Rosie O’Donnell Opens Up About ‘Horrifying’ Cynthia Nixon Sex Scene

Rosie O’Donnell has spoken candidly about the vulnerability she felt while filming her memorable lesbian sex scene with Cynthia Nixon in And Just Like That.

Appearing on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, the out lesbian comedian and actor reflected on joining the third season of the Sex and the City revival as Mary, an apparently ordinary tourist who meets Miranda Hobbes at a queer bar.

After the pair spend the night together, Miranda discovers that Mary is not only a virgin but also a nun.

While the unexpected encounter became one of the season’s biggest talking points, O’Donnell revealed that filming it was considerably less carefree.

Rosie O’Donnell struggled with filming the intimate scene

O’Donnell described the prospect of appearing partially undressed on screen as “horrifying”, explaining that she has experienced longstanding discomfort and insecurity around her body.

“First of all, I love [Nixon] …… and have so much respect for her,” she said.

“The kissing wasn’t hard, but the laying in bed and the wanting us to act like we had just done it …… I was like ‘Uhh.’ But I’m a little immature when it comes to that” she revealed.

Although the production used an intimacy coordinator to carefully plan the encounter, the process still required O’Donnell to confront exactly how much of herself she felt comfortable showing.

The scene placed her opposite Nixon, who has portrayed Miranda since Sex and the City premiered in 1998 and has filmed numerous intimate scenes during her time with the franchise.

O’Donnell said Nixon’s experience and support helped her through the process, with the pair approaching the scene as actors despite its unusual and deliberately comic setup.

O’Donnell has previously been open about her anxiety around filming sex scenes having only filmed one previously, for Nip/Tuck with Julian McMahon.

While discussing the possibility of an intimate scene for The L Word: Generation Q in 2022, she said she had initially told producers she would not do one.

Even with an intimacy coordinator attached, she admitted she was “totally panicked” by the idea.

Rosie O’Donnell stars as Cynthia Nixon’s lesbian lover in ‘And Just Like That.’

“It felt so, I don’t know, electric and yet still so natural. I never dreamed my first time could be both those things.”

O’Donnell lost her ‘virginity’ to Miranda in the HBO series. pic.twitter.com/SeJHYMFK3H

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 31, 2025

Rosie O’Donnell teased as Miranda’s new love interest

When O’Donnell first announced that she was joining And Just Like That, she shared a photograph of the script for the season premiere and teased the arrival of her character, Mary.

At the time, we reported that O’Donnell’s casting could provide a new romantic direction for Miranda, following the departure of Sara Ramirez and their divisive non-binary character, Che Diaz.

While Mary did not become Miranda’s long-term partner, the prediction was not far off.

The season premiere found Miranda returning to the queer dating scene after her relationship with Che ended. Mary approached her at a bar before inviting her back to a hotel, where the two slept together.

The following morning Mary revealed that it had been her first sexual experience — and that she belonged to a religious order.

Miranda later attempted to let Mary down gently, telling her not to leave God for a one-night stand. Mary assured her that she had no plans to abandon her faith, before cheerfully continuing her New York holiday.

Despite appearing in only a handful of scenes, O’Donnell gave Mary a warmth and sincerity that prevented the character from becoming merely the punchline to another of Miranda’s dating disasters.

And Just Like That’s complicated queer legacy

O’Donnell’s appearance arrived after several years of debate about the revival’s treatment of its LGBTQIA+ characters.

The original series attracted a substantial queer audience despite frequently relying on stereotypes or keeping LGBTQIA+ characters at the edges of its stories.

And Just Like That attempted to address that legacy by exploring Miranda’s sexuality, introducing Che Diaz and giving Charlotte’s non-binary child Rock a more prominent place in the family.

However, the execution received a mixed response from viewers, with Che becoming one of the show’s most criticised additions.

Following Che’s departure, Miranda’s brief connection with Mary allowed the show to return to something closer to the dating misadventures of the original Sex and the City. This time, however, its single woman navigating an awkward encounter was openly queer and in her late fifties.

The series ultimately ended after three seasons with a divisive finale and Miranda eventually finding a more settled relationship with BBC producer Joy, played by Dolly Wells.