Sex/Life tackles the age-old love triangle but gives it a modern society twist. The new Netflix series, which premieres its 8-episode first season June 25, centers on restless housewife Billie (Sarah Shahi, Person of Interest) and her journey of self-discovery as she teeters between domestic duties and the carefree joys of her wild child days.
Based on the novel 44 Chapters About 4 Men by B. B. Easton, the show opens with Billie's steadfast but stoic husband Cooper (Mike Vogel, Fantasy Island) discovering a journal in which she's written all her fantasies about ex-boyfriend Brad (Adam Demos, UnREAL). Things only get more complicated from there when it turns out her best friend Sasha (Margaret Odette, Boogie) has unwittingly brought him back into their lives at the most inopportune time.
Demos & Odette spoke to Screen Rant about ties that bind their characters to Billie and to each other, as well as the many layers the series unveils.
Margaret, Billie and Sasha are the heart of the story for me, and the friendship is so rock solid even through some really wonky Brad things. Can you talk about building that chemistry with Sarah, and what they mean to each other?
Margaret Odette: Definitely. Billie and Sasha are #FriendGoals for real, and I'm so excited that we get to bring this version of female companionship to the world. Because it absolutely is modeled in my own life: my friends are my family, and I gain so much of my sense of self-worth and my sense of purpose within the world because of my friendships. The fact that it was a part of the show was really critical to our showrunner, and it was really wonderful collaborating with her and making sure that came through in a really authentic and beautiful way.
And then specifically with Sarah, thankfully, I got to have my final audition for Sasha with Sarah. She was so generous in the room, and she was so fun. She would do little improvs at the end of the scene, and it was truly play. I wasn't sure where things would land, but at the end of it I was like, "Oh, my God. I can't wait to like engage with this person again in life." And I feel so lucky that she poured into my audition the way she did, because obviously it helps.
Adam, I'm sure that you are a charming man in your own right, but Brad is just on a whole other level. How do you walk that line of Brad bringing everyone into the hurricane of his life and yet remaining charming and magnetic?
Adam Demos: The writing's so incredible. And I think when you figure out what's gone on in these past as well, and the fact that their relationship discovers a lot of those issues, then you understand where he's coming from. You understand that there are walls up for a reason, and that it's only her that could break through.
So, that's what I loved about it; to try to find the pureness of him and his vulnerability, because that makes all the cool and the calm and the casual stuff [stand out]. He's layered, and he's got some things that he hasn't dealt with. And that's what's so important about their relationship too: that she's the only one that's forced him to look at that.
And then the two of you have your own interesting dynamic. Sasha doesn't trust Brad as far as she can throw them, but she still lets him hang around. What's that about?
Margaret Odette: I think part of what's going on is the relationship between Billie and Brad has been completely - in the present - a thing of the past. It was eight years ago, and she doesn't bring him up ever. So, a part of it is that Sasha doesn't initially realize how deep in the rabbit hole she is in thinking about this person, and really contemplating blowing up her life for this person.
Without that context, Sasha is out here living her best life, like she always does. And I think once she's aware of what she's really dealing with - with her best friend, which is the most important relationship she has - she then has to really unentangle herself from the things that she's gotten a little swirled into with Brad.
Adam, what advice would you give Brad, or a man in Brad's situation?
Adam Demos: I would say, "Go deal with whatever things that you swept under the rug that you think aren't anything, that you think are going to manifest into something bigger later on." I think that's Brad's biggest hurdle that he had to go through. You suppress this, suppress that, but it does find its way out - and it find its way in a bigger form later on.
So, just face things as they present themselves, and life will be a lot simpler as it goes along.
Sex/Life premieres all 8 episodes of its first season June 25 on Netflix.