'I felt like a disappointment because they were expecting Samantha': Kim Cattrall reveals how her raunchy Sex and the City character ruined her dating life

  • Kim Cattrall had her big break at 41, playing Samantha on Sex and the City
  • She spoke candidly at an event in Sydney on fame, women and style
  • The 60-year-old said she sometimes felt like a disappointment on dates
  • Some men expected Cattrall to be like her risque character
  • She also said she's seen discrimination against women in the film industry 

By Lauren Ingram and Laura House For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 19:52 EST, 18 October 2016 | Updated: 02:11 EST, 19 October 2016

Kim Cattrall has spoken about how playing the famed Samantha Jones in Sex and the City impacted her personal life.

Speaking at an event in Sydney for the Specsavers Spectacle Wearer of the Year Competition on Wednesday morning, Cattrall candidly spoke about the experience of hitting the big time and how it impacted her dating life. 

'When you play a character for so long, and I played Samantha for 14 years, you can get associated with that in your personal life,' the 60-year-old said, who first took up the role at 41.

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Sex in the Sydney? Kim Cattrall (above) has spoken about the impact her most famous character had on her personal life during an event in Australia

Not what they were expecting: Cattrall said men were disappointed when dating her because they expected to be dating her Sex and the City character Samantha Jones (above)

Not always good fame: 'I used to feel I was a disappointment because most men were expecting Samantha,' she said 

'I used to feel I was a disappointment because most men were expecting Samantha.'

Cattrall explained that while her fame led to many assumptions about her personality, she was thankful when men got to know her, rather than the character.

Cattrall also spoke about the pressures women face both in her industry and outside it.

Fabulous friends: Cattrall hit the big time when she was cast in the HBO show at 41

Chic: Cattrall is pictured posing with journalist Melissa Hoyer outside Sydney's The Butler 

Catch-22: She said that she thinks women are seen as either wonder women or victims

She said that she's found it's a Catch-22 for women, who seem to have only a few choices when it comes to being defined.

'Women have to be wonder woman or they're victimised,' Cattrall explained. 

'Confidence is important but vulnerability is too.'

'It's like I'm a superwoman, but you have to also be in touch with the part of you that doesn't feel like superwoman.' 

Feisty: Despite her Sex and the City character being very strong, Cattrall said women need to be in touch with their vulnerability too

Ageism: The now-60 year old said that she's seen discrimination in the film industry, especially as she's ages

This, she said, applies to everything from style to career, and that she's seen the discrimination women face.

'The film industry has pitted women against other women,' Cattrall said, noting that it has become worse as she's aged.

'I became a producer and writer as well as an actor because of the discrimination I witnessed first hand.'

Despite this, Cattrall has managed to have an incredible career in an incredibly competitive industry... and doesn't intend on slowing down anytime soon. 

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