Steven Prusakowski
FX’s Dying for Sex masterfully intertwines life’s most profound moments—many achingly dark, others riotously funny, and some surprisingly sexy. It is probably not what you would expect when hearing the premise about a woman receiving a grim health diagnosis. The limited series follows Molly Kochan, played with stunning depth by Michelle Williams, a woman with terminal breast cancer, who leaves her husband to embrace her sexuality. Adapted from a podcast honoring Molly’s journey, the series weaves a celebration of existence, sexual liberation, and the reality of mortality with unflinching honesty.
At the heart of the story is Rob Delaney‘s “Neighbor Guy,” who brings humor and vulnerability to some of the most unexpected scenarios. Best known for co-creating and co-starring with Sharon Horgan in the comedy-drama Catastrophe, Delaney proves an ideal fit to navigate the emotionally and physically raw moments in Dying for Sex. His skill in making these scenes feel natural and deeply human, while infusing them with heartfelt levity, help lift the show to something extraordinary. Though his character lacks a name, his on-screen impact leaves a lasting impression.
Rob Delaney was my guest on TV Topics where we explored his life and career through his television viewing, favorites, and hypothetical questions. We also dive into his work on Dying For Sex, a complex role he calls his favorite since Catastrophe. Neighbor Guy starts off as a slovenly tenant passed in the halls of Molly’s apartment but becomes much more. As part of her sexual liberation she recruits a very willing NG to explore her kinky desires, including sexual humiliation and submission. The performance puts Delaney in a number of uncomfortable positions, including a much talked about kick to the balls. But it is the emotional bonds that develop which makes this no-name unforgettable.
Delaney spoke about how the role affected him and obviously does not take for granted the opportunity to work with a talented cast and crew to bring Molly’s story to life. Below are some of the highlights of a conversation full of them. (Listen to the podcast above for the conversation in its entirety.)
On the appeal of the project in addition to the opportunity to work with Williams:
“Let’s talk brass tacks here because there doesn’t have to be a what else other than Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, Kim Rosenstock, Liz Meriwether, Shannon Murphy, who directed it. That’s more than enough. The creative team is bananas,” explained Delaney. “Then add to that it is aa true story that had already been road tested by the podcast. The podcast is tremendous and resonated with people very deeply. Then, of course, I read the script and it was the tone that they struck was so honest and beautiful and warm and life affirming and incredibly sad, which is important.”
On the way he approached his nameless character:
Due to the sort of sacred area that we were navigating in with the show – and I say sacred cause it’s really the borderline between life and death. This acting job for me was more about like stripping away any kind of artifice or choices or anything like that. And really just trying to be as nakedly present as I could be, because I knew that that would help them just capture better stuff and have better takes that they would have to play with and stuff. More than any job I’ve ever had. I just really tried to really listen to Michelle as Molly and just really be there and just be as honest as possible. So it was different, the preparation that I did for this than I’ve done for anything really.
On the emotional impact of some of the heavier scenes:
“In the more difficult scenes that we’re shooting in Molly’s hospital room, I would have to like budget my day emotionally because I knew I’d be crying a lot. It’s hard to do that all day and then hit the different things that you need to do. So I definitely was like a bit of a emotional zombie when we weren’t rolling in certain parts. I’m not one of those people who like, “Call me by my character’s name or don’t look at me or anything like that.”
On if Neighbor Guy and Molly share love:
I think you could say, yeah, I think you can say that. I think you can say love, you know, it might be with a lowercase L, There’s no guarantee that they would have stayed together as a couple after – we don’t, we would never know. And of course their relationship is not the primary love story of the series, but, it’s a very important one and, more than a few times he makes her character smile and feel calm and relief and excitement – and she certainly does for him.
On the what he learned from playing this character:
“Let’s say if a script is a bucket, that bucket contain can contain many varied and different and beautiful things. And that’s okay. I’d be excited for a young writer to see this show and realize, damn, I can make people laugh. I can make people cry and I can do it in the same episode. I definitely learned a lot about the construction of great scripts and great episodes, and how honesty is such a major ingredient in those things.”
Listen to the full interview with Delaney where in addition to exploring his work even more in-deoth, we learn a lot about the influence of television on his life. From Chicago Hope to The Brady Bunch (a series which he feels has a dark secret), Delaney offers a unique canvas of shows which paint a picture all his own. Living in London, his answer definitely had some British influence, including one series he was so high on it convinced me to start watching, Happy Valley. He raves about it and its star, Sarah Lancashire, whose performance he compares to Bryan Cranston‘s Walter White on Breaking Bad. His answers are insightful and even got him so sing a few lines of one of my all-time favorite theme songs.
Check out Delaney’s extraordinary work on Dying for Sex (streaming on Hulu) which is the best of his career and well-deserving of the acclaim it is receiving. Then when you have finished the limited series and have time to compose yourself, give yourself another dose of Delaney with Catastrophe, you will not regret it.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast for an array of guests, shows discussed and of course, TV Topics.
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