Kim Cattrall on 'Sex and the City,' Hollywood 'Mania' and 'Having It All'

May 17, 2011 — -- Not long ago, Kim Cattrall sold sex. Now she's selling a butter substitute.

The actress with the sultry smile who crushed men with stilettos as "Sex and the City's" Samantha Jones recently became the face of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, the spread that counts Fabio among its past celebrity endorsers.

In the ads, Cattrall floats around plates of buttery goodness, nibbling on food but relishing the men serving it. "I enjoy it with lobster, shrimp and … muscles," she coos in one commercial, turning away from the shellfish to admire a waiter's bulging biceps.

The theatrically trained Cattrall still acts -- she won praise for playing a washed-up adult film star in the indie movie "Meet Monica Velour," and she's a regular on the stages of her native England. But for women of a certain age in Hollywood, there aren't many directions to go. Not OK with playing the perpetual cougar in a "youth obsessed" industry, Cattrall charted her own path for her post-"Sex" career. (She has said, though, that she's game to suit up as Samantha one more time if the opportunity is right.)

Below, check out what Cattrall told ABCNews.com about her latest act, "Sex and the City," her problems with Hollywood's young starlets and more:

ABCNews.com: Let's talk about Samantha Jones -- how often are you asked to play a role like that? Would you reprise it again, for a "Sex and the City" sequel or spin-off, if the time was right?

Cattrall: [I get asked] pretty consistently, and I politely decline, because I feel I have done it to the best of my ability and to do it in a paler version is not that interesting to me.

It doesn't mean that I'm adverse to playing powerful women. Not at all. I'm not bored of her. I played her and I'd gladly play her again. She's so much fun. But I want to also play other characters and other women of a certain age who have different story lines. I'm interested in cultivating myself.

As for "Sex and the City," it's so far away. Who knows. You hear prequels, sequels. I know nothing about that.

ABCNews.com: How do you feel about the roles you're getting offered now, and the industry's infatuation with the next hot young thing?

Cattrall: The objectification of women is terrifying. These young starlets, these really young girls, they're pumped up to be something that no one could ever reach. And I'm not just talking about the airbrushing. I'm talking about in every single way. There's no reality base to it. And that's something that young girls are going toward, are yearning for? It's plastic. It's a crazy mania, a frenzy that we've built up. It's unachievable. And these poor young women start to victimize themselves because they're trying to live up to this ideal that doesn't even exist.

ABCNews.com: But you've admitted that you've had Botox -- how does that fit in with what you believe? Do you plan to get more work done?

Cattrall: Do I want to become a victim of plastic surgery? No, I do not. I want to be able to age.

I don't have any judgment about what women want to do. It's your body, you can do what you want. My fear is there is nowhere to age, and I really applaud I Can't Believe It's Not Butter for letting me be myself for this campaign. I had lovely lighting and everything else, but people know that I'm a woman in my 50s. But I'm vivacious, I'm powerful, I'm sympathetic, I can have it all. I'm not trying to be something I'm not. I feel very comfortable in my skin.

ABCNews.com: Why did you decide to work with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter?

Cattrall: First of all, I really like the product, and I use the product and I've been on a diet pretty much since 1976. I loved the message -- "You can have it all." I love the ads, I thought they were very smart and tasteful and fun. And they let me play and be playful, which I love to do.

ABCNews.com: Besides the diet, how do you stay fit?

Cattrall: I exercise. Anybody who's going to sell you pills or something … no. Really, for me, this is a code. I want to take care of myself. I can get out and walk every single day in New York, no matter what the weather is, I can. I do the kettlebell, cardio, the elliptical, I do some yoga stretches. On weekends I'm in the country doing a fast walk.

I'm part of the Jane Fonda generation. Working out every day is not foreign to me.

ABCNews.com: "The Jane Fonda generation" -- does that mean we might see a workout DVD from you down the road?

Cattrall: Never, never. That would be beyond boring. I would never do it. I could not have groups of women following me through an exercise routine.

ABCNews.com: You recently took a break from your routine to gain 20 pounds for "Meet Monica Velour" -- what was your favorite part about that?

Cattrall: Snacking. Because I don't snack. Snacking gets away from you. On the set it's just everywhere, just cheap, nasty things. Any kind of dippy things with a lot of cream, I can get into that. Believe me, I got into it. Those 20 pounds came on fast; took a lot longer to get it off. It was a get out of jail free card to have whatever I wanted anytime I wanted. Pasta, creme bruelles … it was a dream.

ABCNews.com: Going back to the slogan for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter -- "You can have it all." Do you? What's your definition of having it all?

Cattrall: It's no compromise, really. I don't like to compromise on anything.