Rosie O’Donnell called filming an intimate scene with longtime friend Cynthia Nixon “horrifying” during a podcast appearance.
O’Donnell, 64, opened up about the experience on Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” podcast Thursday. The former talk show host played Sister Mary, a nun who has her first sexual experience with Nixon’s character Miranda Hobbes, in Season 3 of the “Sex and the City” spin-off “And Just Like That.”
“First of all, I love [Nixon]… and have so much respect for her,” O’Donnell said on the podcast.
“The kissing wasn’t hard, but the laying in bed and the wanting us to act like we had just done it… I was like ‘Uhh.’ But I’m a little immature when it comes to that.”
Nixon, 60, had personally recruited O’Donnell for the role. O’Donnell explained that she didn’t know what the guest spot would entail when her friend first reached out.
“I said, ‘Of course, I’ll do it with you,’ you know. And then I read it, and I’m, like, in bed with just the sheets. I’m like, ‘Oh, my God,'” she recalled to Poehler.
The actress told Poehler that she was “nervous with Cynthia” because the only other sex scene she had filmed in her career was with the late Julian McMahon during her stint on FX’s “Nip/Tuck.”
“Then Michael said, ‘You know, you guys can be a little bit more…,’ and I’m thinking, ‘I can’t, really,'” O’Donnell said, referring to showrunner Michael Patrick King.
“Also, it’s weird to kiss your friends,” Poehler pointed out during the conversation.
“Yes, exactly,” O’Donnell responded.
In the viral moment that sparked O’Donnell’s podcast discussion, Sister Mary appears in the Season 3 premiere of “And Just Like That,” which debuted May 29. The nun meets Miranda at a lesbian bar while in town for a conference, and the two end up in bed together. The next morning reveals that O’Donnell’s character is both a virgin and a nun, prompting Miranda’s friends to react with shock and nun-themed jokes. The scene marked a rare dramatic acting turn for O’Donnell, who has largely focused on comedy and talk show hosting throughout her decades-long career.
Despite the discomfort, O’Donnell had nothing but praise for Nixon. She told Poehler that her friend is “the real deal.”
“She’s one of the best actresses that we have. She stands up for injustice wherever she sees it. She puts her money where her mouth is. She loves her children and her wife,” O’Donnell said. “I admire her greatly.”
The pair have been friends since Nixon appeared on “The Rosie O’Donnell Show,” which aired from 1996 to 2002.
Nixon had previously praised O’Donnell’s performance during a May 2025 appearance on “Radio Andy,” Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM radio show.
“She was so centered and wonderful, you know, so real and tender, and hopeful,” Nixon said of her co-star.
Nixon also revealed that King had been writing a part with O’Donnell in mind for every season of the series, but scheduling conflicts had prevented it from happening sooner.
“Finally, we snagged her for the pilot of Season 3,” Nixon said on the SiriusXM program.
O’Donnell’s casting was years in the making, with Nixon personally texting her friend to pitch the nun role once King settled on the storyline.
O’Donnell recently relocated to Ireland and has stated she does not plan to return to the United States until the current presidential administration ends.
O’Donnell continues to perform her one-woman show in Edinburgh with hopes of eventually bringing it to the West End and Broadway.