Sex/Life cast and character guide: Who plays whom in the Netflix drama?

Sex/Life | Image via: De Milo Films
Sex/Life | Image via: De Milo Films

Sex/Life is a boldly unapologetic drama created by Stacy Rukeyser that mixes steamy romance with the chaos of real-life complexities. It drew its inspiration from BB Easton’s novel, 44 Chapters About 4 Men, and premiered on June 25, 2021. Are you in need of a fast, no-frills crash course on the cast of Netflix’s steamy urban-meets-suburbs love story? This is your cheat sheet to the stars and the characters who keep the drama and the desire burning.

Across two seasons, Sex/Life is a show that follows Billie Connelly as she navigates marriage, motherhood, and the intoxicating lure of her past, with a group of friends, exes, and new flames complicating each decision. We deconstruct the core triangle, the besties, the workplace wild cards, and the big Season 2 twists that alter the course of her life forever. Keep it with you the next time you're planning a rewatch.


The core triangle in Sex/Life between Billie, Brad & Cooper

Sarah Shahi as Billie and Adam Demos as Brad in Sex/Life | Image via: De Milo Films
Sarah Shahi as Billie and Adam Demos as Brad in Sex/Life | Image via: De Milo Films

The show Sex/Life is headed by Sarah Shahi, portraying the role of Billie Connelly, a former PhD student who has now become a mother in Connecticut. She begins to write in her journal, reminiscing about her crazy New York life and the ex who influenced much of her time and wild experiences. Shahi portrays Billie as a restless, romantic woman who is not afraid to express her desires. This defines the main conflict of the series, a conflict between safety and thrill.

Adam Demos in Sex/Life stars as a confident music producer, Brad Simon, who is Billie's ex-boyfriend. He is the epic love of her life and also her greatest temptation. Demos reveals Brad as a charming and passionate man, often imprudent and brash, but also provides him with a gentler side that does not turn him into just another typical bad boy.

Cooper Connelly, the stable investment-banker husband of Billie, is played by Mike Vogel. He appears to be the reliable good guy on the surface, but that facade begins to disintegrate when he discovers Billie is not over her past. The three characters bring a certain heat, tension, and emotional drama that drives the series altogether.


Besties, bosses & troublemakers

Margaret Odette as Sasha Snow in Sex/Life | Image via: De Milo Films
Margaret Odette as Sasha Snow in Sex/Life | Image via: De Milo Films

Any wildfire requires oxygen, and Sex/Life sources its fuel from the people closest to Billie and Cooper. Margaret Odette stars as Sasha Snow, Billie’s best friend and a radical feminist author who is confident in living single and free until an old romance changes her mind. Li Jun Li’s character, Francesca, begins as the no-nonsense boss to Cooper. However, in Season 2, she is also making daring decisions in her love life that bring Cooper and Billie face-to-face with some new twists in their married life.

In the suburbs, Devon, Cooper’s work friend, is played by Jonathan Sadowski, and it seems like he is always urging Cooper to loosen up, and Trina, Devon’s timid wife, played by Amber Goldfarb, almost immediately transforms their quiet neighborhood into a not-so-quiet swingers club.

Collectively, these people do not just add drama to the plot of Sex/Life. They stretch the larger themes of the show concerning love, marriage, freedom, and the fronts we believe we are meant to be playing. This ensemble puts Billie and Cooper through difficult decisions that involve risk, change, and passion all at the same time.


Characters that add big twists in Sex/Life Season 2

Sarah Shahi as Billie and Mike Vogel as Cooper in Sex/Life | Image via: De Milo Films
Sarah Shahi as Billie and Mike Vogel as Cooper in Sex/Life | Image via: De Milo Films

Sex/Life Season 2 introduces new characters that stir things up. Darius Homayoun dons the role of a trendy New York restaurant owner, Majid, who provides Billie with a feel of true, present-day romance rather than dwelling in the past. Cleo Anthony comes on board as Kam, Sasha's former boyfriend and a doctor who travels around the world. His re-entry makes Sasha wonder whether she desires to become free or to be in love.

Wallis Day comes in as Gigi, a renowned model who dates Brad and carries his baby, making the love triangle a far more sordid affair. Dylan Bruce steps in as Spencer, the older brother of Cooper and also a confident divorce lawyer, and Craig Bierko plays Mick, Sasha’s pushy agent who tests her limits and motivates her to get to the top of her career.

They expand the Sex/Life universe to be bigger, hotter, and far less predictable, and it is proven that newcomers can alter not only who our characters desire but also embolden them to become who they are.


Fun fact bonus: The chemistry between Shahi and Demos went off-screen after they met on the set of Sex/Life, and that is one of the major reasons why their scenes are so simmering.


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Edited by Debanjana