If you’ve ever done any work in theatre, television, or film – even in like, high school – then you probably already know that the s^x scenes are the least s^xy ones to film (typically), no matter the chemistry between actors.
If you haven’t witnessed this firsthand – or even if you have – there’s a good chance you haven’t been the one half-clad and in the spotlight. So, if you’re curious what it’s like to be the ones everyone is staring at, waiting for the magic to happen, these 10 actors are ready to dish.
10. Taraji P. Henson and Michael Ealy in Think Like a Man (2012)
Image Credit: Screen Gems
There are a lot of memorable moments in this film that features a memorable cast, but the love scene between Taraji P. Henson and Michael Ealy probably sticks out in your mind.
Henson spoke about the experience on Sway in the Morning in 2012, and it sounds…pretty fun.
“The first day on set was the scene where he’s putting chocolate on my thigh — that was the first day! [And] he licked it off — I was like, ‘I need another take!'”
She said that of course Henson was a perfect gentleman, which made it all that much easier.
“He asked ‘What’s off limits? What can I touch, what can we not do?’ and I was like, ‘You know what? Go for it,’ — in the most professional way possible. …We were kissing for real.”
9. Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan in Ammonite (2020)
Image Credit: Neon
Kate Winslet told the Hollywood Reporter that she and Ronan took the reins in order to feel more comfortable about what was coming.
“Saoirse and I choreographed the scene ourselves. It’s definitely not like eating a sandwich. [Our director] was naturally very nervous, and I said to him: ‘Listen — let us work it out.’ And we did.”
It’s not at all romantic, but somehow, it still ends up that way.
“We’ll do this with the kissing, boobs, you go down there, then you do this, then you climb up here.’ We marked out the beats of the scene so that we were anchored in something that just supported the narrative.”
8. Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor in Bridgerton (2020—present)
Image Credit: Netflix
If you’re one of the bazillion people who has watched and fallen in love with Shonda Rhimes’ Bridgerton, you know that there are some steamy, steamy moments.
Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor play the Duke and Daphne on the show, and the latter talked to E! about how they prepared for the moments that took audiences breath away.
“I’m really proud of those scenes — we worked really hard at making them feel real. I felt very safe with Regé and the intimacy coordinator — we blocked them out like they were intricate stunts.”
The show even employed an intimacy coordinator – her name is Lizzy Talbot – and she talked to Hollywood Reporter about the process, too.
“There’s nothing worse than having to decide in the moment what your boundaries are.”
7. Kristen Wiig and Jon Hamm in Bridesmaids (2011)
Image Credit: Universal Pictures
If Bridesmaids taught us anything, it’s that intimate scenes don’t have to be serious – because this one is just hilarious.
Wiig and Hamm talked to Access Hollywood about what it was like while promoting the movie back in 2011.
She said, “[Jon] is like my brother. He really is! I mean, it’s so silly. It was more funny than anything.”
As for Hamm, he agreed about the hilarious awkwardness. “It’s not a lot of fun rolling around in front of 30 or 40 crew members in a flesh-colored thong, but we did have a lot of fun. We had a lot of jokes and a lot of laughs.”
6. Emilia Clarke and Jason Momoa in Game of Thrones (2011—2019)
Image Credit: HBO
Emilia Clarke and Jason Momoa film some extremely touchy and memorable scenes in Season 1 of the show, and Clarke talked with Dax Shepard about how tough she found working on the show when it came to making her own choices.
She said that if she balked, crew would tell her “You don’t wanna disappoint your Game of Thrones fans,” and she’d respond with: “F*ck you.”
Momoa, though, was never an issue for her. “Jason was an experienced actor who had done a bunch of stuff before coming onto Game of Thrones.”
He used his experience to make sure no one took advantage of Clarke, and would ask for robes for her in between takes.
5. Viola Davis and Billy Brown in How to Get Away with Murder (2014—2020)
Image Credit: ABC
Viola Davis has had great success on the show, winning her first Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in 2015. That same year she participated in the Hollywood Reporter’s roundtable series, and opened up about filming the hot scene with Billy Brown in the first season.
“I just allowed myself to be uncomfortable. I’m not gonna talk myself out of it — if I stand in front of the mirror looking at my body, then Viola will kick in and go: ‘My titties are sagging, and my stretch marks…'”
She says she did her best to sink into the character and leave Viola at the door.
“I’m just a human being at the end of the day — and I’m doing something very private in public. The nerves and the insecurities and [everything] I feel is a part of Annalise. I cannot will her to be made of Teflon before she dives on top of a very hot-looking guy!”
4. Timothée Chalamet in Call Me by Your Name (2017)
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Classic
That peach scene will never, ever be forgotten, and Chalamet talked with MTV News about how great it was that the director, Luca Guadagnino, approached it like it was just another scene.
“By the time we got around to shooting it, it just felt like a scene with dialogue — or a breakfast scene. If he had treated it differently, I would’ve been shaking during that whole scene. It helped free us up sensually and sexually [because these moments aren’t] salacious or exploitative — those moments serve the love story.”
3. Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Aviva Baumann in Superbad (2007)
Image Credit: Columbia Pictures
If you think regular s^x scenes are awkward, think about this – Christopher Mintz-Plasse was underage while filming this one, so his mother had to be on the set.
He told Chelsea Lately about the experience in 2011.
“I was the one who had to tell her [she had to be] on set, and she was, like, so down to come! She ran down and was just watching video footage while eating popcorn and chatting it up with the producers when I was fake-boning a girl.”
2. Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton in Monster’s Ball (2001)
Image Credit: Lionsgate Films
Monster’s Ball made history when Halle Berry became the first Black woman to win a Best Actress Oscar, and even if the steamy scene between her and Billy Bob Thornton wasn’t the one that put her over the top, audiences definitely won’t forget it.
In a 2020 interview with Variety, she revealed that her team believed the scene could ruin her career.
“[The love scene] was explicit in the minds of some people, and I was getting paid nothing. They thought if you’re going to do something like that, get a shitload of money.”
She obviously went ahead anyway, believing it was necessary for character development.
“[Money’s] not why I’m doing it. I didn’t feel it was exploitative. It was necessary for the character.”
1. Kaitlyn Dever and Diana Silvers in Booksmart (2019)
Image Credit: United Artists
If this coming-of-age film was anything, it was absolutely honest about the tender, awkward nature of first love (and other firsts). Silvers told Vulture in 2019 that she and Dever were both super nervous, but tried to map everything out in advance.
“We both agreed that we weren’t going to kiss until the cameras were rolling. We figured out all the positions and all the timing, and when we were going to move onto the rug. Every time they called ‘cut,’ we would just break down laughing.”
In a 2019 interview with Buzzfeed News, Devers agreed, and said she thought the awkwardness was perfect.
“In hookup scenes that I’ve seen in movies, they make it look, like, pretty seamless and easy. But it really isn’t. We wanted to keep in all of those awkward moments that you have when you’re hooking up with someone for the first time.”
It just all seems so awkward right?
I think this is one curtain we should leave firmly pulled – I want to be able to enjoy the moment, don’t you!
