"It was awful!": Rosie O’Donnell Admits Why a Sex Scene with Cynthia Nixon Left Her Stunned
10:30 13 August, 2026Rosie O’Donnell has opened up about the funny and awkward moments behind the scenes of And Just Like That.... According to the 64-year-old actress, she had to overcome a genuine fear while playing a nun who experiences her first-ever sexual encounter with Cynthia Nixon’s character.
Appearing on Amy Poehler’s podcast Good Hang, O’Donnell confessed that filming the sex scene was a major struggle for her. "First of all, I adore Cynthia and have a massive amount of respect for her," Rosie shared. "Kissing was one thing, but lying in bed and pretending we had just done that... I just didn't get it. I'm terribly immature when it comes to things like that."
The actress shared that when Cynthia Nixon first talked to her about potentially joining the project, she had no idea what kind of role awaited her. Showrunner Michael Patrick King specifically wrote the character for O’Donnell for Season 3.
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"I immediately said, 'Of course, I’ll do it for you,'" O’Donnell recalled. "And then I read the script and find myself in bed, covered only by sheets. I thought, 'Oh, my god!'"
Throughout her entire career, this was only her second time filming an intimate scene—the first time being many years ago in the FX series Nip/Tuck alongside the late Julian McMahon.
When director Michael Patrick King asked them to "look a little more relaxed," O’Donnell mentally replied to herself: "Seriously, I just can't."
Amy Poehler supported her friend, noting that kissing friends is a strange thing to do in and of itself. "Exactly," O’Donnell agreed.