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And, of course, also learn how to fake masturbate on camera.
Jean overshares about sex with Otis, which makes him uncomfortable and defines their relationship.
They are very funny, very touching, very honest conversations that a mother and son would have.
Gillian Anderson: It did come naturally.
I have two younger boys who havent got to that stage yet.
The sensitivity of it was something I found quite interesting.
And to celebrate as much as possible the opportunity to do comedy.
The show toes a line between being explicit about sex and talking about it without leering.
I thought Jeans house was hilarious.
I mean, even in the bathroom …
Asa Butterfield: Surrounding the sink!
Gillian Anderson: … there was a chess set of penises and vaginas of various sizes and shapes.
Asa Butterfield: All different sizes.
Gillian, you said you wanted to do more comedy and make Jean different from therapists youd played before.
Im speaking from my own experience of neurosis, et cetera, et cetera.
Asa, what parts of Otis did you bring to the character?Asa Butterfield: Im quite geeky.
Hes into his video games, as am I.
All the games he plays are the games I play, so it did feel very close to home.
There are a lot of references in there which Ive snuck in.
Which games?Asa Butterfield: Hes a big Nintendo fan, as I am.
We got a Nintendo to give us a prop, and so it ended up in my front room.
Gillian Anderson: None of the penises on set are mine.
Laurie Nunn wrote the series, and its her first TV show.
It feels like theyve been written by a female.
Whats it like to work with Ben Taylor as a director?
That was something that was written in, but in talking to Ben about it, it became more.
Theres no hang-up, theres no stigma, thats not at any point what the show is about.
Asa Butterfield: Quite often, he gets someone to come up on set and just start dancing.
Just to add a sort of relaxedness and spontaneity to it.
Gillian Anderson: He never did that in my scenes.
Asa Butterfield: I remember two occasions of dancing people.
Gillian Anderson: Thats just like Fortnite.
Asa Butterfield: Whats like Fortnite?
Gillian Anderson: Yeah, all the Fortnite dances.
Im very impressed that you know about Fortnite.Asa Butterfield: Me too.
Gillian Anderson: Oh my God, Ive got two little boys.
I wish I didnt know about Fortnite.
Its a bit weird, some of them were more fun than others because Ive got three wanking scenes.
Only one of them is successful.
Its fucking weird pretending to wank with a whole group of people there.
Gillian Anderson: Im so glad it wasnt me.
Gillian Anderson[to Asa]: But you were so cool about the whole thing.
Asa Butterfield: I think Otiss difficulty with it actually made it easier.
Hes not an expert at it, so it doesnt have to look perfect.
Where did you film the show?
Its set in an idyllic, small-town world.Asa Butterfield: In Wales, around Cardiff and Newport.
We had two beautiful roads that wound down through the hills, through the valley.
He enjoys the ambiguity of that.
It didnt feel like the one I went to.
I think a lot of British schools arent like that, with the lockers and theres no uniform.
For teenagers who might not get great sex education in school, it feels like this show could help.
Gillian Anderson: Scrotal anxiety.
I didnt realize that scrotal anxiety could happen.
Asa Butterfield: What is scrotal anxiety?
It has to do with the scrotum, that your testicles might even disappear.
Asa Butterfield: Like, seize up?
Gillian Anderson: Seize up and go inside your body.
I may have made that entirely up, I dont know.
