Cynthia Nixon Stands by Controversial Miranda Arc in ‘And Just Like That’

Cynthia Nixon defends the controversial direction of her Miranda Hobbes character in the HBO Max reboot And Just Like That, even as many fans voiced shock. In a recent New York Times interview she said the audience’s horror at Miranda’s depression, drinking problem and clumsy attempts to adopt a ‘woke’ stance at her age was exactly what she liked about the role. The most debated storyline involved Miranda leaving her husband Steve Brady for comedian Che Diaz during the first season of the reboot. In the original Sex and the City series Miranda, a lawyer, met Steve, a bartender, in season two, later broke up, reunited, married and had a son named Brady Hobbes by the series finale. Nixon explained she agreed to return because the creators promised to try bold, risky storytelling and to address the show’s past criticism of being overwhelmingly white. She admitted she was surprised when she learned the series would not be renewed for a fourth season, saying she was “not at all ready.” Outside the reboot, Nixon currently headlines HBO’s period drama The Gilded Age as Ada Forte, a series that launched in January 2022 and has now aired four seasons, the latest debuting on Sunday on HBO and HBO Max. She added that, despite the success of The Gilded Age, the role of Miranda still overshadows all her later work, more than two decades after Sex and the City ended in 2004.

Context

And Just Like That continues the story of the original Sex and the City characters as they navigate later life. The word “woke” is commonly used to describe a heightened awareness of social and political issues, a theme many recent shows have tried to incorporate.