Cynthia Nixon says ‘most people deal with drinking too much and not noticing’

Cynthia Nixon has spoken about harmful drinking in relation to her Sex and the City character Miranda Hobbes’ rumoured alcoholism in the new reboot, And Just Like That.

In the series, which debuted on HBO Max and Sky last week, Miranda is seen drinking on several occasions throughout the first two episodes, including one scene when she enters a bar at 10.45am asking for a glass of wine.

In other scenes, Miranda is seen bringing her own bottle of wine to a piano recital and drinking a glass of bourbon before a funeral.

The scenes have led fans to believe that the And Just Like That writers have planned a storyline for the series in which Miranda will become an alcoholic.

Now, speaking to Elle, Nixon, 55, says of her character’s problematic relationship with alcohol: “You kind of notice it, and then maybe you forget about it, and then it happens again.

“I think it’s wonderfully subtle. Most people – of all ages – deal with drinking too much, and not noticing that they’re drinking too much.”

The comments come as the charity Drinkaware issues advice on how to spot changes in someone’s drinking behaviour this festive season, noting it can be “a challenging and extremely stressful period”.

“In our recent Drinkaware Monitor people reported that the pandemic caused periods of high stress, anxiety, isolation, and boredom, and that some turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism,” the charity states.

“In addition, 12 per cent of those who were made redundant (or were in the process of being made redundant) during the pandemic said they drank to forget about problems compared to 5 per cent of those still in employment.”

According to the charity, signs that someone might have a problematic relationship with alcohol include seeming tired, unwell, or irritable, seeming secretive or dishonest about how much alcohol they’re drinking, and being unable to say no to alcohol or stop at one or two drinks.