Evan Handler Calls Kim Cattrall's 'AJLT' Cameo 'Great,' Even If She Had 'No Contact with Anybody' (Exclusive)

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PEOPLE confirmed earlier this week that Cattrall will appear as her iconic 'Sex and the City' character Samantha Jones in the second season of 'And Just Like That...'

<p>HBO/Courtesy Everett Collection; Getty </p>

HBO/Courtesy Everett Collection; Getty

Evan Handler is reacting to Kim Cattrall's return to the Sex and the City universe.

The And Just Like That… star chatted exclusively with PEOPLE at the Ed Asner & Friends Celebrity Poker Night on Saturday evening, about the 66-year-old actress reprising her iconic role of Samantha Jones in the upcoming second season of the revival series.

“I think it is great. I do,” Handler, 62, told PEOPLE at the event, which was held at the Radford Studio Center in Studio City, Calif.

“Apparently, [her cameo] was shot in the garage somewhere with no contact with anybody, so the only place I have to welcome her is into my living room when it airs on television,” he quipped.

As for when he found out Cattrall was returning to the SATC-verse, Handler — who portrays character Harry Goldenblatt — told PEOPLE, “I learned it the same day you did.”

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Related: &#39;And Just Like That...&#39; Kim Cattrall Is Returning to &#39;Sex and the City&#39; — Get the Scoop!

PEOPLE confirmed earlier this week that Cattrall’s character will reportedly speak to Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) on the phone in the series’ season 2 finale.

According to Variety, Cattrall filmed the cameo on March 22 in New York City “without seeing or speaking with the stars of the series” including Parker, 58, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis.

She also reportedly did not interact with series creator Michael Patrick King, but she was dressed by SATC designer Patricia Field for the appearance.

While the spot may come as a surprise, King, 68, told Variety last June that Samantha would be part of the upcoming season, which premieres June 22. When he was asked if the character of Samantha will reappear, King responded, "Yes!"

Related: Kim Cattrall Confirms &#39;And Just Like That...&#39; Cameo with a Winking Message to Fans: &#39;Happy Pride&#39;

Samantha was previously featured in the first season of AJLT... via a text message exchange between herself and Carrie.

In the past, Cattrall had been vocal about not wanting to return to the franchise.

“The series is basically the third movie. That’s how creative it was,” she told Variety last year. “I was never asked to be part of the reboot. I made my feelings clear after the possible third movie, so I found out about it like everyone else did — on social media.”

Parker also confirmed on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast in June 2022 that they "did not ask" Cattrall to return.

<p>James Devaney/GC Images</p>

James Devaney/GC Images

Related: And Just Like That, Samantha Jones Is Back! Everything Kim Cattrall Has Said About the &#39;SATC&#39; Reboot

"She made it clear that that wasn't something she wanted to pursue, and it no longer felt comfortable for us, and so it didn't occur to us," she said. "That's not 'slamming' her, it's just learning. You've got to listen to somebody, and if they're publicly talking about something and it doesn't suggest it's some place they want to be, or a person they want to play, or an environment in which they want to be, you get to an age where you're like, 'Well, we hear that.'"

In 2017, Cattrall bluntly stated that she had "never been friends" with any of her former SATC castmates — and she specifically called out Parker.

"This is really where I take to task the people from Sex and the City, and specifically Sarah Jessica Parker," she told Piers Morgan on Life Stories, per the Daily Mail. "I think she could've been nicer. I really think she could've been nicer. I don't know what her issue is."

And Just Like That... returns to Max on June 22.

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