The Real Reason Kim Cattrall Doesn't Have Any Children

Kim Cattrall has accomplished many things so far in her lifetime — and the actor seems more than okay with the fact that having children isn't one of those things.

Though the actor has starred in film and TV shows since the '70s (per IMDb), fans are most familiar with her work on "Sex and the City." The hit HBO show ran from 1998-2004, and Cattrall's character, Samantha Jones, quickly became a fan-favorite. Samantha was known for her independence and sexual freedom, and many fans also found it refreshing how she didn't have kids on the show, nor did she want to.

While Cattrall has distanced herself from "Sex and the City" over the years, she does have one big similarity with Samantha Jones, which is that Cattrall also decided not to have kids in real life. Unlike her famous character, it wasn't necessarily easy for Cattrall to decide not to have them. However, the actor has made peace with her decision and revealed more details about why she decided against having kids — keep reading to learn more!

When Kim Cattrall was 41 years old, she made the conscious decision to not have children — and she made that decision for a pretty good reason!

During a 2020 interview on the "Women's Prize for Fiction" podcast, Cattrall got candid about her decision not to have kids, which came to her when she first started working on "Sex and the City." "This was 1998, I would have to become a bit of a science experiment," she explained. "My partner and I would have to be available to have sex at a certain time. There's just no way, I could have done that in a healthy, emotional, physical, or even physical state, and do 19-hour days."

Cattrall also talked about how her love and passion for her career influenced her decision. "So I was also 41. And, and I just thought that I have to make a decision here for my well being. And I love to work, my work has been my passport to my independence and my freedom and my education," she explained, adding that she also had worries about getting roles as a woman in her 40s. Ultimately, Cattrall had to make a decision that was best for her life at the time and the career that she wanted to continue pursuing — so, like her character on "SATC," she decided not to have children.

Kim Cattrall made the decision to not have children when she first started filming "Sex and the City" at 41 — and now, as a 64-year-old, she's found other ways to channel her maternal instinct. In an article published on Oprah.com, Cattrall got candid about motherhood and how she became comfortable with not having kids after thinking she probably would. "I always assumed that like my mother before me, one day I would have children," she explained. Cattrall then went on to talk about watching her friends get married and have babies in their 30s, though she still hadn't even found the right partner yet. 

With mounting pressure to have kids, Cattrall sat down and really thought about what she truly wants from life and whether or not kids fit into the equation. "When I answered those questions regarding having children, I realized that so much of the pressure I was feeling was from outside sources, and I knew I wasn't ready to take that step into motherhood," she explained of her "aha!" moment.

Luckily for Cattrall, she's found plenty of other ways to be maternal. "My newest projects sometimes feel like my children," she said, adding that she feels maternal when she gives a young actor advice or works with children's organizations and charities. While children simply weren't in the cards for Cattrall's life, she's clearly found plenty of other ways to make it fulfilling!