Sara Ramirez addresses criticism of And Just Like That… character Che
"I'm very aware of the hate that exists online"
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: HBO Max
Sara Ramirez has responded to backlash over Che, their character in Sex and the City spin-off show And Just Like That…
The star plays the non-binary love interest of Cynthia Nixon’s character Miranda on the HBO Max show, which aired its finale last night.
In an interview with the New York Times published yesterday, the Grey’s Anatomy veteran – who goes by they/them pronouns – acknowledged the “hate” towards the character online.
“I’m not in control of the writing”
“I’m very aware of the hate that exists online, but I have to protect my own mental health and my own artistry,” Ramirez told the publication. “And that’s way more important to me because I’m a real human being.
“I’m really proud of the representation that we’ve created. We have built a character who is a human being, who is imperfect, who’s complex, who is not here to be liked, who’s not here for anybody’s approval. They’re here to be themselves.”
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The 46-year-old continued: “I’m also not in control of the writing. I welcome the passion that folks are bringing to the table around this representation. But in real life, there are a lot of different human beings who show up to the table, speaking truth to power in myriad ways. And they all land differently with different people. And Che Diaz has their own audience that they speak to who really get a kick out of what they’re doing.”
Ramirez’s comments follow show lead Sarah Jessica Parker’s in a new interview with Variety, in which she addressed former co-star Kim Cattrall’s absence from the show.
Cattrall, who recently joined the cast of Peacock’s Queer As Folk reboot, played maneater Samantha Jones on SATC. However, she chose to sit AJLT out, after previously claiming in an interview that she took Sam “past the finish line” with 2011’s Sex and the City 2.