Rosie O’Donnell says sex scene with Cynthia Nixon was ‘horrifying’ in And Just Like That…
“The kissing wasn’t hard, but the laying in bed and the wanting us to act like we had just done it [was]," said O’Donnell
By Aaron Sugg
Rosie O’Donnell has spoken openly about filming a sex scene with her longtime friend Cynthia Nixon for And Just Like That…, describing the experience as “horrifying”.
The actress appeared in the first episode of the Sex and the City spinoff’s third and final season as Sister Mary, a nun who breaks her vow of chastity and loses her virginity to Miranda Hobbes (Nixon).
Appearing on Good Hang with Amy Poehler, O’Donnell dubbed the experience “horrifying” because she was “so nervous”.
Rosie O’Donnell recalls lying in bed with Cynthia Nixon for And Just Like That…
“First of all, I love her,” said O’Donnell. “I have so much respect for her.” Explaining how the moment came about, she elaborated: “She called me and she’s like, ‘Ro, Michael Patrick wrote you a scene, and it’s with me. Will you do it?’”
Agreeing to it before reading the script, O’Donnell expressed surprise when she found out she would be in bed with Nixon. “The kissing wasn’t hard, but the laying in bed and the wanting us to act like we had just done it [was].”
Before then, the actress had only filmed one other bedroom scene, with Julian McMahon in Nip/Tuck. “And he was such a gentleman,” she said.
O’Donnell recalls showing Julian McMahon her breasts whilst filming Nip/Tuck
Giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at what was happening beneath the sheets, O’Donnell said: “I had a tube top on and little underpants and I’m supposed to be naked. And he’s got a little cock sock, and he’s leaning and his arms are shaking because he doesn’t want to put his body on mine.”
After production asked O’Donnell to lower her top after it appeared in shot, O’Donnell recalled: “And so I pull down my tube top, and I say, ‘Julian, those are my boobs.’ And he said, ‘Nice rack.’ And I said, ‘Really?’ and he said, ‘Yes.’”
The And Just Like That… series finale aired on 14 August 2025, wrapping up the stories of Sex and the City fans’ favourite characters after a combined 27 years of television history dating back to 1998.