‘I cried a lot': Rob Delaney on the heart and humor in FX's ‘Dying for Sex' — and Neighbor Guy's kick in the ‘zone'

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2 days ago

"Worst case scenario, he's this annoying, gross collection of sights, sounds, and smells," jokes Rob Delaney about his character, simply known as Neighbor Guy, in FX's limited series Dying for Sex.
The tragic comedy stars Michelle Williams as Molly, a woman diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, who abandons her husband (played by Jay Duplass) of 15 years and begins to fully explore her sexuality.
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After reading the script, Delaney realized that Neighbor Guy develops into a "pretty fantastic character" — one who ultimately provides Molly with the kinky outlet and emotional connection she craves. "It's funny that he does not have a name," Delaney tells Gold Derby, "but he definitely leaves more of an impression than a lot of people with names do."
Delaney says he's in a "sweet spot" in his career — auditioning for roles, pursuing opportunities that excite him, and occasionally receiving direct offers. Neighbor Guy was one such offer. "They thought I had the right brew — the right pervert-kind ratio — to play this wonderful character," he jokes.
Working alongside Michelle Williams was a "dream come true" for the actor. Upon meeting the five-time Oscar nominee, Delaney was relieved to find her "just a good person." He adds, "She's an incredibly generous scene partner. She also produced the show, steering a ship that was both enjoyable and accommodating. I can't say enough positive things about her."
Sarah Shatz/FX
Thankfully, the two forged a strong bond, especially given Molly and Neighbor Guy's intense on-screen interactions — enter the intimacy coordinator. "I sort of feel like me and Sharon Horgan invented intimacy coordination with our show Catastrophe," Delaney says. "We wrote it, produced it, and then every season — without fail — we'd be like, 'Oh, we're in it too?' So all of our stuff would say things like, 'Request permission to caress your face.' We kind of did all that stuff — luckily I've had plenty of experience with that type of coordination and choreography."
SEE 'We didn't want Molly to die': 'Dying for Sex' creators on finding the comedy in cancer
In one particularly memorable scene, Neighbor Guy reveals he enjoys being kicked in…"a sensitive area." Delaney recalls, "I really do get kicked, but not actually in my private parts. There's a thing you can wear that offers a 'zone' to be kicked, but it's several inches below your gear. So, Michelle got to genuinely kick and I got to react to real physical 'stimuli.' Neighbor Guy likes to be kicked in the nuts, I don't," he laughs.
Sarah Shatz/FX
Although their relationship begins as purely sexual (and often hilarious), Delaney found the more intimate and heartfelt scenes in the hospital — where Molly is dying — to be the most impactful. "The way they lit the hospital room, combined with the fact that it was often raining outside, really made it feel like we were in some kind of antechamber between the living world and whatever comes next," he recalls. "It was a very different kind of acting than I'd ever done before. I really tried to not act — I cried a lot. I would have to budget my crying for the day. It was pretty intense."
Reflecting on why the relationship between Molly and Neighbor Guy worked, Delaney says, "They're very lucky to have found each other. She's having a series of sacred or magical experiences as she consciously moves toward death. Neighbor Guy has met her at the right time — so he can get sort of a contact high from what she's going through. He's a big beneficiary — she really gives him a gift. I must imagine that after Molly dies that Neighbor Guy has a much richer and better life having known her."
Looking back on his experience working on Dying for Sex, Delaney considers it his favorite acting job to date."I don't count Catastrophe because I [co-created] that show, but this show was of that stature for me," he says. "I love my career and I'm very grateful for it, but I often am put in stuff to be funny — nothing wrong with that, I'll do it for the rest of my life if they let me — but to do something like this, that was such an educational experience, it spoiled me. Now I just want to do stuff where everybody's firing on all cylinders. This was an example, for me, of what a show can be."
Dying for Sex is available to stream on Hulu.
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