# How do actors do naked sex scenes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2008, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854 "2008-03-18T22:40:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/21 "2008-03-19T18:34:50Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] I remember they did something similar for the sex scene between William Hurt and his (I forget her name) costar in _Gorky Park_, because the actress was so embarrassed. And there’s long been a rumor that Mickey Rourke and his costar actually were going at it in several scenes of _Wild Orchid_. [/QUOTE] I heard the rumor was about Mickey Rourke & Lisa Bonet in _Angel Heart_. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/22 "2008-03-19T18:47:01Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] So while I can’t answer the on-set details, I’ll just note that filming a **rape** scene appears to be a very **stressful** thing. The guy of the scene was having to come out and smoke down a cigarette about every five minutes between takes and he **really** didn’t look happy. I assume that the female of the scene was doing something similar, justing going to her dressing room instead of coming outside in her undies. [/QUOTE] There was a Biography Channel story on Jodie Foster, and during _The Accused_, (pinball machine scene in the bar) she says she remembers the director yelling “Action,” the director yelling “Cut!” and nothing in between. The male actors were very upset with the scene, and she made sure they were okay afterwards, I think even bringing them cookies. That scene in _Bastard out of Carolina_, where she’s raped by her step-father in the house…I can’t hardly watch it. I can only imagine how traumatic it was for the actors. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/23 "2008-03-19T19:28:35Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] [List of mainstream films with unsimulated sex](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mainstream_films_with_unsimulated_sex) [/QUOTE] Interesting read. I’m pleased to see that Ned Beatty didn’t make the list. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/24 "2008-03-19T19:33:38Z")
I recall reading somewhere that the woman will sometimes wear what amounts to a g-string without the strings, basically a triangle of material held in place with pastie adhesive. But with the state of CGI editing these days it may be simpler to just photoshop the strings out. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/25 "2008-03-19T19:52:52Z")
[QUOTE=Scubaqueen] you have to choreograph every single move you make - after all, it’s just more stage blocking - right down to **who is going to tilt their head left and who is going right**. he and i decided in advance which of us was doing what. we had to. the first time we tried it we bumped our teeth together! [/QUOTE] No wonder you bumped teeth, you both needed to go either left or right. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/26 "2008-03-19T19:56:08Z")
deleted ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/27 "2008-03-19T20:01:37Z")
I remember reading that an actress named Chole something, she was in The Kids did a blowjob scene in a movie where you saw EVERYTHING! And they just set up the camera and went into another room so her and the actor could “act” in private ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/28 "2008-03-19T20:06:25Z")
[QUOTE=ChrisBooth12] I remember reading that an actress named Chole something, she was in The Kids did a blowjob scene in a movie where you saw EVERYTHING! And they just set up the camera and went into another room so her and the actor could “act” in private [/QUOTE] That’s mentioned in **Otto** ’s link – “The Brown Bunny” is the movie, with actress Chloë Sevigny performing unsimulated fellatio on her then-boyfriend, star and director Vincent Gallo. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/29 "2008-03-19T20:14:39Z")
[QUOTE=Omi no Kami] I understand that McLovin was only 17 when they filmed his sex scene in _Superbad_, and because he was a minor his mother had to be on the set during the filming process. Talk about unerotic… :eek: [/QUOTE] Just as a point of information, parents are allowed on the set for any scene with actors under 18. Especially if it is smoke work - shorthand for possibly hazardous. I don’t know if it was a rule before, but it is really enforced after the Vic Morrow disaster. ---
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/30 "2008-03-19T20:32:07Z")
[QUOTE=Omi no Kami] I understand that McLovin was only 17 when they filmed his sex scene in _Superbad_, and because he was a minor his mother had to be on the set during the filming process. Talk about unerotic… :eek: [/QUOTE] Yeah my wife worked on that movie (in the post dep’t). He was the only actor on the movie under 18, but he was so perfect for the role they cast him anyway. And had to be VERY careful with how they shot the sex scene at the end. The girl he was with was over 18, so no problem with her. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/31 "2008-03-19T20:39:19Z")
[QUOTE=Voyager] Just as a point of information, parents are allowed on the set for any scene with actors under 18. Especially if it is smoke work - shorthand for possibly hazardous. I don’t know if it was a rule before, but it is really enforced after the Vic Morrow disaster. [/QUOTE] Remeber that scene in **Now and Then** where the girls steal the boys’ clothes while they were skinnydipping and they have to chase the girls throught the woods? The actresses who played the girls were never on set at the same time as the boys, but the female director, mostly female crew, and some of their mothers were. There was some controversy over **Apt Pupil** because the extras in the shower scene (some of whom were underage) were originally told they’d be wearing some kind of flesh-colored jock, but the director decided to have them actually naked. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/32 "2008-03-19T20:59:18Z")
[QUOTE=Projammer] I recall reading somewhere that the woman will sometimes wear what amounts to a g-string without the strings, basically a triangle of material held in place with pastie adhesive. But with the state of CGI editing these days it may be simpler to just photoshop the strings out. [/QUOTE] I remember reading that when Sandra Bullock did a love scene for “In Love And War” she at one point wore a post-it note on which she had written something along the lines of “No trespassing”. No personal experience but what I’ve heard matches up with what others have said; sex scenes are very carefully choreographed (every little motion), actors are professionals and this is a job, sets are often closed and a crew consisting of only the most critical people is present, etc. Kelly LeBrock said that when she had to smooch Ilan Mitchell-Smith in “Weird Science” she calmed him down by talking about video games beforehand (he was about 14 and she was in her 20s at the time). ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/33 "2008-03-19T21:01:45Z")
[QUOTE=ivylass] There was a Biography Channel story on Jodie Foster, and during _The Accused_, (pinball machine scene in the bar) she says she remembers the director yelling “Action,” the director yelling “Cut!” and nothing in between. The male actors were very upset with the scene, and she made sure they were okay afterwards, I think even bringing them cookies. [/QUOTE] It’s ironic that she played a character in _Hotel New Hampshire_ who writes to her rapists years after the event. Re: real sex rumors, the most recent was about Hayden Christensen and Sienna Miller in _Factory Girl_ (work safe [google link](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=hayden+christensen+factory+girl+simulated)). ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/34 "2008-03-19T21:22:28Z")
It should be noted that underage nudity does not mean the same thing as child porn. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2008, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/35 "2008-03-19T22:05:04Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] I don’t remember the movie, but I remember the “Tilda Swinton” …oh…oh, shit, maybe it was Alice Kirge. I always mix those two up. Yeah, it was early on in his career, so _Scarlet and Black_ is a much better bet. Oh dear. I may have inadvertently besmirched Mr. McGregor’s reputation. \*However \*can I make it up to him? _bats eyelashes_ 😃 [/QUOTE] Yeah, it was Kirge. Personally, I wouldn’t have minded helping him to “settle down”. And yes, everyone here knows of my obsession with all things Ewan, so that’s already been mentioned. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/36 "2008-03-20T13:04:55Z")
I remember a very sweet outtake from _Designing Women_. Delta Burke and Gerald McRaney have a kissing scene on the stairs. (They’re playing Suzanne and her ex-husband, writer Dash.) After the kiss, Delta blushes and says, “I can’t remember my next line.” Gerald laughs and hugs her. I don’t know if they were dating, or she just admitted her crush on camera, but I thought it was very cute. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/37 "2008-03-20T14:47:25Z")
Never mind… ---
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/38 "2008-03-20T14:53:36Z")
**Ivylass** , [Married sincve 1989](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_McRaney) ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/39 "2008-03-20T15:42:31Z")
[QUOTE=Fir na tine] **Ivylass** , [Married sincve 1989](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_McRaney) [/QUOTE] I always thought it funny that of the four women on the show, two were actually married to the actors who played their SO’s, and Jean Smart’s hubby played Annie Potts boyfriend for a bit. So Delta and Gerald did meet on set. How cute. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2008, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854/40 "2008-03-20T16:07:45Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia] Yeah, it was Kirge. Personally, I wouldn’t have minded helping him to “settle down”. [/QUOTE] I think that would be Alice Krige. When a scene is as explicit as the ones in _Wild Orchid_, well, at that point, the question of whether the guy’s penis is actually in there just seems like splitting hairs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-actors-do-naked-sex-scenes/441854.md?page=3)