Variety has published interviews with Sara Ramirez and Cynthia Nixon today, which both feature details about their blossoming relationship on the first season of And Just Like That, the reboot of Sex and the City. When Nixon’s character, Miranda Hobbs, fell for non-binary podcaster Che Diaz, played by Ramirez, fans were up in arms over the way Miranda cast husband Steve aside for her new partner, but Nixon explained that the character of Miranda has always been a “stand-in” for lesbians, despite the fact that she has typically preferred men.
“Even though she was only really interested in men, I think that Miranda had many other queer and frankly, lesbianic qualities about her,” Nixon told Variety. “And I think for a lot of gay women, she — we didn’t have a gay woman! But she was a stand-in for the gay women we didn’t have.”
Showrunner Michael Patrick King also revealed that the decision to have Miranda leave Steve was simple, because he has always felt that Miranda, who got unexpectedly pregnant by Steve, “married against her will almost,” (I mean, I guess he’s not wrong that Miranda hesitated to go all in with Steve, but that feels like a bold statement!) so his goal for And Just Like That was to “get Miranda out of her marriage,” and have her explore the fact that she is queer.
While an earlier version of the story line saw Miranda getting together with her professor, Nia, played by Karen Pittman, Nixon refused it, stating, “That’s a boundary that I don’t want to see Miranda cross is dating her professor, you know? That’s not OK with me.” The story then turned to having her fall for Carrie Bradshaw’s podcasting partner, Che. And while the character of Che Diaz has been polarizing for sure, King adds that he always knew he wanted the character to be played by Ramirez. “It was crucial that it be them, or I wouldn’t have done the character. I would have found something else,” King states. But I really wanted Sara.”
While season two of And Just Like That is still being written and there’s no premiere date yet, Ramirez says that the relationship between Miranda and Che will be much deeper than what we’ve seen thus far. “The first season was judging a book by its cover, and season two is about reading the book,” they say.
