This week Lars von Trier’s sexual opus Nymphomanic was unleashed on the masses. The film follows one woman’s erotic journey — a self-proclaimed nymphomaniac named Joe (played by the always wonderful Charlotte Gainsbourg). Of course, Von Trier isn’t the first person to explore sexual obsession. Pop culture is full of “sex addicts” who can’t control their appetite between the sheets. We found ten other insatiable characters whose libidos have been working overtime.
James Bond
When author Ian Fleming created the fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond, he designed a character whose main objective was to be a “blunt instrument wielded by a government department.” Fleming intended for 007 to be good-looking and a favorite with the ladies, but it was the 007 film series that made Bond a pop culture sex symbol. The serial womanizer always manages to find time for a romp, even while giving the baddies a chase.
Jenna Maroney in 30 Rock
Never above “using [her] sexuality,” 30 Rock’s histrionic hottie Jenna Maroney claimed to have slept with Kevin Federline, Mickey Rourke, Phil Spector, and Roseanne and Tom Arnold. We know Jenna created at least one sex tape: “It’s night vision and you can see that his buddy is robbing me.” Her sex life and film life blend together, too, in the case of her Cinemax softcore career. Sex also became the focus of her relationship with “gender dysmorphic bi-genitalia pansexual” Paul L’Astname (Will Forte).
Don Draper in Mad Men
The dapper Don’s favorite sex is “being bad, and then going home and being good.” Once dubbed “TV’s most successful sex addict,” Don tries to soothe his soul with booze and women — and even when he’s in a “happy” relationship, it never seems to be enough. As he grows older, Don seems to prefer serial monogamous love affairs (as in the case of his relationship with Linda Cardellini’s Sylvia Rosen), but the occasional compulsive fling still does it for him.
Blanche Devereaux in The Golden Girls
The original man-eater, The Golden Girls’ Blanche Devereaux was a precocious Southern belle who blossomed into a self-proclaimed “slut.” Blanche didn’t indulge her inner nymphomanic during her marriage to hubby George, but after his death she… indulged. Fun fact: Blanche’s initials spell “BED” — the “E” stands for Elizabeth. Although Blanche was ruled by her hormones, her character preached the importance of safe sex (almost unheard of on a television show during the time period).
Hank Moody in Californication
In an extremely meta turn of events, actor David Duchovny became his bed-hopping character, novelist Hank Moody in Californication, when he checked himself into a rehab facility to treat his sex addiction. Moody’s penchant for drugs, women, and his Porsche makes him a walking advertisement for male mid-life crisis, but somehow he continues to charm the pants off those who cross his path.
Faith in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
It didn’t take long for Faith’s wild streak to surface when she arrived in Sunnydale. The rogue Slayer zeroed in on the nerdy Xander (who was a virgin at the time), she flirted like mad with Buffy, attempted to get it on with Angel and Spike, and slept with Buffy’s then boyfriend, Riley. There was also a fling with Robin Wood, the late-season principal/vampire hunter of the series. Naturally, Faith also found a link between sex and slaying: “Isn’t it funny how slaying just makes you hungry and horny?”
The many characters Mae West played
Screen star, erotic icon, and independent woman Mae West essentially played herself on the big screen. Her provocative wiggle, drawl, and dictionary of double-entendres and bawdy one-liners oozed sex. West’s risqué characters’ sex-obsessed ways challenged the censors of her time and subverted Hollywood’s sexual stereotypes.
Samantha Jones in Sex and the City
To say that the “try-sexual” of the Sex and the City gang is preoccupied with sex is a serious understatement. Kim Cattrall’s Samantha loved a great roll in the hay, and the sexually liberated, confident girl of the group of New York City friends never shied away from wild adventures with willing partners — many, many partners.
Meredith Palmer in The Office
The alcohol-induced sexcapades of The Office’s Meredith Palmer (Kate Flannery) frequently made her co-workers cringe, but the outrageous redhead’s lack of social finesse precluded her from giving a damn. Meredith’s promiscuity sometimes found her trying to get it on with her cubicle-mates, including the very married Jim Halpert.
Jason Stackhouse in True Blood
It doesn’t seem like there’s much to do in Bon Temps besides have sex and drink blood — one of which the self-involved space case Jason Stackhouse is really good at. Jason’s sexual appetite has gotten him into some troubling situations that have almost cost him his life, but that hasn’t stopped him from romancing the town’s female population — and the towns beyond.