Kim Cattrall may have stepped out of the Manolo Blahnik high heels following her days playing the outspoken Samantha Jones on Sex and the City, but the 60-year-old Golden Globe winner still likes to make a fashion statement.
In Sydney to judge Specsavers’ Spectacle Wearer Of The Year 2016, Cattrall greets The Weekly with a smile at a classy city café. Her outfit is a far cry from the outlandish brightly-coloured suits and figure-hugging short dresses her infamous character strutted along the streets of Manhattan.
Today, her clothes are simplicity itself. Dressed in a smart white blazer and royal blue top, her tousled golden locks fall over a new pair of prescription shades (she’s been wearing glasses since she was 10 years old).
Kim with AWW’s Sheree Mutton. PHOTO: Jake McBride
Over lunch, Cattrall reveals a polite and softly spoken side – quite the contrast to the uninhibited public relations executive that was Samantha Jones. Despite their differences, Cattrall acknowledges the effect her sex siren character had on women around the world.
“She [Samantha] showed that having a sexual appetite wasn’t a negative thing. It had a positive connotation. She definitely gave me a platform,” she explains.
“She talked about a lot of things that I’m passionate about and of course recognition is one of them. I’m not Samantha, I don’t have her appetite but I do think the symbiotic energy between the both of us was having girlfriends as family. [It’s] being non-judgemental, supportive and tolerant. We both have a joy of life.
“I really love women. I really care about women. I have a lot of questions that I want to use in my work that I want to answer and challenge perceptions of women. Samantha was very freeing for a lot of people.”
SATC’s main stars on set – Kim is second from left. PHOTO: Getty/Handout
Cattrall, married and divorced three times, has been at the forefront of challenging the notion of women and age in her new Emmy-nominated series, Sensitive Skin.
“Women of my age are still relevant,” the veteran actress tells The Weekly. “They have something to say. They’re still viable and vibrant. I think a lot of movies are geared towards a younger audience.
“I want to get rid of those iconic slim, slender and deprived characteristics of women that are portrayed, especially now more than ever. I want to keep exploring issues and subject matter around women and women my age.
“The baby boomer generation are the biggest generation there ever was. It’s a huge market, a huge population to tell stories to. Sharing stories on what battles women have been through.
“If someone told me in the ‘70s that a candidate running for the presidency in the United States now would be a woman, I wouldn’t have believed you. It’s a huge step forward but there’s still women out there being discriminated against.”
Kim playing Samantha in 1999. PHOTO: Getty/Handout
Cattrall will be scouring the country for someone who stands out from the crowd and wears a stylish pair of glasses with confidence. “I’m looking for originality and harmony with who they are; and also creativity,” she says
Entries to the 2016 Specsavers’ Spectacle Wearer of the Year are now open at: loveglasses.specsavers.com.au
