The 'Sex and the City' creators originally had other plans for Miranda's love life.
It's safe to say that Miranda Hobbes' storyline on the Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That, has been the most controversial to fans. The badass lawyer, played by Cynthia Nixon, went from being ambitious in her career and somewhat settled in her marriage to Steve Brady (David Eigenberg) to pushing her career to the back burner and falling for Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez), a non-binary, semi-celebrity comedian.
The plot for the beloved character has been polarizing, to say the least, with Nixon publicly defending Miranda's journey multiple times.
In a new documentary special, which was released by HBO Max on the same day as the show's season 1 finale, Nixon reveals that Miranda actually had an entirely different love interest when the reboot was first conceived.
"Originally, when [showrunner] Michael [Patrick King] was trying to think about what would happen in our season, he talked about Nya, Miranda's professor being the romantic relationship," Nixon shares, referencing Professor Nya Wallace, played by Karen Pittman. "Nya was a straight character and Miranda's a straight character and I was like, 'Well, that doesn't sound very sexy at all.' Two women who've gotten to this age and who are now just fumbling around. That doesn't seem great."
Instead of falling for Miranda, Nya becomes friends with Miranda, leaning on her as she wonders whether or not she wants to become a mom while going through IVF with her husband.
"And I was like, 'Why couldn't [Miranda's love interest] be this butch person you're talking about having for Carrie?'" Nixon adds.
That person was Che Diaz, Carrie's podcast host, who quickly connects with Miranda. King shares that the role was written with Ramirez in mind.
"We built that character for them based on their gender identifications," he says of Che.
Ramirez found inspiration in the original series despite not identifying as a man or woman.
"Sex and the City was really inspiring to me and empowering around exploring my own sexuality and my own empowerment as a person who is not a man in the world," they say.
Nixon previously shared on The Drew Barrymore Show that she recommended Ramirez for the role.
"I suggested them because I’ve been aware of them for so long and such a fan," Nixon said of Ramirez.
As for one character who is noticeably absent from the reboot -- Samantha Jones -- the stars addressed the absence of actress Kim Cattrall in the documentary.
"I think it's handled very nicely, and it's very gently peppered," Parker, who had a very public falling out with Cattrall, says.
"I knew Kim had moved on from playing Samantha. I realized, 'Oh we can have them mirror a split that people already know but make it really Carrie and Samantha and heartfelt the way you lose friends,'" King adds.
For more on And Just Like That, watch the clip below:
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