‘Sex and the City’: Nicole Ari Parker and Boris Kodjoe Confirm She Isn’t New Samantha Jones – ‘Samantha Cannot Be Replaced’
Nicole Ari Parker recently shared that she’s been “yelled at” and” attacked with love” by Sex and the City fans, worried she was moving into the role of Samantha Jones. She wants to clarify: she is not the new Samantha Jones.
Her husband, actor Boris Kodjoe has also emphasized that it isn’t true. Kodjoe added that there is no way Samantha Jones could ever be replaced.
Nicole Ari Parker says ‘Sex and the City’ fans yelled at her
Rumors started when Parker was seen filming the updated HBO Max SATC series, And Just Like That … and fans thought Parker’s character was the writers’ answer to a missing Kim Cattrall.
“When it first came out that I was replacing the Samantha character — which is not true at all, so please write that — I have been yelled at, and I’ve also been attacked with love,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
“I’ve been photographed in places I should never be photographed,” she added. “The fans are so excited and over the top. I had some idea of that because I am one of those fans but I had no idea [the extent of it].”
Early rumors sparked over an Instagram photo Sarah Jessica Parker shared of Parker alongside the original three cast members. The photo did not indicate that Parker was moving in as the “missing” fourth friend, but fan speculation went wild.
Boris Kodjoe says ‘Samantha cannot be replaced’
Parker’s husband, actor Boris Kodjoe also confirmed with Showbiz Cheat Sheet that his wife was not going to be the new Samantha Jones. “My wife is not the new Samantha Jones,” he said. “She answers this [question] the same exact way because Samantha cannot be replaced. But my wife plays a great character on the show. And I’m super proud of her because it’s one of those shows that are timeless. And watched all over the world. So she’s been having a lot of fun shooting that show in New York.”
Kodjoe also reflected on how far SATC has come. “I’m very happy about this,” he said about seeing more people of color represented in the series. “Because the last one wasn’t necessarily representative of what the world looks like, especially New York.”
“So I think this is more of a timely depiction of what life is really like,” he added.
The updated series features 4 women of color
Parker discussed how the new series will address race. “I’m excited to be a part of something that’s different for them,” she told Variety. “We can talk about the elephant in the room that there were no fully fleshed-out characters of color, but now here’s the four of us. We’re real people, and they’ve been great to work with, and some of our [storylines] deal with race and deal with real experiences. It’s New York City!”
“We’re grown-ass women, so we know how to keep it sexy,” she quipped. “It’s piping hot.” She added to The Hollywood Reporter the series will have “four women of color who are fully realized women with full lives.“ Parker then exclaimed, “Everyone’s still having sex and it’s wonderful.”
From the description of Parker’s character, she’s nothing like Samantha Jones. Parker is Lisa Todd Wexley who is a mom and documentary filmmaker in the new series.
And Just Like That … is scheduled to premiere on HBO Max in December 2021.
