Rosie O’Donnell has opened up about one of her most uncomfortable acting experiences while filming And Just Like That. The former talk show host appeared on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast and admitted that she was extremely nervous about filming an intimate scene with her longtime friend Cynthia Nixon. O’Donnell played a nun named Mary who has a romantic and intimate experience with Nixon’s character, Miranda Hobbes, in Season 3 of the Sex and the City spin off.
O’Donnell described the experience as “horrifying,” mainly because she already had a close friendship with Nixon. She explained that kissing her longtime friend was not particularly difficult, but filming a scene where the two characters had to appear as though they had just been intimate was much harder for her. O’Donnell openly admitted that she can be a little immature when it comes to such situations, which made the experience even more awkward.
The actress also revealed that she did not know what her guest appearance would involve when Nixon first approached her. Nixon told O’Donnell that showrunner Michael Patrick King had written a role for her and asked whether she would be interested in taking part. O’Donnell immediately agreed because of her friendship with Nixon. However, after reading the script, she discovered that the role involved a bedroom scene.
O’Donnell recalled being surprised when she realized she would have to film the scene while wearing little more than bedsheets. She said she became particularly nervous because she had only filmed one other intimate scene during her acting career. That earlier experience was with the late actor Julian McMahon during her time on the FX series Nip/Tuck.
The situation became even more challenging when King suggested that O’Donnell and Nixon could make the scene feel more natural. O’Donnell admitted that she did not feel particularly comfortable taking things further because of their friendship.
Nixon had previously praised O’Donnell’s performance during a 2025 appearance on Andy Cohen’s Radio Andy. She described her co star as “amazing” and said O’Donnell brought a real, tender and hopeful quality to the role.
Nixon also revealed that King had wanted to create a role for O’Donnell for several seasons, but the timing never worked. The opportunity finally came with Season 3.
Despite feeling nervous, O’Donnell had nothing but admiration for Nixon. She described her longtime friend as “the real deal” and praised her acting ability, commitment to social issues and dedication to her family.
The friendship between O’Donnell and Nixon goes back decades. Nixon previously appeared on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, which ran from 1996 to 2002. Their long friendship ultimately made the And Just Like That scene more challenging for O’Donnell, but it also helped bring a genuine connection to their performances.