Cynthia Nixon Shares Her Thoughts On Sara Ramírez’s ‘And Just Like That’ Exit
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With production on the third season of “And Just Like That” underway, actor Cynthia Nixon is opening up about co-star Sara Ramírez’s abrupt, if unsurprising, departure from the Max series.
In an interview with Variety published Thursday, Nixon seemingly shrugged off the implication that Ramírez’s exit from the “Sex and the City” revival was the result of any behind-the-scenes drama.
“I think they felt, and [series creator Michael Patrick King] felt, that that character had run its course,” she said of Ramírez, who uses they/them pronouns. “They came in and shook everything up, and then the arc was completed.”
She also had ample praise for Ramírez’s performance, telling Variety: “They created such an amazing character — such a controversial character, but such an amazing character.”
In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly published Thursday, Nixon said she and Ramírez remained on good terms, noting that the two “talk quite a bit.”
She also didn’t rule out the possibility of Ramírez returning to “And Just Like That” in the future. “If Sara was on the show, I think it would be more Carrie and Che,” she said, referring to Sarah Jessica Parker’s character, Carrie Bradshaw.
Though it had already been widely reported that Ramírez would not be returning for Season 3 of “And Just Like That,” Nixon appears to be the show’s first cast member to comment publicly on the news.
Ramírez was among the high-profile additions to the “Sex and the City” universe when “And Just Like That” debuted in 2021. The actor, whose credits include “Madam Secretary” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” portrayed nonbinary comedian Che Diaz, who became the love interest of Miranda Hobbes (Nixon).
Among longtime “Sex and the City” viewers, Che Diaz turned out to be wildly polarizing. Hopes for the character’s likability were snuffed out quickly when they began a tempestuous relationship with Miranda, who, until then, was married to Steve Brady (David Eigenberg), a fan favorite since the early days of the original HBO series. The phrase “Justice for Steve” trended on social media after some episodes and appeared in several reviews.
At first, Ramírez went to lengths to defend Che Diaz in interviews, arguing that much of the backlash to their character stemmed from an overall discomfort toward nonbinary people.
“I’m really proud of the representation that we’ve created,” they told The New York Times in 2022. “We have built a character who is a human being, who is imperfect, who’s complex, who is not here to be liked, who’s not here for anybody’s approval. They’re here to be themselves.”
By August of last year, however, Ramírez began to seemingly distance themselves from the show. In a since-deleted Instagram post, they responded to a profile published by The Cut that contained a less-than-favorable take on Che Diaz. They urged viewers to direct their criticisms at King, who wrote and directed numerous episodes of “And Just Like That.”
“When a cis man is in charge and has ultimate control of dialogue actors say, and you have a valid problem with it, perhaps you should be interviewing him,” they wrote at the time.
In January, Ramírez appeared to take another swipe at “And Just Like That” on social media. In another since-deleted Instagram post, they blasted the entertainment industry for allegedly making “blacklists” of actors who have shown support for Palestine during the Israel-Hamas war.
“It’s wild how performative so many in Hollywood are,” they reportedly wrote. “Even more performative than the last character I played.”
