Kristin Davis, the actress famed for her role as Charlotte York in Sex and the City, has recounted a brilliantly awkward first encounter with Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise. The memorable meeting took place at the 61st Golden Globe Awards, where Davis was attending with her co-stars Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, and Sarah Jessica Parker.
The Awkward Golden Globes Encounter
Davis, who will turn 61 next month, was the last of her group to arrive on the press line. In a rush to join her friends, she didn't initially realise they were conversing with the 62-year-old Mission: Impossible icon. "I'm hurrying down the press line to join the other three, and I see that they're talking to some dude," Davis told People magazine at last week's Golden Eve celebration. "I'm like, 'Why is there a guy in my spot?' So I go up behind him, at which point he turns, and it's Tom Cruise!"
The Colorado-born actress, who now lives in Brentwood, had recently watched Cruise's nominated performance in The Last Samurai, where his character sported long hair. Her surprise led to an over-enthusiastic greeting. "I grab his arm and jump up and down like I'm trying to rip his arm out of his shoulder blade," Davis recalled. She then compounded the awkwardness by exclaiming, "I didn't recognize you!" to which a bemused Cruise replied, "You didn't recognize me?"
Davis explained, "Well, I just watched The Samurai and your hair was long!" Reflecting on the moment, the Emmy nominee admitted, "So, stupid, right? I felt so dumb, but he was so incredibly nice. And then we all took pictures and he told us all how much he loved the show, so it was great."
A Night of Mixed Fortunes at the Awards
The 2004 Golden Globes evening was one of contrasting outcomes for the Sex and the City cast. While Sarah Jessica Parker won the award for Best Actress in a TV Series (Musical/Comedy), Davis, Cattrall, and Nixon lost out on the Best Supporting Actress trophy to Mary-Louise Parker from Angels in America. Tom Cruise himself was also a nominee that night, but the two-time SAG Award winner lost the Best Performance in a Motion Picture award to Sean Penn for Mystic River.
Looking Back on 'And Just Like That'
The conversation with Davis also touched upon the conclusion of HBO Max's And Just Like That, the much-discussed continuation of the Sex and the City story. Davis, who earned a reported $10 million per season to executive produce and reprise her role as the wealthy 'gallerina' Charlotte York Goldenblatt, bid farewell to the show after it was cancelled in August last year. The series had received largely dismal reviews.
When directly asked if she was satisfied with the show's conclusion, Davis scoffed a simple, "No." However, in a more reflective Instagram post last August, she expressed deep gratitude for the experience. "It's hard to put into words what this journey has meant to me. Filming And Just Like That has been one of the great joys of my life," she wrote.
She continued, "To step back into Charlotte's shoes, to tell new stories with a cast I love, and to share them with all of you has been a gift. I would be thrilled to work with these writers, actors and our stellar crew forever. And in my mind Charlotte will be living her life in her own glorious way whether we get to watch her or not."
Davis first originated the beloved role of Charlotte in the 1997 pilot for HBO's hit show, which ran for six seasons and spawned two feature films. While she has yet to secure another acting role, the Melrose Place alum and Sheldrick Wildlife Trust patron stays busy hosting her iHeartRadio podcast, Are You a Charlotte?, which frequently features former SATC cast and crew members.
