Rosie O’Donnell agreed to film a scene with her longtime friend Cynthia Nixon without a single question asked. Then she read the script — and that’s when the nerves set in.
The 64-year-old comedian opened up about her guest appearance on And Just Like That… during the August 11 episode of Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, describing the experience of filming the intimate scene as genuinely “horrifying” while also being quick to acknowledge why she showed up and did it anyway, according to PEOPLE.
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How the Scene Came About
O’Donnell explained that Nixon reached out to her directly, letting her know that showrunner Michael Patrick King had written a scene specifically for her and that it would involve the two of them on screen together. O’Donnell’s response was immediate and unconditional — she told Nixon she would absolutely do it. No further details required.
Then she received the script.
The scene cast O’Donnell as Sister Mary, a nun who breaks her chastity vow and loses her virginity to Nixon’s Miranda Hobbes in the first episode of the series’ third and final season. The two characters meet at a lesbian bar in New York City. The realization of exactly what she had signed on for — sheets, an intimate scene, the morning-after dynamic — landed as quite a shock.
Filming It Was a Different Story
O’Donnell told Poehler that the kissing portions of the scene were manageable. What she found considerably harder was the post-intimacy staging — lying in bed with Nixon and being directed to convey that something had just happened between them. She described herself as admittedly immature about that kind of material, a self-assessment Poehler quickly pushed back on, noting that intimate scenes require a genuine skill set that even experienced performers find challenging.
O’Donnell agreed — calling it exactly that. A skill.
Adding to her nerves was the fact that the only other intimate scene she had filmed in her entire career was a guest appearance on FX’s Nip/Tuck alongside the late Julian McMahon. This was only her second time navigating that territory on screen — and her co-star this time was one of her closest friends.
When King suggested during filming that the two could push things a little further, O’Donnell’s internal response was immediate: she absolutely could not.
What Nixon Said About the Casting
Nixon had previously told PEOPLE in June 2025 that King had been trying to write a role for O’Donnell across multiple seasons of the show, with various ideas either not quite working or not coming together in time. When the Sister Mary concept arrived, Nixon described it as an idea she immediately knew was right — and asked King for the privilege of texting O’Donnell herself to describe the part and send the script.
Nixon also reflected on how O’Donnell’s performance exceeded expectations — describing the comedy as expected but the emotional sincerity as genuinely surprising, calling the way O’Donnell wore her heart on her sleeve throughout the role something none of them had fully anticipated.
And Just Like That… is currently streaming on Max.
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