Kim Cattrall has a new role, both behind and in front of the camera, on Fox’s upcoming drama Filthy Rich. In addition to playing the main character, Margaret Monreaux, a mega-rich matriarch to the family behind a huge Christian TV network, Cattrall is also a producer on the series from The Help‘s Tate Taylor.
“Yes, I get one thing that is so important, which a lot of actors don’t get is I get a say, not just in my character, but in the things that I want the show to talk about,” Cattrall said about being a producer on the midseason series.
“And I’m very lucky to have John [Norris] and Tate supporting me and be able to have my voice heard and encourage me,” she said.
Cattrall is no stranger to producing, she was an executive producer on Sensitive Skin, but this is “completely different” for her because it’s network TV.
“I want to talk to people about characters like this, what’s going on? Not just in the centers that I have visited in and worked in, but in those flyover zones that a lot of people don’t even know about, you know, I’d like to get involved with them and tell this story. I think it’s an entertaining one, first of all, and an interesting one,” she said.
The series finds Margaret Monreaux dealing with a very big familial crisis: her husband “dies” in a plane crash, leaving Margaret to take charge of the family business. However, illegitimate children come to light thanks to Eugene’s (Gerald McRaney) will and want a piece of the pie, leaving Margaret to rein them in and control the ever-growing and money-hungry family.
This isn’t exactly Samantha Jones from Sex and the City, but Cattrall thinks they’d get along.
“They have a couple of things in common. They do what they need to do, no matter what anybody thinks,” she said. “There’s a real strength there. And I want to continue to play very strong women who have something to say. I think there’s something to say to younger generations about how different it was when we were coming up, not just for my mother’s generation, but for me. And I think that’s a really good lesson to hear, because it didn’t come easy. It was difficult. And a lot of women had to armor up and become like men. You don’t have to do that anymore, fortunately, but the strength that she has and the fortitude to see and be objective about what she wants is truly inspired.”
With her career entering a new phase, Cattrall is also taking time to appreciate those around her following the loss of beloved family members.
“Recently, the thing that has taught me the most is loss. I’ve lost two family members. And I think what it teaches me—I’m not there yet—is to really enjoy what you do, your family, your friends…When I say goodbye to someone I’m not going to see for a while, the thought is now I might not see them again…or I might not see them for a couple of months. But I want to keep those connections, I feel I value them much more there. They take up more of how I want to spend my time because I realized how precious it is,” she said.
Filthy Rich premieres midseason on Fox.