The Women Behind the Super-Sexy New Starz Show 'The Girlfriend Experience'
NSFW—well, this story is, but the show is *definitely* not.
Warning: Starz's new drama The Girlfriend Experience (inspired by the Soderbergh movie—he's an executive producer), which premiered Sunday, will fog up your windows/glasses/everything. And you have its breakthrough star Riley Keough, who plays Christine, law student by day and high-end call girl by night, and showrunner Amy Seimetz to thank for that.
Marie Claire: Define the term "girlfriend experience."
Amy Seimetz: The "girlfriend experience" is something that an escort would offer her clients: "I will come for a few hours and act like your girlfriend." It's a little longer of a relationship than a quickie.
MC: It's more than a transaction of money—there's a transaction of power, too. Who has the upper hand?
Riley Keough: My character, Christine, has the power, because it's her choice to be there or not. And she's super-manipulative and smart.
AS: The story is Christine realizing she has so much more power than she thought she had. You can't make a blanket statement of who has power in these situations—transactional relationships come with all the complexities that intimate relationships entail. It's almost impossible to be intimate with a human being and not have some sort of complex emotions or attachment to them.
MC: What was it like filming those steamy sex scenes between Christine and her, ahem, gentlemen callers?
Stay In The Know
Select the newsletters you’d like to receive. Then, add your email to sign up.
RK: It wasn't some big deal where it was like, OK, now we're going to shoot a sex scene! Maybe the first time was a bit like that when we were trying to gauge how everyone felt about it.
AS: The more frank you can be about it—like, This is just happening, and let's not make such a big deal about it—while protecting the actors, the more comfortable it makes everything. As opposed to being so overly sensitive about sex and all that stuff.
MC: Has the show changed how you think about sex and relationships?
RK: It made me think about why sex is such a big deal. When you're shooting something like that every day, you become numb to it. It makes me think, Why is sex this precious, hidden thing? I thought about that a lot, but I didn't come up with an answer.
AS: Sex is such a simple thing. It's a physical act between two people, or multiple people, but it ignites so many emotions from people. No other physical acts we do—I mean, aside from murdering people—do that. It's an endless topic.
Follow Marie Claire on Instagram for the latest celeb news, pretty pics, funny stuff, and an insider POV.
As deputy editor, Jen oversees Cosmopolitan's daily digital editorial operations, editing and writing features, essays, news, and other content, in addition to editing the magazine's cover stories, astrology pages, and more. Previously, Jen was a senior editor at Marie Claire. Before that, she worked at GQ.
-
Anne Hathaway Apologizes to Journalist for "Awful" 2012 Interview That Went Viral
All's well that ends well!
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Taylor Swift Makes $5 Million Donation for Hurricanes Helene and Milton Relief
One organization thanked Swift for her generosity.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Jennifer Lopez Says Ben Affleck Split Did "Almost Take Me Out for Good" the Second Time
She doesn't regret any of the lessons she's learned.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
The 30 Celebrity Memoirs That Are Actually Worth Reading
Britney Spears, Demi Moore, Jessica Simpson, and more drop some serious bombshells in these pages.
By Andrea Park Published
-
How Victoria Justice Learned to Use Her Voice on the Set of 'Victorious'
The former Nickelodeon star recalls what it was like to speak up to adults on set as a child.
By Sadie Bell Published
-
Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones Tease an Announcement: "We've Got Some News to Share"
The former 'Normal People' costars and IRL best friends seem to have a new project in the works.
By Sadie Bell Published
-
The Woman Who Inspired Martha in 'Baby Reindeer' Calls the Series "a Work of Fiction" In a YouTube Interview
A woman has come forward as the alleged inspiration behind Martha in the hit Netflix series.
By Sadie Bell Last updated
-
The Best 'Friends' Episodes of All Time
Could these BE any better?
By Katherine J. Igoe Published
-
The Best Bollywood Movies of 2023 (So Far)
Including one that just might fill the Riverdale-shaped hole in your heart.
By Andrea Park Published
-
‘Bachelor in Paradise’ 2023: Everything We Know
Cue up Mike Reno and Ann Wilson’s “Almost Paradise."
By Andrea Park Last updated
-
Who Is Gerry Turner, the ‘Golden Bachelor’?
The Indiana native is the first senior citizen to join Bachelor Nation.
By Andrea Park Last updated