The Top 10 Best Movie Sex Workers

These Movie Sex Workers Are the Hardest Hustlers in the Game

This week, I’m honoring the oldest profession in the world by counting down the best movie sex workers. It also just so happens that December 17th is also International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. So, the timing worked out pretty well there. I know that some prudes probably frown on the idea of prostitution, but I’m a firm believer that whatever two consenting adults want to get up to in their bedroom (or hotel room or the backseat of a car or the parking lot behind a Denny’s or…) is between them as long as they’re safe. If you got the money to pay for goods they’re selling, then you do you, honey. It’s capitalism in its purest form, and America loves its capitalism. I know that there are a ton of horrors that sex workers have to deal with on a daily basis thanks to some insights from few friends who work in the industry, but for the sake of this list, I’m going to stick to characters that, for the most part, are consenting when it comes to their profession and won’t be including human trafficking victims or people turning tricks for drugs. I’m also not going to be including strippers or porn stars on this list, only prostitutes, escorts, and hookers. That said, make sure you leave your money on the dresser because this list of movie sex workers is nothing if not discrete.         

10. Alabama Whitman AKA Alabama Worley- True Romance

I’m actually going to kick off this list of movie sex workers with a character who is arguably the worst cinematic hooker of all time. Alabama Worley (Patricia Arquette) made quite an impression on Tarantino fans with her debut in the Tony Scott “romance”, True Lies, with her ride or die attitude and white trash charm. She “stumbles” upon the pop culture obsessed Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) at a theater playing old kung-fu flicks, and the two proceed to have a fairy tale-esque first date. The date though was actually paid for in advance by Clarence’s buddies, which is a bit of a downer, but they still fall in love. So, why do I call Alabama one of the worst movie prostitutes of all time? She broke the number one rule her first time out of the gate: Never fall in love with the John. While she might not have much of a future in sex work, Alabama still manages to make quite an impression. 

9. Christine AKA Chelsea- The Girlfriend Experience

Next up on this list of movie sex workers is a character that’s played by a woman with a bit of real-world experience when it comes to having sex for money. Sasha Grey is actually an award-winning starlet who appeared in 19 films. Well, 19 films of the pornographic variety at least. She made her big-screen debut in Steven Soderbergh’s The Girlfriend Experience, which follows the life of a Manhattan escort. For those of you who don’t know, an escort is the slightly less taboo version of a prostitute who acts as hired girlfriends. They basically go on “dates” and spend time with wealthy men, and those “dates” can include the more carnal benefits that come with intimate relationships. I wanted to include Grey’s character on this list because she has to navigate a lot of the issues that come with separating her personal and professional life when it comes to sex work. For example, how do you have an actual relationship when your job is dating other people?     

8. Lynn Bracken- L.A. Confidential

Of all the movie sex workers I’ve seen over the years, I have to say that Lynn Bracken is probably the most dedicated to her craft. She’s actually part of an escort service that pays for the women to have plastic surgery to resemble big-screen beauties. They certainly nailed the casting in that regard, because Lynn is played by former model Kim Basinger. She brought more than just her good looks to the role and ended up winning best supporting actress for her performance in L.A. Confidential. It didn’t hurt that Lynn happened to be a pretty juicy part. The femme fatale finds herself in the middle of a conspiracy involving blackmail, murder, and police corruption. Fortunately, she finds herself a goon in shimmering armor to keep her safe (Russell Crowe). I decided Lynn deserved a spot on here because she’s an homage to the classic “dames” of yesteryear who excelled at wrapping gumshoes and flatfoots around their fingers.  

7. Satine- Moulin Rouge!

Only the most dignified and fanciest of the movie sex workers get to call themselves courtesans. The term doesn’t really get used a lot these days, but they’re sort of like sugar babies in that rich men pay for their attention, and for the right price, you can get A LOT of attention. The toast of 1900s Paris was the bohemian starlet, Satine (Nicole Kidman). She made a living by teasing men both on stage and off it. Satine had mastered the art of seduction and could get a man’s blood going from 0 to 60 in no time flat. Of course, it wasn’t all just a non-stop party back in those days. It turns out that the past sucked, especially for sex workers. While Moulin Rouge! might make the life of a star courtesan look glamorous, let’s not forget that poor Satine had a pretty wicked case of consumption. These days, that’s not a big deal, but before antibiotics, it was a death sentence. 

6. Bree Daniels- Klute

It turns out that the lives of movie sex workers aren’t all fun and games. The next character on this list is a New York call girl Bree Daniels, played by Jane Fonda who finds herself in the middle of a missing person case. For the most part, Bree admits to enjoying the freedom that comes with being a call girl to high-class clients because it gives her time during the day to audition for acting and modeling gigs. Though there is a dark side to her line of work, and it’s revealed she was severely beaten by a client years earlier. It turns out that “John” might have something to do with that same missing person’s case, and Bree acts as a guide for the detective working the case. Thanks to her help, he’s able to make his way through the world of high-end call girls and find the man responsible. One of the more interesting aspects of Bree are revealed through her therapy session where she talks about her work and its impact on her mental state.