Kristin Davis: 'I didn't know how groundbreaking Sex and the City was at the time'

Initial disbelief at the global phenomenon

Kristin Davis, known worldwide as Charlotte York on HBO's 'Sex and the City', has admitted she was bewildered by the frenzy the series generated when it first aired. Appearing on Jesse Tyler Ferguson's podcast 'Dinner's On Me', the 61-year-old actress recalled feeling that the show was good but not quite grasping the scale of public reaction.

I remember thinking it was a good series, but at the same time, when all this fuss broke out, I wondered why everyone was acting like that.

The level of attention felt almost surreal to the cast. Davis said the intensity of the mania was disorienting.

It was so overwhelming that you constantly wondered what exactly was going on.

The series, which debuted in June 1998, ran for six seasons and 94 episodes, concluding in 2004. It spawned two feature films, in 2008 and 2010, and later the sequel series 'And Just Like That...', which aired from December 2021 through August 2025. Davis was part of all these iterations, alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall and Cynthia Nixon.

Rewatching with fresh eyes

Years after the finale, Davis has revisited the show and come away with a very different perspective. She told Ferguson that she now watches it almost as an outsider.

Now watching it again I can be more objective and enjoy it almost like a fan... and it's really very good.

The actress said distance has given her a new appreciation for the storytelling and production. She no longer sees it from inside the whirlwind, but as a piece of television that holds up remarkably well.

The show's pioneering nature

Davis also reflected on how little she understood the show's distinctiveness when it was in production. Looking back, she sees it as more groundbreaking than she ever realised at the time.

I don't know if I realized how different it was at the time... I don't know to what degree it made a difference.

The series was celebrated for its frank treatment of female sexuality and friendship, a combination that was unusual in the late 1990s television landscape. Davis now believes that its cultural impact was far larger than she perceived during the height of its popularity.

Personal connection to Charlotte

In a previous interview with PEOPLE magazine, Davis had shared how she compared herself to her character. She described herself as more of a free spirit than Charlotte, whose primary life goal was marriage, something Davis never prioritised. Still, she acknowledged that judging one's own personality is difficult, and admitted she has some Carrie-like traits as well.