All the films you didn't know the Sex And The City women have starred in
While watching the Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That… – and also rewatching some of the OG series – we got to thinking (see what we did there?) about some of the films the fab foursome starred in before, during and after filming SATC – which aired on our television screens from 1998 to 2004.
Inevitably, the actors playing Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha have become sort of synonymous with their on-screen characters in our cultural consciousness, thanks to – well – the show’s sheer popularity. Sarah Jessica Parker will always be Carrie Bradshaw to us; Cynthia Nixon is Miranda Hobbes; Kristin Davis is Charlotte York Goldenblatt; and Kim Cattrall – despite her absence from the show’s reboot – will always be Samantha Jones.
They’ve also done a fair amount of other television work, for instance Sarah Jessica Parker starring in Sharon Horgan's fabulous series Divorce, Cynthia Nixon in The Gilded Age, and Kim Cattrall will playing a leading role in the upcoming How I Met Your Father.
But that doesn’t mean we should forget their movie star parts, of which – rest assured, there are many to mention. Cue a rather fabulous round-up.
Apparently, she was very nervous ahead of her cameo.
First thing’s first: we’re not including the Sex and the City films, released in 2008 and 2010 respectively, because obviously that featured all four leading ladies back together again – so it’s cheating.
Anyway, there are some indisputable gems among these movie parts, including Sarah Jessica Parker in Hocus Pocus (who else forgot?), Cynthia Nixon’s role playing Emily Dickinson in A Quiet Passion.
That said, there’s no polite way to put this – the Sex and the City cast have been in some absolutely atrocious movies… as for the biggest dud, it’s possibly a toss-up between the genuinely-verging-on-offensive The Babysitters, which Cynthia Nixon played a supporting role in, and Kim Cattrall’s stint in Baby Geniuses.
Our anger at Carrie shows how much we want to believe that if we’re smart and follow the rules we won’t have to suffer loss.
What some of these throwbacks do provide, however, is a bit of comedy factor, and a light-hearted reminder than even the megastars fronting the Sex and the City franchise had to start somewhere – and even made a few more questionable choices once they were established.
On a more positive note, it’s also a celebration of the foursome’s versatility, after over a decade playing the same parts in the six seasons and two films that compromised Sex and the City (longer, in fact, for the And Just Like That remainers). So, without further adieu, let’s see them: the good, the bad and the ugly…
WarnerPolice Academy 1 (Kim Cattrall)
Enter Cadet Karen Thompson! A.K.A Kim in a previous life – starring in yet another pre-SATC acting role.
Shortcut To Happiness (Kim Cattrall)
Kim plays a supporting role alongside Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Anthony Hopkins in this 2007 movie adaptation of the Stephen Vincent Benet classic 1936 short story "The Devil and Daniel Webster".
Doane GregoryDeck The Halls (Kristin Davis)
Back in 2006, Kristin starred alongside SJP’s fellow actor husband Matthew Broderick in this heartwarming family Christmas film.
TM & Copyright © (1996) by Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved.The First Wives Club
Sarah Jessica Parker plays a small but nonetheless memorable role in this iconic 1996 film, playing the “other woman” involved with Morty, the husband of Bette Midler’s character Brenda.
I Don't Know How She Does It
SJP plays lead character Kate Reddy, who works in banking, in this romantic-comedy film adaptation of Allison Pearson’s novel of the same title.
Mannequin
Another pre-SATC role, Kim played – well – a mannequin in this modern twist on the Pygmalion myth.
Horrible Histories: The Movie - Rotten Romans
Adding yet another spring to her acting bow, Kim Cattrall played Roman Empress Agrippina the Younger in this film based on much-loved children’s book series, Horrible Histories.
©Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights ReservedThe Shaggy Dog
We’re sort of guessing Kristin regrets taking a leading role in this bizarrely-premised 2006 box office flop, which sees a character transformed into a Bearded Collie after getting bitten by a 300-year-old sacred dog stolen from a Tibetan monastery. Every bit as bizarre as it sounds, apparently.
Crossroads
How could we forget Kim Cattrall played Britney’s mum in Crossroads? Well, we did – and we enjoyed re-discovering this information.
New Line CinemaNew Year’s Eve
For those who remember, 2011’s New Year’s Eve was one of those shoehorn-in-every-celebrity-imaginable films. Although a bit of a flop (scoring an almost impressive 7% on Rotten Tomatoes), we’re sure this role at least offered a fun filming process – alongside the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Hilary Swank, Lea Michele and Robert De Niro, to name but a few of SJP’s co-stars.
Warner BrothersMars Attacks!
SJP plays a hilarious role as a fashion expert who has her head transplanted on to a puppy in this Tim Burton flick.
Baby Geniuses
This family comedy film is basically what it says on the tin – starring Kim as a scientist alongside Christopher Lloyd.
Sony PicturesDid You Hear About The Morgans?
One of her most memorable film roles, Sarah plays Meryl, the estranged wife of Manhattan lawyer Paul (Hugh Grant) in this romantic comedy.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
In a somewhat unlikely casting for Charlotte York, Kristin stars alongside Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock), Vanessa Hudgens and Michael Caine in this 2012 science-fantasy-action-adventure film.
Twentieth Century FoxThe Family Stone
Sarah stars alongside Rachel McAdams, Dermot Mulroney and, last but not least, the Diane Keaton in this ‘meet the family goes wrong’ Christmas film.
The Ghost Writer
Kim plays the prime minister's glamorous personal assistant in this 2010 Roman Polanski film.
20th Century FoxBig Trouble in Little China
Full disclosure: we almost choked on our tea when we saw the poster for this Eighties fantasy martial arts action flick, which saw Kim play lawyer and occasional damsel in distress, lawyer Gracie Law.
TM & Copyright ©2005 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.Failure to Launch
As if it wasn’t enough to snog (deep breath) Bradley Cooper, Jon Bon Jovi, Justin Theroux, David Duchovny, John Corbett and more in her role of Carrie on Sex and the City, Sarah got to play the love interest of Matthew McConaughey in Failure To Launch.
© The Walt Disney CompanyHocus Pocus
How could we forget SJP’s role as one of the witchy sisters in 1993’s Hocus Pocus?
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl
Once again mixing up the genres, Kristin played the mother of one of the leading characters, Max, in this 2005 family adventure film.
One Last Thing
In this 2005 indy film, Cynthia Nixon is the mother of a son who is dying from a fatal brain tumour, whose final wish is to sleep with a supermodel.
Honeymoon Academy
Filmed way back when (i.e. before SATC) in 1989, Kim played a federal agent (fun!) in this comedy-drama film shot in Spain.
Deadly Illusions
Another somewhat unlikely (but, excuse the pun, thrillingly so!) role for Kristin in this 2021 thriller drama film – where she plays the lead role. Available on Netflix for those who fancy a look.
The Babysitters
Cynthia Nixon played the long-suffering wife of sleazy husband Michael in this 2007 independent drama film, which according to to Rotten Tomatoes “teeters between exploitation and grossness”.
©Universal StudiosCouples Retreat
Kristin Davis plays one half of a high school sweetheart couple trying to revive their marriage in the exotic surroundings of Bora Bora, in this 2009 rom-com.
Johan VoetsA Quiet Passion
Nixon showcases her talents in this 2016 biographical film about the poet Emily Dickinson, in which she plays the leading role.
