Kim Cattrall Is ‘Proud’ to Have Been a Part of Sex and the City : ‘It Was Such a Special Time’

Kim Cattrall Says She Was Once Discouraged by the Lack of Roles for Women in their 50s: ‘The Scripts Were Cut in Half’

"I felt things slipping away," says Kim Cattrall of her acting struggle post Sex and the City

It's been a decade since Kim Cattrall said farewell to her onscreen alter ego, Samantha Jones, but the actress says she holds fond memories of her years on Sex and the City.

"It was such a special time," Cattrall, 64, who starred on the series from 1998-2004, as well as its two spinoff movies, tells PEOPLE. "There was an innocence to it — though it didn't feel innocent while it was happening. To have that kind of timing for women honestly discussing subject matter near and dear to my heart, we needed that."

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Cattrall's role as Samantha, a seductive and outspoken publicist, also afforded her the opportunity to speak up about issues that had been taboo when she was a child.

Everett Sex and the City

"Growing up, I was left with clinical knowledge about sex," says Cattrall. "But then I found myself in a position where I had a platform, playing a character who personified sexual appetite. I thought this is a really interesting time to talk about this." Cattrall authored two books on sex and intimacy "because I had the opportunity to talk in a very frank way," she says.

Continues Cattrall: "That's the great thing about being involved in a hit like Sex and the City. It's of its time, and it was part of the zeitgeist. I do feel proud."

HBO/Getty Images Sex and the City cast (Kim Cattrall, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis)li n

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Still, the actress, who publicly said she wasn't interested in a third Sex and the City film, doesn't plan to revisit her beloved character onscreen.

"If Samantha came on now — and I've seen characters who emulate some of her qualities — it doesn't seem as fresh as it did back then," says Cattrall. "Times have changed. And it will never be like the first time. But that's okay!"