They say time heals all wounds, but for die-hard fans of Carrie Bradshaw, the 2010 sequel remains a bit of a sore spot. It was big. It was loud. It was deeply, deeply expensive. When we talk about the sex and the city 2 movie cast, we aren't just talking about four women in a taxi anymore; we’re talking about a massive ensemble that flew across the world to the dunes of Morocco (posing as Abu Dhabi) to create one of the most polarizing blockbusters in rom-com history.
Honestly, the chemistry was still there, but the scale had shifted so far toward spectacle that the actors felt like they were competing with the scenery.
Michael Patrick King didn't just want a movie; he wanted an event. That meant bringing back every face the fans recognized while sprinkling in cameos that felt like fever dreams. Remember Liza Minnelli doing Beyoncé’s "Single Ladies"? That actually happened. It wasn't a hallucination. It was the peak of the franchise’s "more is more" era, and looking back, the cast was carrying a lot of weight on their shoulders to make those 146 minutes move.
The Core Four: More Than Just Manolos
Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon. That’s the engine. Without them, there is no brand. By the time the sex and the city 2 movie cast started filming, these women weren't just actors; they were icons with complicated behind-the-scenes legacies.
Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie was in a different headspace this time around. She wasn't chasing Big; she was living with him. The "sparkle" was fading into the mundane reality of marriage, which gave SJP a chance to play a more neurotic, slightly grounded version of the character, even if she was wearing Dior in a desert.
Then you have Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones. She really was the MVP of this specific sequel. While the other storylines felt a bit heavy—Miranda quitting her job, Charlotte's parenting meltdowns—Samantha was there for the comedy. She was battling the onset of menopause with a bag full of hormones and a refusal to age quietly. It’s poignant now, knowing the public rift that eventually led to Cattrall’s absence in the revival series And Just Like That..., but in 2010, she was still the life of the party.
Kristin Davis (Charlotte York Goldenblatt) and Cynthia Nixon (Miranda Hobbes) provided the emotional B-plots. Charlotte’s struggle with her "Irish nanny" (played by Alice Eve) and Miranda’s realization that her law firm didn't value her were supposed to be the relatable anchors. Did they work? Sorta. But the sheer opulence of the setting often drowned out the "struggle."
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The Men Who Kept the Drama Alive
Chris Noth returned as Mr. Big (John James Preston), and his performance was surprisingly low-key. He just wanted to stay home and watch old movies on a flat-screen TV. It’s funny because Big was always the ultimate prize, but here, he was the guy wanting a "couch week."
John Corbett’s return as Aidan Shaw was the big marketing hook. When he appeared in that spice market, theaters reportedly erupted. It was a calculated move to inject conflict into Carrie’s marriage. Corbett plays Aidan with that same "granola-chic" charm, though the kiss he shares with Carrie remains one of the most debated moments in the series' lore. Was it fan service? Absolutely. Did it make sense for his character? People are still arguing about that on Reddit fifteen years later.
Evan Handler (Harry Goldenblatt) and David Eigenberg (Steve Brady) were mostly sidelined. They were the domestic bookends to the story, appearing at the beginning and end to remind the audience that the girls had lives back in New York. Eigenberg, in particular, has always had this "everyman" quality that makes him the most grounded member of the extended sex and the city 2 movie cast.
The Supporting Players and Those Wild Cameos
The wedding scene at the start of the film is a masterclass in "how many famous people can we fit in a room?"
Willie Garson as Stanford Blatch and Mario Cantone as Anthony Marantino finally tied the knot. It was a high-camp extravaganza. Willie Garson, who we sadly lost in 2021, brought a genuine heart to Stanford that often went unsung. His chemistry with Cantone was abrasive, loud, and weirdly perfect for the tone of the second film.
Then there were the cameos.
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- Liza Minnelli: She performed the wedding ceremony and a musical number. It was surreal.
- Penélope Cruz: She played Carmen, a banker who flirts with Big at a party. It was a tiny role, but it added to the "international superstar" vibe.
- Miley Cyrus: A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment where she wears the same dress as Samantha on a red carpet.
Noah Mills played Smith Jerrod again, but only briefly. His character’s departure from Samantha’s life felt like the end of an era. And we can't forget Max Ryan as Rikard Spirit, the European architect Samantha pursues in the desert. He was basically a walking thirst trap designed to facilitate the plot's move to the dunes.
Why the Location Was the Real "Lead"
The movie was set in Abu Dhabi, but the authorities there reportedly weren't fans of the script's content. So, the sex and the city 2 movie cast packed up and moved to Morocco.
This changed the energy.
The actors weren't on the streets of the Upper East Side; they were isolated in luxury resorts. This isolation arguably leaked into the performances. There’s a scene where the four women are in the desert, dressed in couture, singing "I Am Woman." It’s become a bit of a camp classic, but at the time, critics felt it was out of touch. The cast, however, has always defended the experience. They were living in a bubble, and the movie feels exactly like that—a bubble of 2010 excess.
Fact-Checking the Production Hurdles
There's a lot of misinformation about why certain people weren't in the film. For instance, rumors often circulate that Victoria Beckham turned down a role. That's true—she was invited but was too busy with her fashion line.
Another weird fact? The film’s costume designer, Patricia Field, had to manage a wardrobe budget that was reportedly over $10 million. When you look at the sex and the city 2 movie cast, you aren't just looking at actors; you're looking at walking art installations. The clothes were often the reason scenes were written. If Field found a stunning vintage piece, King would find a way to get it on screen.
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The Critical Fallout and the Cast's Reaction
When the movie dropped, the reviews were... harsh. The Guardian and The New York Times didn't hold back. They called it materialistic and tone-deaf.
The cast handled it with varying degrees of grace. Sarah Jessica Parker famously said she "understood" some of the criticisms but stood by the work. Kim Cattrall seemed to lean into the fun of it. The reality is that despite the 15% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie was a massive financial success. It made nearly $300 million worldwide. That’s the power of this cast. People will show up for them, even if they know the movie might be a mess.
Navigating the Legacy of the 2010 Sequel
If you’re revisiting the film today, it’s best viewed as a time capsule. It captures a specific moment in pop culture where we thought "bigger" always meant "better."
The sex and the city 2 movie cast gave us everything they had. They wore the 5-inch heels in the sand. They filmed in 100-degree heat. They leaned into the absurdity of the script. While the first movie was about the "I do," the second was about the "What now?"
For fans looking to dive deeper into the franchise, the evolution of these characters is best seen in a marathon format. Start with the original HBO series, move through the 2008 film (which is much more grounded), and then treat the 2010 sequel as the colorful, chaotic vacation it was meant to be.
Actionable Steps for Fans and Collectors
If you're a superfan of the ensemble, there are a few ways to engage with the film's history beyond just streaming it on Max:
- Track the Wardrobe: Look for the book Sex and the City 2: The Stories, the Fashion, the Adventure. It’s one of the few places where you get real interviews with the sex and the city 2 movie cast about the grueling shoot in Morocco.
- Location Tours: If you ever find yourself in Marrakech, you can visit the Saharan sands where the "Abu Dhabi" scenes were actually filmed. Many of the luxury resorts used in the movie still lean into that fame.
- The Soundtrack Deep Dive: The movie's soundtrack is actually quite good, featuring Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, and CeeLo Green. It captures the "vibe" of the film better than the script sometimes did.
The cast has moved on to different things—Nixon into politics, SJP into her shoe brand and theater, Cattrall into various prestigious dramas—but this sequel remains their most extravagant moment together. It was the last time we saw the four of them on a big screen, and for all its flaws, that makes it a piece of cinematic history worth remembering.