After the first two episodes of And Just Like That aired on BINGE, the show’s breakout star Sara Ramirez began trending on Google. It didn’t take long for fans to get searching, because everyone wanted to know everything about the “new Samantha”.
While Samantha has not been replaced on the show, Sara Ramirez is considered the fourth friend of the group, so because we like to give the people what they want, we broke down exactly who the actor is.
Who is Sara Ramirez?
Sara Ramirez is a 40-year-old actor, activist and singer who rose to fame after starring in Grey’s Anatomy. Originally born in Mexico, Ramirez immigrated to the US when they were just eight years old. Attending Julliard School, the actor eventually went on to obtain an arts degree.
Last year, Ramirez came out as non-binary and their character in And Just Like That is genderqueer too. Also bisexual, Ramirez told People Magazine in 2018 that it was the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida in 2016 that inspired them to come out.
“Coming out publicly was something that I was afraid of because I was concerned that it would affect my career in a negative way,” Sara said. “I was afraid of the discrimination I might face, not just outside Hollywood, but inside.”
“As the years went by, and as the political climate intensified, and as I continued to read and hear about the countless forms of violence perpetrated against us, including the Orlando shooting at Pulse nightclub, an organic, incremental urgency to use my platform to empower those who are part of these communities that I’m a part of came over me in a way that I’ve never felt before.”
Is Sara Ramirez Replacing Samantha?
While they have unofficially been given the title of the “new Samantha”, producers of And Just Like That beg to differ, saying Kim Cattrall will not be replaced. Ramirez plays Che Diaz, the series’ first non-binary queer character. “They are a Mexican Irish American person who identifies as non-binary, they are bisexual, and they are a very dynamic, funny character that comes in and sort of challenges other characters internalised oppression,” they told The New York Post. “They are a character who unapologetically speaks their truth.”
“Che is very much a sexually empowered person and they do not shy away from getting to know people.”
The actor said they were excited to join the show, saying “The surreal aspect of meeting Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis was really wild. Even on our last days filming, I remember mentioning how it sort of hasn’t sunk in yet.”
Where Have You Seen Sara Ramirez?
You may recognise Ramirez from hit Shonda Rhimes’ show Grey’s Anatomy, in which they play Dr Callie Torrez, the former head of orthopaedic surgery and board member at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.
The actor has appeared in 241 episodes of the show, plus other television series including Sofia the First, Madam Secretary and Law and Order.
And Just Like That … is available to stream on BINGE.