Cover Kim Cattrall stars as Samantha in the HBO series ‘Sex and the City’ (Photo: Getty Images)
Kim Cattrall stars as Samantha in the HBO series ‘Sex and the City’ (Photo: Getty Images)
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Portrayed by Kim Cattrall, who turns 70 today, the character of Samantha Jones embodied the “sex” in the iconic HBO series ‘Sex and the City’
As a self-proclaimed “try-sexual”—she’s willing to try anything at least once—fictional PR executive Samantha Jones effectively embodied the “sex” in the romantic comedy-drama Sex and the City, which aired on HBO from 1998 to 2004. Portrayed by the British-born actor Kim Cattrall, Samantha brought unapologetic confidence and a bawdy sense of humour to every brunch conversation.
Across six seasons and two Sex and the City films, and alongside her three best friends, writer Carrie Bradshaw, lawyer Miranda Hobbes and art dealer Charlotte York, Samantha served as a stabilising force: an assertive 40-something woman with a corner office, a revolving cast of lovers and a bottomless supply of verve.
Nearly three decades on from the show’s debut, Samantha’s quips, style and non-judgemental views have entered the pop-culture bible. To celebrate Cattrall’s birthday, here are three key lessons from the character who epitomised the early-aughts ideal of a no-nonsense, sexually liberated female boss.
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Self-respect is putting yourself first
Above Kim Cattrall stars as Samantha in the HBO series ‘Sex and the City’ (Photo: Getty Images)
Kim Cattrall stars as Samantha in the HBO series ‘Sex and the City’ (Photo: Getty Images)
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After discovering her paramour, the successful but womanising hotel magnate Richard Wright, cheating on her, Samantha becomes convinced he’ll do it again. She finds him alone in his hotel room and ends their relationship with the words: “I love you … but I love me more.”
In a rare moment of vulnerability from a seemingly unflappable character, her quote is a reminder to viewers that no romantic relationship matters as much as the one you have with yourself, and your ability to respect your needs and emotional health.
Samantha’s willingness to walk away from mistreatment contrasts sharply with Carrie, who spends six years pursuing a man in one of the most excruciating non-relationship “situationships” to grace the small screen. It’s underscored, too, by another of Samantha’s maxims, delivered in an engagement-obsessed culture: “You know marriage doesn’t guarantee a happy ending—just an ending.”
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Own who you are, without shame
Speaking to Jerry “Smith” Jerrod, an actor and model who later becomes her long-term partner, Samantha says: “I am harsh. I’m also demanding, stubborn, self-sufficient and always right—in bed, at the office and everywhere else.” Confidence, in her hands, means unapologetically owning your decisions and character traits rather than apologising for them.
While other characters, including her own friends, often judge her sexual proclivities and hook-ups—including one notable moment when Carrie walks in on her performing oral sex on a postman—she nevertheless supports them through their own poor decisions and never shames them. After Carrie cheats on her devoted boyfriend Aiden, one of her lowest and most cringeworthy moments, she turns to Samantha for advice. “Aren’t you going to judge me, just a little bit?” she asks. “Not my style,” Samantha replies.
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Stop waiting for permission to live
Above The four leading ladies of the HBO series Sex and the City. From left: Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes, Kristin Davis as Charlotte York, Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, and Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones. (Photo: Getty Images)
The four leading ladies of the HBO series Sex and the City. From left: Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes, Kristin Davis as Charlotte York, Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, and Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones. (Photo: Getty Images)
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For a show ostensibly about the sex lives of unmarried women, its main characters spend a considerable amount of time fretting over settling down. Samantha is the exception from one of her very first lines in the series: “The right guy is an illusion … start living your lives!”
And live she does. Her strong sense of self, and accompanying disregard for others’ opinions, sets her apart from the other protagonists’ and their storylines. She also encourages her more anxious friends, such as the endearingly neurotic Charlotte, to cut loose: “You have to let it go. If I worried about what every b*tch in New York was saying about me, I’d never leave the house!”
Cat Wang is an editor at Tatler Asia based in Hong Kong, where she covers business, wealth, innovation, and impact. Previously, she was a Forbes Asia reporter and assistant editor of the Forbes Asia 100 to Watch list, spotlighting startups and small companies on the rise across the Asia-Pacific. She began her career as a trainee reporter at the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s newspaper of record. Born in New York City, she graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a B.A. in political science.
