniewozik claiming that it felt more like two shows than one – one that he called a ‘downer’ and the other that he described as a ‘painful’ attempt to update the original show.

‘One, which tries to grow with the women as they navigate their 50s and mortality, is a downer, but it takes risks and in moments is very good,’ he wrote.

‘The other, which tries to update its sassy turn-of-the-century sensibility for an era of diversity, is painful.’

He added that the show felt ‘oddly paced and grim, without quite managing catharsis,’ and that it’s ‘unfortunate jokes’ about today’s issues (like the coronavirus pandemic) did not help.

Deadline wrote in its review that it felt like the ‘problematic’ series added the ‘awkward’ new characters in an attempt to ‘check a box,’ and slammed executive producer Michael Patrick King for not updating the original characters enough.

‘There are far too many 2021 cultural touchstones and new characters are awkwardly parachuted into the luscious looking … revival of sorts, as if to check a box,’ they wrote.

‘Additionally, far too many of the original characters (now in the dusk of middle age) in the show … are pretty much unchanged from who they were all those years ago – which is true and problematic.’

The Washington Post author Inkoo Kang called the ‘aggressive and exhausting’ show a total ‘bummer’ and ‘disappointment.’

She even dissed the showrunners for trying to ‘play catch up’ and ‘generate headlines.’ 

She wrote: ‘The zippy, intimate, charmingly featherlight landmark HBO series of yore has been replaced by yet another bloated streaming-service grief-com, the latest piece of intellectual property back in zombie form to generate headlines, pique nostalgia and ultimately disappoint us.

‘In previous iterations, its moments of emotional groundedness and deepening characterization had hit as hard as they did because of their contrast to the show’s essential tutu-cavorting buoyancy – a fact that the sequel misses entirely.

‘Detracting even more from the show’s innate sense of fun is its many mea culpas for the criticisms the show has received since its departure from the air nearly 20 years ago. If Sex and the City once drove the culture, it’s playing catch-up now.’

The Guardian also called the show ‘terrible,’ and claimed that it ‘reduced’ the formerly-iconic trio into ‘confused failures.’  

New characters in the spin-off series include Lisa Todd Wexley (played by Nicole Ari Parker), who is a a documentarian married to a successful hedge fund manager (played by Hamilton’s Christopher Jackson) and Dr. Nya Wallace (played by Karen Pittman), a Columbia Law professor.  

Nixon also admitted that the problematic nature of the original series concerned her going into the revival, but that she was relieved once she spoke to Michael Patrick King about giving the series a ‘sea change’. 

‘As wonderful as SATC is, to do that show right now would be incredibly tone-deaf. So I was really worried that the transformation wouldn’t be big enough, and my fears are very allayed,’ she said.

The 10-episode reboot began airing earlier this month after obstacles including filming during the pandemic, and the absence of series regular Kim Cattrall, 65, from the show after she fell out with Parker.  

Episodes of the reboot have seen many nods to political correctness and sensitivity – with the characters discussing racial microaggressions, gender identity and sexuality.  

Discussing the reboot’s new take, Kristin Davis recently explained: ‘We had this idea to come back in this way we’ve come back with a new kind of broader world.’

Referring to the new characters, she added: ‘They’re so brilliantly cast and they have such an interesting point of view.’

Nixon added: ‘Michael Patrick [King, the series director] really focused on the heart of each of these characters and also their connection to each other. He’s so funny but also he goes for the gut punch every time.’

Meanwhile, Sarah Jessica Parker noted: ‘We’re back because we want to be. Nobody dragged us back, this is a hard fought choice.

‘We want to be here to tell this story in this way and invite all these new people.’