Cynthia Nixon says it was important to ‘fix’ what was wrong with Sex and the City: ‘It was such an overwhelmingly white show’

• Cynthia Nixon defended the ‘woke’ reboot of Sex and the City while appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show
• Nixon revealed she only signed on to reprise her role of Miranda Hobbes so long as the series addressed the ‘overwhelmingly white’ cast from the original series 
• ‘I think we all wanted to be sure that when we went back we could save a lot of what was great about the original and fix what was maybe not so great.’ 
•  Cynthia’s full interview airs Wednesday on The Drew Barrymore Show

The woke nature of the Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That, has divided fans but star Cynthia Nixon says it was necessary to ‘fix’ a lack of progressiveness and diversity in the original series. 

Nixon, 55, applauded the creative team for addressing ‘what was maybe not so great’ about the groundbreaking HBO series in the revival during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show on Wednesday.

The star, who plays Miranda Hobbes, said she wanted to ensure certain things were course-corrected  in And Just Like That, ‘like the fact that it was such an overwhelmingly white show,’ before she agreed to reprise her role.

Fix the issues: Cynthia Nixon defended the ‘woke’ reboot of Sex and the City while appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show on Wednesday

‘Is it true that is was almost a difficult choice for you, something you battled with grappled with, to do And Just Like That…?’ Drew asked the actress?

‘Well yes, if you revisit something that was such a big part of your life and so iconic. I mean it’s a big step but also it seemed to me we are very different people now, we are very different ages now,’ Nixon began.

‘We were in our early 30’s when we started, we are 55, 56 now. And the world is very different. I wanted to be sure, and I think we all wanted to be sure that when we went back we could save a lot of what was great about the original and fix what was maybe not so great. 

‘Like the fact that it was such an overwhelmingly white show. That we would really open up the door and invite these new characters in and really do right by them so we could get great actors and actresses to play them.’

‘I wanted to be sure, and I think we all wanted to be sure that when we went back we could save a lot of what was great about the original and fix what was maybe not so great. ‘Like the fact that it was such an overwhelmingly white show.’

New characters, like Lisa Todd Wexley [Nicole Ari Parker], Seema Patel [Sarita Choudhury], Dr. Nya Wallace [Karen Pittman] and Cynthia’s non-binary love interest Che Diaz [Sara Ramirez] have helped usher the show into modern times. 

Nixon told Drew that she ‘hand-picked’ Ramirez, who is most famous for their Tony winning role in Spamalot and playing Dr. Callie Torres in Grey’s Anatomy, for Diaz. 

‘I suggested them because I’ve been aware of them for so long and such a fan,’ Nixon said. ‘Mike Nichols, I worked with Mike Nichols a bunch of times especially when I was young and he cast Sara in Spamalot, for which they won a Tony. So I was always watching their career and stuff.’ 

In the reboot, Nixon’s character Miranda’s main storyline thus far has followed her heated dalliances with Che – who is Carrie’s boss – and her inward battle to end her marriage while exploring her sexuality. 

Out with the old: New characters, like Lisa Todd Wexley [Nicole Ari Parker], Seema Patel [Sarita Choudhury], Dr. Nya Wallace [Karen Pittman] and Cynthia’s non-binary love interest Che Diaz [Sara Ramirez] have been added to break up the ‘overwhelmingly white’ cast from the original series 

The reboot has been fraught with controversy after star Chris Noth was accused of sexual assault by four women shortly after the premiere.

Noth reprised his role as Mr. Big for And Just Like That. His character died of a heart attack in the first episode but had been slated to return in a dream-like cameo in the finale. 

While the actor denies the allegations, the creative team behind the reboot decided it was best to scrap Noth’s scene.

Cynthia weighed in on the decision previously saying they were ‘very lucky’ to be able to cut Noth’s additional scenes. 

Progressive: Nixon told Drew that she ‘hand-picked’ Ramirez, who is most famous for their Tony winning role in Spamalot and playing Dr. Callie Torres in Grey’s Anatomy, for Diaz

‘I suggested them because I’ve been aware of them for so long and such a fan,’ Nixon said. ‘Mike Nichols, I worked with Mike Nichols a bunch of times especially when I was young and he cast Sara in Spamalot, for which they won a Tony. So I was always watching their career and stuff.’

She told Entertainment Tonight: ‘I think we were very lucky that those changes were able to be made and I think we are very proud of our show.’  

Chris was accused of rape by two women, who both shared details of their alleged assaults with The Hollywood Reporter – with one of the women saying she was just 22 when Noth, then 49, attacked her and left her needing stitches.

The report led another woman to come forward and accuse Noth of groping her, while actress Zoe Lister-Jones recalled behavior that made her describe him as a ‘predator’.

The actor’s Sex and the City co-stars, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis, issued a statement about the accusations made against him, saying: ‘We are deeply saddened to hear the allegations against Chris Noth.

Re-edit: The reboot has been fraught with controversy after star Chris Noth was accused of sexual assault by four women shortly after the premiere and producers were forced to cut his final scenes from the series

‘We support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences. We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it.’

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Chris admitted he had ‘consensual encounters’ with the two women in the Hollywood Reporter story, both of which reportedly took place while he was in a relationship with his wife, but he strongly denied any accusations he assaulted them.

‘The accusations against me made by individuals I met years, even decades, ago are categorically false,’ the statement reads.

‘These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago — no always means no — that is a line I did not cross. The encounters were consensual.

‘It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.’

‘I think we were very lucky that those changes were able to be made and I think we are very proud of our show,’ Nixon told ET of the decision to edit out Chris Noth

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