Lead female character Emma doesn’t really want anything to get in her way, especially not romance. As a doctor in-residence, she goes nonstop, often working 80 hour weeks with back-to-back shifts. She values honesty and efficiency, and she also likes to have sex. So, the sex-on-demand arrangement is the perfect answer. Per the screenwriter: « Emma is not a girly girl and wants to approach life very logically. ‘ »
Leading male Adam is a man who has always had an easy time with women and adopts a carefree approach to life. The son of an ex-television star a bit past his prime, Adam has an ease with women and is no stranger to hooking up. After his latest relationship with girlfriend Vanessa breaks up, he is confounded to find her hanging around, but now with a new boyfriend at her side. Elizabeth Meriwether continues, « After Adam learns that his father is dating his ex-girlfriend, he realises that maybe he has been too nice and too open. He begins to see emotional availability as a dangerous idea. At this point he just wants to shut the door and mess around. »
After a spontaneous hook up one morning that takes both Emma and Adam by surprise, the two agree to explore the idea of a « no strings attached » relationship. They agree to use each other strictly for sex and remain friends without any of the other complications that usually accompany a relationship.
She just wants to have fun and doesn’t want to put any pressure on a relationship, because that’s when people can turn into ‘weird versions of themselves
When asked if he undertook any research for the film, Ivan Reitman laughs and says, « Well, I was fortunate in that Elizabeth Meriwether, who’s still in her 20s, was smack in the middle of the technological and generational moment. » But he admits that he sometimes took his ‘research’ home with him: « Look, I have three children all in their 20s, who are or have been going through this experience. I’d like to think of myself as an observer and a watcher as well. I think all of that helped to contribute to the sense of familiarity and reality that is represented in the film. »
Looking for a Couple of Sex F(r)iendsWhen it came to finding the right actress for the role of the intellectual and emotionally unavailable Emma, the filmmakers stuck gold when Oscar�-nominated actress Natalie Portman signed on. Key to Natalie Portman was the intelligence of the script, and she applauded the notion of a romantic comedy that wasn’t dumbed down. « I feel like romantic comedies are often about the girl who has a job at a magazine or in fashion getting a makeover, but this movie is about people that we all know, » says Natalie Portman.
In addition to the untraditional premise of the script, Natalie Portman also appreciated Elizabeth Meriwether’s character development and her depiction of women. » Elizabeth Meriwether has a real ear for characters. Each character truly has its own voice-she allows women to be hilarious, interesting and have full ideas, along with the men. »
As both a participant and an observer, she has a very keen eye and ear for the little rituals of contemporary dating
After an initial meeting with Elizabeth Meriwether about another project-but where she heard about the basic premise for « No Strings Attached » and expressed interest-Natalie Portman stayed in the loop during the swipe visitors development phase, which helped Elizabeth Meriwether flesh out the character while keeping Natalie Portman in mind. Elizabeth Meriwether was excited by the notion of writing a comedic character that audiences had never seen Natalie Portman inhabit. « We haven’t seen Natalie Portman have as much fun as I think she has had in this role. Throughout her amazing career, we’ve seen her rule empires and shoot laser guns and run around in the subways as a revolutionary, among other things, so I’ve loved making her do silly things. It’s fun to see her be a bit silly and bad. »