What Keeps Kim Cattrall up at Night

Returning to TV in the new Fox series 'Filthy Rich,' the 'Sex and the City' alum gets real with AARP

Gayle Jo Carter,

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Published September 18, 2020

Gerald McRaney Kim Cattrall Aubrey Dollar and Corey Cott in Filthy Rich

(Left to right) Gerald McRaney, Kim Cattrall, Aubrey Dollar and Corey Cott in a scene from the show.

Alan Markfield/FOX

Sex and the City alum Kim Cattrall is back! In the new Fox dramedy Filthy Rich (Sept. 21, 9 p.m., Fox), Cattrall, 64, plays the Oprah-like TV host of the Sunshine Network, whose personal and business lives are upturned when her minister husband dies in a plane crash and secrets are exposed. Cattrall talks to AARP about her new show, what she loves about filming on location in New Orleans and what she stayed up late at night to watch on TV as a child.

The lowdown on her new show

Kim's Fast Facts

Age: 64

Birthplace: Mossley Hill, Liverpool, England

Current Project: Filthy Rich, Sept. 21, 9 p.m., Fox

Tale of three cities: Moved to British Columbia at 3 months old, back to the U.K. at 11 (studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), and then New York City at 16 to enroll in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Book it: She and third (and ex-) husband Mark Levinson cowrote the book Satisfaction: The Art of the Female Orgasm.

Awards: Five Emmy nominations, four Golden Globe nominations (one win) for her role as Samantha Jones on HBO's Sex and the City.

Kim Cattrall in a scene from the Fox television show Filthy Rich

Kim Cattrall as Margaret Monreaux in the series premiere episode of "Filthy Rich."

Patti Perret/FOX

The show is very funny at times and very uncomfortable at times. It's a reconfiguration of family and relationships, and that makes for wonderful characters, interesting drama and comedy.

The risk and reward this time around

I have a reputation of taking on things that terrify me, but they also excite me and challenge me. I'm very interested in learning about different kinds of women and how their lives work, and giving voice to that. And it's a good time to tell these stories because there is an audience hungry for them — an audience that has the time to watch and invest in these characters.

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Favorite show to binge-watch

I am a true faithful fan of Turner Classic Movies. It was such a bond for me and my mom when I was a kid to stay up late and watch The Million Dollar Movie [TV series featuring classic films]. Everyone else would be in bed, and she and I would be on the couch watching these great films unfold: noirs, musicals, dramas, comedies. She had such a wide knowledge and vocabulary of films, and I really got my love of entertainment from her.

What she won't compromise on

The number one thing is sleep. If you don't have enough sleep, you're going to have a tough time.

Getting addicted to unplugging

I always wanted to “go there and do that.” Now I want to do less on the weekends: talk to friends, see an old movie, be a bit of a couch potato. Stay in bed a little longer or all day in my pajamas. Just really unplug — which is hard to do because when your work is going well, you're tempted to do more.

RELATED: Getting a little cabin fever right about now? We thought so, which is why our critics rounded up the best movies that take place in our favorite vacation destinations. Escape right here: 15 Movies to Ease Your Postponed Vacation Blues

Leaving the fitness frenzy behind

I'm a child of the Jane Fonda revolution of working out, but now I realize I don't have to bang myself up as much. I do a lot of stretches and long walks. I love to swim, especially in lakes. It's more about being easier on myself at this point.

Where you'll find her

I love, love the outdoors. I have a house on Vancouver Island, which is my passion. We're resurrecting an old property there and making it ours.

On filming Filthy Rich in New Orleans

It's a great city — a loving, welcoming city. The weather is fantastic. I just have to get used to coming out of the house and having my glasses get all steamed up.

Homegirl vibes

I don't like to live in hotels. I like to rent an apartment or a little house that has a patio so I can have some kind of grounding.

Going full tourist, and proud of it

The first thing I do when I get to a new place is take one of those bus tours to get the lay of the land. I'm up high and I can see everything around me. If I'm in a car, I can't see as much. I love someone telling me the history of their city — anecdotes about what happened where and when. An old churchyard here, a ghost over there.

Superpower confession

My curiosity has always been my saving grace and my superpower. I still find such wonder in learning something: a recipe or a spice I never knew of, or more about the New Orleans accent, even. It's so beautiful!

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Gayle Jo Carter is a former entertainment editor at USA WEEKEND, who during her 30-year reporting and editing career, has worked at USA TODAY, Voice of America and Feature Story News. When not interviewing high-profile people, she’s teaching reformer Pilates classes and doing her best to raise two empathetic, curious, healthy young people to adulthood.