Kim Cattrall’s failed ‘Coronation Street’ opportunity: “Maybe they’ll ask again”
Film and television history is littered with near misses and lost opportunities, but perhaps one of the most intriguing comes from Kim Cattrall, and if you’re thinking it’s the Sex and the City star’s absence from spin-off And Just Like That, you’d be wrong, for she missed out on something much, much more important: Coronation Street.
Yes, that’s right, we could have had the Samantha Jones make an appearance on the cobbles. OK, maybe not as Ms Jones, but undoubtedly the iconic soap would have thought up the perfect role for Cattrall to play as there’s no way to cast the actor and not take advantage of her electric screen presence and bawdy persona.
Although Cattrall confirmed that they offered her a part, she sadly, for all of us, had to turn it down due to her busy schedule at the time, telling the presenters of Good Morning Britain, back in 2016, “Maybe they’ll ask me again”.
It might seem a little outlandish to imagine the same actor who played the glamorous and amorous Samantha Jones showing up on the working-class streets of Corrie, but she would be following in the footsteps of other big names who have made appearances on the show.
From Prince Charles to Mel B, there’s a long list of celebs that have cameos on the show. Back in 2005, Sir Ian McKellen even did a stint of ten episodes as dodgy novelist Mel Hutchwright, and, unforgettably, Bob Dylan was even offered a cameo in 2022, but then again, it was his favourite show, so Cattrall wouldn’t be the first huge actor to rub shoulders with the series.
While we might associate her most with NYC, the actor was actually born in Mossley Hill in Liverpool, only 30 miles from where the show is set. Who knows, they might have even allowed her to go back to her roots and play a Scouser. The show might be set in Manchester, but there have been a few Scouser blow-ins during its 65 years on the small screen.
Cattrall also confirmed she would be up for pulling pints at the soap’s legendary pub, ‘Rover’s Return’, making it too easy to imagine her as a glamorous, gobby animal print-clad bartender upsetting all the locals and getting it on with someone’s husband in the back of the bar; but, ten years on, and there’s no sign of a cameo.
She’s also no stranger to British media, having appeared in several British productions, like BBC miniseries Witness for the Protection, SkyArts short Ruby Robinson and even made a guest appearance as herself on BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour.
Who knows, there may still be time to get her on one of the UK’s beloved soaps, and considering she just married a Briton, perhaps it’s likely she’ll be spending more time in the UK, so here’s hoping.
