Jai Rodriguez on Why “Bad Sex” is a Good Thing

Jai Rodriguez

With a title like Bad Sex you’d think Logo’s new reality series would be walking more on the trashy side of reality television, but the show unexpectedly looks seriously at sex and the issues, problems and phobias people have regarding it.

In the premiere episode, airing tonight on Logo we meet Ryan, a gay West Hollywood resident and sex addict who goes through the 8-week therapy program to try to keep sex from exerting constant control over his life. With both group sessions with other sex therapy participants – gay and straight – as well as one-on-one sessions with sex therapist Christopher Donaghue, viewers will find that there is much more substance in this show than originally meets the eye.

Actor/singer Jai Rodriguez, who we’re used to seeing performing onstage or in front of the camera on series such as Harry’s Law and very soon as part of the new gay storyline on NBC’s Days Of Our Lives, is an Executive Producer on Bad Sex and talked to AfterElton.com earlier this week about the new show. The buff Rodriguez also teased a bit about his Days role and also talked about how he navigates the dating world when his celebrity can sometimes get in the way.

AfterElton.com: With all the trashy reality programming on television these days, I didn’t know what to expect with Bad Sex but was really surprised by it. Can you first talk about the origins?
Jai Rodriguez: Bad Sex came to be because I knew Chris Donaghue, the sex specialist, and was familiar with his work, and I really wanted to do a project with him and find a way for him to have a platform where he could talk about sex.

His work, I think, is kind of the anti-pop culture way of thinking about a lot of things. It’s really coming from a very psychological place. Originally, I just wanted him working with a few people and showing progress over time, which is what the show does, but the emphasis has gone to making it an inclusive cast, not doing an entirely gay cast, not doing an entirely straight cast. A little bit of everything, because I think a lot of the issues are not specific to sexual preference or orientation, really.

We shot a pilot, pitched it to a couple of networks and then we landed at Logo. They were a really great fit for us since the show deals with graphic things in a very, I think, honest way and so we’re really pleased with the final outcome. It’s been a labor of love because the whole thing started about two years ago, but we were happy when we got the pick up earlier this year.

AE: As sexual as our society is with images and what we see in TV and film was it difficult to get people to sign up for the show and be open about their sex lives?
JR: Basically, these people that we found feel like whatever issue it was whether it was sex or intimacy or love or whatever that issue is for them, they feel like it has gotten in the way of their having a happy, wonderful life. Our show comes from a pro-sex place…which I think for someone to share your story you feel a little bit more okay when you know you’re not going to be shamed for whatever behavior that you feel in the past you might have been shamed for.

I think a lot of people felt good that it wasn’t going to be a trashy reality show [and] that we were not going to expose them in any way that would make them feel less than.

I think the cast is courageous in sharing intimate details about their personal lives. I think at the end of the day even if you don’t classify yourself as having one of the issues that these people struggle with, you definitely will walk away with a lot.

AE: One moment in the first episode I thought was interesting: when Chris talks about the concept of ‘normal.’ I think we all have this idea of what normal is and how we want to be normal, but do you think that’s sometimes at the root of the problem?
JR: Yeah, absolutely. I met Chris in 2009, I believe, so all these things are things I’d hear him say and I’d hold onto these gems and thought, ‘Where is this person out in the universe that’s telling these things to America?’

The idea that there is no normal. I think that’s a concept that a lot of people will embrace because I think we each define it differently, and we shouldn’t hold ourselves to someone else’s definition. I really like that and maybe that’s what makes Chris so special, and you get a lot of that in the show.

AE: What did you personally learn in the process having been a part of putting the show together?
JR: I think people spend so much time on the outside like the gym and wearing the right garments, it’s only fitting to spend some of that time working on the inside, as well.

One of the things I really learned is that throughout the process…I’m not in the therapist office, but when we see the process live as it is happening and people being so candid, because you would never ordinarily see someone work on themselves in therapy…it’s a very private experience so I think one of the things that was my biggest take away was that you really can’t judge a book by its cover or what you think someone’s issue is because deep down there are so many other layers as to why people behave the way they do.

AE: Now, tell me about Days Of Our Lives? My gay spies tell me you’ve been on the set recently working.
JR: [laughs]Technically, I can’t say anything because they’re three months ahead so they didn’t want me talking about it, but I was on the set, I think it was confirmed. I love it. I grew up watching Days Of Our Lives, my Grandmother learned how to speak English watching Days, so I have an affinity for the show.

Just being on the set was so nostalgic and the cast…they have a gay storyline and I think it’s being carefully and honestly depicted, which I think is very important.

I hope to talk to you again in December when I’m allowed to talk about it. It’s a great thing and I love my character and my storylines so I’ll have more to tell you about it in December.

AE: Are you playing a character, or are you playing yourself?
JR: I am not playing myself.

AE: Hopefully you’ll be in some scenes with Freddie Smith, who I just interviewed for AfterElton.
JR: I love Freddie! Freddie is awesome! He’s a really good guy and very intelligent. He’s like 23 years old but just an old soul. A really smart kid.