Kim Cattrall experienced a “late blossoming of her sexuality” before finding “meaningful” love with Russell Thomas

The former “Sex and the City” star has been together with Thomas since 2016

Kim Cattrall speaks openly about love and sexuality.

Like her Sex and the City Character Samantha Jones, Cattrall, 66, was not afraid to share her thoughts on the topics of love and romance during a live recording of the New York Times‘ Modern Love Podcast at the Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday.

“I had a kind of late-blooming sexuality,” the actress said of her relationship in her early 40s. “At that time, I was in a relationship where I could experiment easily, and it was fun.”

Cattrall, who has been with her partner Russell Thomas for seven years, also revealed that she feels sex and intimacy change with age.

“It’s about asking for what you want. It’s about showing what you want. Most men have no idea – not the anatomy. They know that. But what works particularly well for them. And most women are too nervous, too scared or they haven’t done their homework to figure out what feels good,” she said. “Sexuality is not just about having children, it’s not just about climaxing, it’s about expressing something in a very intimate way.”

The actress explained that by learning to be vulnerable in her relationships and doing “good work,” she built a deep and “meaningful” relationship with Thomas.

“It’s hard work. It’s not easy. People think it’s something that happens and you get lucky. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity,” she said, adding that she was willing to invest time to make the partnership blossom.

“And you meet this person and the work has just begun, but it’s not a negative kind of work. This is good work. This is meaningful to your life. So I personally see this as less romantic or sensual. I feel like it continues to work and push and progress and raise questions and reveal as long as you live,” Cattrall said.

Related: Kim Cattrall talks about her boyfriend Russell Thomas: “The wait was worth it”

The actress, who met Thomas in 2016 when he was working at the BBC, spoke about their early relationship in an interview with PEOPLE in 2020: “We kind of liked each other, kept in touch and then he came to Vancouver. That was very brave of him because we didn’t really know each other except for having had a few meals together. But he came and we got on great and have been together ever since!”

Although Cattrall was already married, she described the difference in her relationship with Thomas as “just so simple.”

“I feel very comfortable around him,” she continued. “He’s a real stunner and has a wicked sense of humor. And he’s a feast for the eyes!”

Related: Kim Cattrall celebrates her sixth anniversary with boyfriend Russell Thomas

Don’t miss a story – sign up for PEOPLE Stay up to date with the best of PEOPLE with our free daily newsletter, from juicy celebrity news to compelling stories from a human perspective.

Cattrall’s appearance at the Tribeca Film Festival comes shortly after she confirmed that she would return as Samantha Jones in season 2 of the Max reboot And just like that….

To make the announcement, the actress posted a photo of herself on Instagram as Samantha and captioned the post, “Happy Pride 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🌈…..”, apparently referring to her character who once said, “I’m a ‘trysexual’. I’ll try anything once” during the third season of SATC.

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive more People news!

Read the original article on People.