Sex and the City star Bridget Moynahan has reflected on the changing fan response to her character, Natasha Naginsky.
The actor, 53, played Natasha, the woman who marries “Mr Big” (Chris Noth) in season three of the hit HBO comedy-drama.
At the time, her character was disliked by fans, due to her position at the vertex of a love triangle with Mr Big and Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker).
Speaking to Swooon about the role, Moynahan recalled: “Over the years, people have found when they first saw it, they were hating on Natasha. [But] as they grew up, they’re like, ‘We were all Carrie at the time, but we should have been supporting Natasha.”
As Moynahan discussed, Natasha was initially viewed as an obstacle to the Carrie-Big romance, with the pair’s affair forming the crux of one of the show’s biggest plotlines.
“That’s just interesting that fans grew with the show and matured with the show,” Moynahan continued. “I think that’s what’s kind of so great about the show coming back in a new form is that they’ve matured, and now you have a whole new set of fans coming up, and it’s just nice to see how it keeps growing.”
Moynahan recently reprised the role in the first season of the Sex and the City spin-off And Just Like That..., which also stars Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis.
Earlier this year, it was reported that actor Karen Pittman would be leaving the cast of And Just Like That... She had played Professor Nya Wallace on the first two seasons.
In a two-star review of the most recent series, critic Nick Hilton wrote: “There’s always a pleasure in the reunion of beloved TV characters, and there’s no denying the chemistry between Parker, Nixon and Davis (though Nixon’s coastal move upsets that trio). But the show still seems uncertain about its place in the world.
“Is it a throwback? A reimagining? An update? Or an entirely new thing? Caught between all these potential aspirations, And Just Like That… has ended up a toothless imitation of its ancestor. Where Sex and the City gave a voice in prestige TV to a generation of women, And Just Like That… is giving little more than pay cheques to its well-coiffed stars.”
In the UK, Sex and the City and And Just Like That... are available to watch on Sky and NOW.
