>>> THE NEW NETFLIX SERIES "SEX EDUCATION" IS ALL ABOUT, WELL,
SEX.
SEX. >> IT FOLLOWS A TEENAGER NAMED
OTIS, PLAYED BY ASA BUTTERFIELD,
WHO STARTS A SEX THERAPY RING AT
HIS HIGH SCHOOL.
>> HE PICKED UP THE IDEA FROM
HIS MOTHER, PLAYED BY GILLIAN
AND ER
AND ER ANDERSON.
ANDERSON. >> WE SAT DOWN TO DISCUSS THE
SERIES.
SERIES. TAKE A LOOK.
>> IS SOMEONE SPECIAL THAT
YOU’RE GOING TO MEET TONIGHT?
>> NO.
>> NO. IT’S A PARTY.
VERY NORMAL.
VERY NORMAL. BORING, IN FACT.
UTTERLY MRUPLUTONIC.
UTTERLY MRUPLUTONIC. >> IF YOU’RE GOING TO DO DRUGS
TONIGHT, MAKE SURE TO BUDDY UP
AND LOOK AFTER ONE ANOTHER.
LET ME GET YOU CONDOMS.
>> NO THANKS, MOM.
BYE.
BYE. >> CAN YOU IMAGINE?
WELCOME GILLIAN ANDERSON AND ASA
BUTTERFIELD.
BUTTERFIELD. GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING. >> THANK YOU.
>> HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE IT?
NETFLIX, I THOUGHT THIS WAS
COOL.
COOL. YOU’LL LAUGH, CRY AND CRINGE.
>> DEFINITELY CRINGE.
>> QUITE A LOT.
YOU SAID THAT.
YOU CRINGED QUITE A BIT.
>> MY SON CAME IN -- OH, HI.
PUT THE IiPAD DOWN.
THE IDEA THAT YOU WOULD WANT
YOUR MOM TO BE SO OPEN.
AND THEN, WHEN YOU SEE WHAT
THAT’S LIKE, THAT’S A LITTLE
UNCOMFORTABLE.
UNCOMFORTABLE. >> YOU KNOW, SHE’S A
PROFESSIONAL SEX THERAPIST.
AND SO, HE’S GROWN UP WITH
MAGAZINES AND MANUALS AND VIDEOS
AROUND THE HOUSE.
>> OBJECTS.
>> OBJECTS. >> AND OBJECTS, ET CETERA.
>> THINGS.
>> THINGS. >> THE MAIN FOCUS OF THE SERIES
IS ACTUALLY THE HIGH SCHOOL THAT
IT TAKES PLACE IN.
THE HOME LIFE IS A TERTIARY
STORYLINE.
STORYLINE. WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS
OTIS --
OTIS -- >> I -- THANKS TO MY MUM’S
WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE, I HAVE A
WEIRD UNDERSTANDING OF SEX.
BUT ALSO, A COMPLETE INABILITY
TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT JUST
BECAUSE THE RELATIONSHIP HAS
TERRIFIED ME WITH ANYTHING TO DO
WITH THAT.
WITH THAT. AT SCHOOL, I USE MY KNOWLEDGE SO
HELP ALL THE OTHER KIDS WITH
THEIR ISSUES.
THEIR ISSUES. >> HE BECOMES A SEX THERAPIST IN
HIGH SCHOOL.
HIGH SCHOOL. >> THAT’S A WILD CONCEPT.
>> IT IS A WILD CONCEPT.
>> GROWING UP IS PAINFULLY
AWKWARD ON SO MANY LEVELS.
WE’RE GOING THROUGH THE SAME
THING BUT NOBODY WANTS TO TALK
ABOUT IT WITH EACH OTHER.
THERE’S SOME AWKWARD MOMENTS
THAT COME UP IN THE SHOW.
>> AWKWARD MOMENTS ANYWAY IN
TERMS OF ALL OF US HAVE GONE
THROUGH THAT.
THROUGH THAT. WE’VE GONE THROUGH PUBERTY AND
REALLY AWKWARD, TERRIFYING,
GROSS, MESSY, ASPECTS OF IT.
IT’S A UNIVERSAL CONUNDRUM.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE SERIES IN
BRINGING A FRANKNESS AND
UNFLINCHING HONESTY TO SOMETHING
THAT WE ALL EXPERIENCE IN LIFE.
>> ASA, YOUR MOM IS A
PSYCHOLOGIST.
PSYCHOLOGIST. >> SHE IS.
>> SO, WHAT WAS THAT LIKE HAVING
A MOM ON TV WHO IS A SEX
THERAPIST AND THEN, DID THAT
HELP WITH YOUR ROLE?
>> WE SPOKE ABOUT IT A BIT.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OTIS
AND HIS MOM DID FEEL VERY
FAMILIAR.
FAMILIAR. THE MOTHER/SON DYNAMIC IS
UNIVERSAL.
UNIVERSAL. BUT THE THERAPY ASPECT OF IT --
I DID SPEAK TO MY MOM ABOUT IT.
IT WAS INTERESTING LEARNING
ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP OF A
THERAPIST WITH THEIR CLIENTS AND
THE RESPONSIBILITY YOU HOLD AS A
THERAPIST, ESPECIALLY WITH
SOMETHING AS SENSITIVE AS SEX.
IT WAS INTERESTING.
>> MY CHARACTER, JEAN, SHE’S A
VERY -- SHE’S FINDING IT HARD TO
LET GO OF HER SON.
HE’S GROWN PUP, JUST THE TWO OF
THEM IN THE HOUSE.
HE’S FINDING HIS FEET AND SHE
CAN’T LET GO.
SHE’S ONE OF THE MOMS THAT
LISTENS OUTSIDE OF THE DOOR TO
CONVERSATIONS AND GOES THROUGH
HIS THINGS, WHICH THAT’S NOT ME
IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM.
IT’S FUN TO PLAY.
SHE’S -- SHE HAS AN ISSUE WITH
BOUNDARIES, EVEN THOUGH SHE’S A
REALLY GOOD THERAPIST.
>> VERY SNEAKY.
>> I THOUGHT THAT WAS
INTERESTING BECAUSE YOU SEEM SO
OPEN IN THE SHOW.
YOUR CHARACTER.
YOUR CHARACTER. >> YES.
>> YES. >> AND IN FACT, PROBABLY MORE
CLINGY THAN MOST MOMS.
>> DEFINITELY MORE CLINGY.
>> YOU KIND OF TOUCHED ON THIS.
EVEN THOUGH IT’S AWKWARD, IN
SOME WAYS, IT’S DEALING WITH
REAL LIFE.
REAL LIFE. WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE
AWAY FROM THIS PROJECT?
>> IT’S JUST NICE TO BE --
THERE’S STILL SUCH A STIGMA
AROUND SOMETHING THAT WE ALL GO
THROUGH.
THROUGH. TEENAGERS ARE HAVING SEX.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WERE DOING
PRESS IN THE U.K., THERE WERE A
COUPLE OF THE POLISH JOURNALISTS
WHO SAID, YOU UNDERSTAND WE
DON’T HAVE SEX EDUCATION IN
POLAND.
POLAND. SO, YOU’RE GOING TO BE OUR SEX
EDUCATION.
EDUCATION. >> YOU HAVE TO LEARN IT FROM
SOMEWHERE.
SOMEWHERE. >> YOU KNOW, BEING OUT THERE IN
THE PUBLIC ARENA AND BEING ABLE
TO DISCUSS THINGS AND THE
AWKWARD THINGS AND THE FEELINGS
AND EMOTIONS.
AND EMOTIONS. >> IT TAKES THE PRESSURE OFF.
I HOPE IT RELIEVES PRESSURE ON
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. >> GETS THEM TALKING.
>> IT GETS THEM TALKING AND IT
SHOWS THEM IT’S NORMAL TO BE
WEIRD AND AWKWARD AND FUNNY.
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’RE A
TEENAGER, SEX IS NOT REALLY
SEXY.
SEXY. THERE’S A LOT OF PRESSURE ON
YOUNG PEOPLE AROUND SEX.
HOPEFULLY THIS CAN DESTIGMATIZE
IT AND SHOW THEM THAT IT’S OKAY.