Sex Education star Gillian Anderson has said she wants her acting and business ventures focussing on women’s “pleasure” to “encourage women to let go of the shame, the guilt, the negative messaging around it”.
The star of The X-Files, The Crown and Sex Education has recently diversified from acting - launching a book about female desire, which is due for release in 2024, and launching a range of drinks called G Spot.
Speaking to Porter - NET-A-PORTER’s digital publication - she said she wanted to show that: “[Pleasure] is a right. It’s not trivial. It’s not frivolous. We’re trying to encourage women to let go of the shame, the guilt, the negative messaging around it.”
The actor said she wanted to diversify at this stage in her career as: “[I’m starting to] have conversations about what I like. What would I like to see out there? What would I like to be involved in that maybe I haven’t had a chance to yet, or that I feel hasn’t had a voice.”
For her book, Anderson asked women to write to her with their unshared sexual fantasies - asking them to be written in letter format addressed to “Dear Gillian.”
She said she was drawn to the concept as the book wasn’t about her, but instead: “This is about women, and specifically the women who have written in… It was important for me that we have as many voices as possible.”
G Spot, the star’s drinks brand, is a range of natural soft drinks enhanced with adaptogens and nootropics which can be linked to better cognitive function.
Despite being part of the “wellness” space, Anderson said it was the antithesis of that.
“I don’t think of as a wellness brand… because a lot of that is problematic [and] anxiety-inducing, and that’s precisely not what it’s about,” she said.
While also working on these projects, Anderson is still acting - and is set to star in highly anticipated new Netflix drama Scoop in coming months.
She admitted at times her work load was overwhelming.
“Sometimes I feel completely overwhelmed. You know, some days feel like they’re catastrophic and some days go okay.”
She said she was working on finding work/life balance. “It is a battle to not look at my phone while I’m walking, [but] when I’m in those weeks where it feels like hell – of my making – I do let myself off the hook. It’s about embracing a certain fearlessness in order to let go of the self-judgement.”
