Spoiler Warning: This article discusses details from Sex/Life Season 2.
In a series with as much intimacy as Sex/Life, it's key to have a team— from cast to production crew— that you can rely on.
“I just feel like I should probably credit just honestly everybody who's been a part of the Sex/Life journey,” Wallis Day mentions to Los Angeles Confidential before we wrap up our call. The English actor can be seen in the second season of the steamy Netflix series as Gigi, the new girlfriend of Brad Simon (Adam Demos), the ultimate one who got away for lead Billie Connelly (Sarah Shahi).
“It's weird when you film something in the pandemic and then when you come together without masks and without rules and restrictions. ait was just nice to really celebrate something we’ve all created together,” Days says about the Los Angeles premiere.
Filming for the new season took place more than a year ago. Beginning in early 2022, the shoot wrapped in April— about 11 months before Sex/Life finally returned on March 2.
The new season sees Billie face new love and new challenges, in addition to a number of new faces like Gigi. Read on for more from Day to get a behind-the-scenes dive into Sex/Life season 2.
Tell us about Gigi. Why does she feel like more than “the girlfriend” character? Even though Billie’s our protagonist, I felt myself rooting for her.
I think the thing is with Gigi is she's so sweet and she's such a good person. I feel like the audience can relate to her because she's so passionate about her loved ones. And even though she's so incredibly sweet, she has a side to her where she'll fight for the people she loves in her life. And for me, I could relate to that and I think most people can and that's what really drew me to her was how passionate she is.
How was your experience wearing the prosthetic pregnant belly?
Oh my gosh, I'm not gonna lie. That was not my favorite part of it. But I mean, I did sign up. Definitely in the sex scenes, it was hard because it was a weight that I'm not used to carrying. The prosthetics were pulling in certain areas, so movement obviously doesn't help that. I was very relieved to wear the fake belly instead of the prosthetic whenever I did. But they did a great job on it and they did a lot of fittings for it and it looks so real.
Gigi confronts Billie during her pregnancy shoot and by the end of the scene she says to Billie, “Now it’s my turn. Please let me have it.” Is that out of the sake of her child or out of her want for Brad?
I think all Gigi wants is to just be happy with the people that she loves and that those around her are happy as well. I feel she knows that Billie's not a bad person. She knows it's only fair for her to have had the same chance that Billie had and I feel like she's just asking for something that is fair.
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It was pretty epic that Gigi gives birth in all that gold and makeup. What was it like filming that scene?
Honestly, that was wild. We must have shot that scene for like five hours, and obviously you never know what they're gonna use. You have to give it in every single take. And honestly, by the end of it, it’s not just me, I felt like everyone had been through that. It was my last scene of the entire series and by the end of it, I was wiped. I was good to go.
I think I was on vocal rest for two days after. And even when we ADR’d it, I had to really prep my voice for it because I was shooting something else and I could not lose my voice in the studio.
How did you prepare for the birthing scene?
What's crazy is that my best friend was pregnant at the same time. It was the craziest thing. She hadn't given birth. But she was pregnant, so that journey for me, I was so lucky with the timing. I very, very much based it on her journey. And then for the pregnancy scene, my mother is the closest person to me that's been through that. So obviously I did research and I did watch a lot of things, but like I had a real in-depth conversation with my mom about it and that really helped me.
What do you hope audiences take away from Gigi’s story?
I feel like it's definitely worth fighting for the people that you love. But I think when it comes down to it, you have to always protect your personal well being before you can protect anybody else's
You said you were a fan of the show before being cast. There’s obviously the allure of all the sex, but why else do you think people are so drawn to Sex/Life?
I just feel like everybody can relate whether it's a first love or like forbidden fruit. I just feel like there's something in it for everybody and I feel like everybody's had that certain moment in their life and not everybody's taken that opportunity. And I think seeing Billie take that opportunity, it's just an interesting story to tell.
You recently launched Plant Punk, which offers vegan plant-based meat products. What’s it like balancing your roles as co-founder and actor?
It's been a wild journey, for sure. I'm so happy with how we're doing at Plant Punk. And for me honestly, being vegan, it was really important for me to do something that I was passionate about. And Plant Punk started in the pandemic when Hollywood shut down, and I really felt like it was an opportunity for me to take this step in that direction and make it happen. So it was based out of passion and so it’s crazy to me now that it's so successful and it's happening. It almost feels like it's complementing my acting career in a way because they’re both passions of mine, but if one upsets me on that day, I've got the other one. It's nice to have two things alongside each other. It takes the pressure off me a little bit, I think.
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What makes Plant Punk different from other meat alternatives and why did you see a need for it in the market?
I think other companies use carcinogens and I feel like a lot of companies, including the meat industry, greenwash when we talk about plant products. And to me, it felt like it was all part of this bigger lie and there wasn't a solution to this problem. I just wanted to create something convenient for people that wasn't bad for them. One of our unique selling propositions is that we’re made from completely natural ingredients, that we don't greenwash and we're very honest about our facts. I feel like, to me, to have an environmentally friendly company and to be exactly what we say we are and be fully transparent with our consumers is really, really important
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Sex/Life Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
Photography by: Courtesy of Netflix
