‘Dying for Sex’: Michelle Williams & Team on Capturing Molly’s Steamy Last Wish in FX’s Dramedy

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Dying for Sex Season 1.]

FX‘s Dying for Sex follows one woman’s very straightforward quest: to have an orgasm with another person. Michelle Williams‘ Molly kicks off the series with a devastating stage 4 diagnosis after previously beating breast cancer.

So, why does Molly’s dying wish involve reaching that sexual peak? She’s married to Steve (Jay Duplass), who has taken over caretaker duties since her first diagnosis, but also hasn’t touched her intimately since her first bout with cancer. It turns out that trauma from her childhood has also played a role in her inability to reach the heights she hopes to in this series.

Having been molested by her mother’s (Sissy Spacek) ex-boyfriend as a child, Molly’s experience looms large over the encounters she has in the series, pushing her to step out of her comfort zone and own her sexuality. Helping her in this quest is her best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate) who takes over caretaking duties when Molly decides to leave Steve.

Nikki’s dedication is unmatched as she pushes through the chaos of her own life (and wildly disorganized purse) to attend doctor’s appointments, care for Molly at home, and encourage her pal to live the dream she so desperately wants to achieve. Knowing these two women are based on real-life people makes their bond even more charming onscreen, with the real-life Nikki Boyer executive producing behind the scenes as the show is based on her podcast.

Sarah Shatz / FX

“I was lucky enough to be able to talk to the real-life Nikki and build a sweet friendship with her and ask a lot of questions,” Slate tells TV Insider. “And I did have specific questions about grief, even where she is in terms of her grieving process now.” As the show indicates to viewers up front, Molly’s journey concludes with her death, but viewers get to follow her along the way as she connects with all kinds of sexual partners, most notably her neighbor, referred to in the show as Neighbor Guy (played by Rob Delaney).

Leading up to their pairing, though, Molly explores other unique sexual experiences, like attending a sex party, connecting with a partner who enjoys dressing up as a dog (and getting urinated on), and dabbling with men who get turned on by insults, the latter of which she discovers comes from her subconscious need for control after her traumatic experience as a child.

For Williams, preparing for that range of sequences involved a leap of faith. “You do have to take a deep breath before them,” she says of the unique sex scenes Molly’s participating in. “I sort of imagine leaping… when I was a kid and you would be on a rope swing and you’d be up high and you’d be looking down low and you would feel the thrill and the fear, but ultimately it feels really good and you just have to pass through this scary portal on the way there. And I think that’s kind of how I approached it. I was like, ‘Jump, Michelle, jump,'” Williams shares.

One scene Williams physically jumps for is her and Delaney’s first intimate scene, which involves Molly kicking Neighbor Guy in the crotch, only for her to fall due to a broken femur (since her bones become brittle due to cancer). But Neighbor Guy isn’t initially aware of Molly’s diagnosis; once he is clued in, he’s more than willing to help Molly achieve her goal.

Sarah Shatz / FX

“I sort of did a thought exercise for this show, where we know Molly’s dying. She knows she’s dying. So the whole thing kind of takes place in a foyer to the entrance of the next realm,” Delaney says, and so the actor reveals he tried to be “as present as possible because very special sacred things are happening, because she’s getting ready to go somewhere else.”

“The fact that she’s dying gave it a different sort of atmosphere to most [of my] other jobs,” Delaney shares. Knowing that Molly’s dying further motivates Neighbor Guy to get the job done, ultimately helping her achieve her goal in a hospital bed.

Meanwhile, Duplass acknowledges that his role as Steve is rather antagonistic to Molly’s protagonist at the beginning of the series, but through various acts, viewers are sure to have some love left for the man. “He’s a very complicated person,” Duplass says, adding, “It was very easy for me to invest in someone who is trying tremendously hard to save someone’s life that he loves very much.”

While Steve has helped Molly through her first bout of cancer, Duplass admits that his character has that “unbridled straight white male confidence we’re all so exposed to these days,” and is determined to save his dying wife without understanding what she really needs.

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'Dying for Sex': Michelle Williams Is on a Quest in Trailer for FX Series

While the show balances comedy and drama so skillfully, bringing a story based on real people to TV is no joking matter, but Boyer had no worries. “I didn’t feel like I was holding onto it tightly because I had [writers] Liz Meriwether and Kim Rosenstock. There’s such a deep love and trust that was there from the very beginning. Then, when I found out that Jenny was playing me… [I felt] like she was the perfect Nikki for Michelle’s Molly.”

As for Boyer’s wish for audience members who tune in, she says, “I hope that through Molly’s actions and her bravery to get clear with herself that you can also be inspired by that and go, ‘Okay, well, what do I want to do with the time that I have left?'” A valuable lesson indeed.

FX’s Dying for Sex, Streaming now, Hulu

If you or someone you know is the victim of child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.