Kim Cattrall is a legend. Best known for her iconic role as Samantha Jones on HBO's “Sex and the City”, she’s been grabbing headlines of late for her cameo in season 2 of “And Just Like That…”.
The excitement, of course, has a lot to do with her being in the show after she was conspicuously ousted from season one due to her very public beef with co-star Sarah Jessica Parker.
Fans love Cattrall because, similar to Samantha Jones, she shoots straight from the hip. And if the truth hurts, then so be it.
But, at 66, she has no desire to pussyfoot around people.
Before delving into Netflix’s “Glamorous”, which was aptly released in Pride Month, she was a recent guest on “The View” talking about the recent developments in her career.
She said: “It was big fun. But also, I’m a huge fan of ‘‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and ‘Ugly Betty’ - and it had all those elements but a fresh new take for all those reasons that you just said.
“And the inclusivity of it. I love working with young actors and with some of them, it can be complicated sometimes because they don’t know where the stop signs are, they just come in there with a lot of energy. And they are so excited to be there.”
And she worked with her costume designer BFF Patricia Field on both shows.
Cattrall shared: “Well, it’s very interesting to get a call from HBO saying, ‘What can we do? I went, hmm, let me get creative. And one of those things was to get Patricia back because I just thought if I have to come back, I gotta come back with that Samantha style.”
Back to the LGBTQIA+ comedy-drama though. It feels like a love child of “Ugly Betty” and “The Bold Type”.
There were times when I celebrated its woke storytelling sensibilities, it also falls short with sheer silliness that takes away from its gravitas.
The one scene that comes to mind is the one where everyone is panicked as they are on the clock for a submission but the WiFi connection goes down. No one knows how to reboot it, which basically entailed an unplug and replug. Really now.
So like I said, I appreciate the writers addressing the struggles of queer folk and also making it about female empowerment.
The 10-part series is not going to revolutionise the world of any streamer. Instead, it provides a dramatic distraction by telling a relatable story of its femee lead Marco Mejia, played by YouTuber, actress and singer Miss Benny.
When we first meet the make-up and fashion enthusiast, he is stuck in a dead-end job and his tutorials on social media are not making much traction.
His Julia Mejia (Diana-Maria Riva) decides to step in and help him transition into working in the real world by bagging him a job at her law firm.
He grudgingly agrees to accept but fate intervenes when the demigod that is Madolyn Addison (Cattrall), a former supermodel and the founder of “Glamorous by Madolyn”, walks into his counter looking to have her make-up done and they bond.
She admires his opinion and feels like he could add value to her pivot in the industry as her company is in the red and needs rescuing.
He is blown away by her. Everything about her. Her style. Her confidence. Her creativity.
And so he is hired as her second assistant.
Although Venetia Kelaher (Madolyn’s first assistant), played by Jade Payton welcomes Marco and takes him under her wings, Madolyn’s son Chad (Zane Phillips), who is the director of sales, is hostile towards him.
He resents Marco for having so much leeway with his mom.
The other supporting characters are Britt (Ayesha Harris), a graphic designer who also carries a torch for Venetia.
And she is besties with Ben (Michael Hsu Rosen), the other graphic designer at the company who is smitten with Marco from their first meeting. But he is too shy to make a play for him.
As Marco braves this big beautiful world of beauty, he hits a few stumbling blocks, professionally and personally. The latter involves a gaslighting boyfriend named Parker (Graham Parkhurst).
The villain in the story - there has to be one - is Mykynnleigh, a corporate consultant brokering the sale of "Glamorous by Madolyn". She’s annoying and ruthless.
Cattrall, dressed in outfits to die for, is sublime in her role. A perfectionist, she is the epitome of grace, ingenuity and patience.
I love that the make-up department didn’t go OTT with her look. She oozes sophistication in every frame.
And the interaction between Madolyn and Marco is reminiscent of the heartwarming exchanges between Betty Suarez with Daniel Meade from “Ugly Betty”.
You will laugh, cry and, at times, be irritated. But you will still applaud the series for being fun and playful, planted with pockets of inspiration along the way.
∎“Glamorous” is streaming on Netflix.