# Sex scenes in movies (non-pornographic) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 15, 2004, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221 "2004-07-15T05:10:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/1 "2004-07-15T05:10:42Z")
Are sex scenes in non-pornographic movies real? Like, was the sex scene in **8 Mile** real, or was it just acting? If it is real, do they use condoms or BC or what? Is there an official condom of Hollywood? And do they test actors for STDs before? Is there a doctor out there that knows ever STD in Hollywood? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/2 "2004-07-15T05:53:09Z")
They aren’t real. There are a few rumors about certain famous sex scenes, but I don’t know if any have been confirmed has being genuine shenanigans. ---
**Author:** ![AveDementia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@AveDementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AveDementia)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/3 "2004-07-15T06:28:43Z")
Brown Bunny was real, and horrifically so from what I’ve heard. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/4 "2004-07-15T06:38:16Z")
Chloe Sevigny gave Vincent Gallo a blowjob in The Brown Bunny. I’ve also heard rumors about Wild Orchid. Neither movies are worth watching. I would think that performing a real sex scene would do nothing but hurt a persons career. Chloe Sevigny was dumped by her agent after this. The outtakes are supposedly even more graphic than the blowjob. You can infer what you like into that. I haven’t heard any specific detalis but there are only a few things one can do that is more graphic than a blowjob. ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/5 "2004-07-15T07:10:45Z")
So they’re really acting? Even if it looks really real? Any clue as to how they do this? ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/6 "2004-07-15T07:13:20Z")
There’s a new British movie called [“9 Songs”](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411705/) in which the two main actors did in fact have sex. And it’s supposed to be explicit about the sex. Meaning you see things go in things. Directer by Michael Winterbottom and starring Margo Stilley and Keiran O’Brien. Not sure if it will ever get released anywhere. It played at Cannes but that was the last I’ve heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![AveDementia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@AveDementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AveDementia)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/7 "2004-07-15T07:23:15Z")
> [@xvxdarkknightxvx](#): > > So they’re really acting? Even if it looks really real? Any clue as to how they do this? What? It’s real sex in a non-pornographic movie, with people acting as the characters they play in the movie. I hope that answered your questions. ---
**Author:** ![xvxdarkknightxvx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/34f0e0/32.png) [@xvxdarkknightxvx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xvxdarkknightxvx)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/8 "2004-07-15T08:20:33Z")
> [@AveDementia](#): > > What? It’s real sex in a non-pornographic movie, with people acting as the characters they play in the movie. > > I hope that answered your questions. Wait, what? Your stance on this is that they really do have sex in non-porno movies? **friedo** says that “they aren’t real”. I guess from this that he means they’re pretending to have sex. So which is it? Real sex or not? P.S. By “real sex”, I mean penetration. ---
**Author:** ![AveDementia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@AveDementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AveDementia)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/9 "2004-07-15T10:06:30Z")
> [@xvxdarkknightxvx](#): > > Wait, what? Your stance on this is that they really do have sex in non-porno movies? > **friedo** says that “they aren’t real”. I guess from this that he means they’re pretending to have sex. So which is it? Real sex or not? > > P.S. By “real sex”, I mean penetration. Sorry for the confusion. In the examples that have been given, it IS real sex in those non-porno movies. The Brown Bunny, 9 songs, and possibly Wild Orchid. But other than those films (and a few others, I’m sure) it ISN’T real sex. It’s just acting, lighting, and camera angles. 8 mile was acting. Most of them are acting, because like **drm** said, it’s a really bad career move. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/10 "2004-07-15T10:19:22Z")
> [@xvxdarkknightxvx](#): > > Wait, what? Your stance on this is that they really do have sex in non-porno movies? > **friedo** says that “they aren’t real”. I guess from this that he means they’re pretending to have sex. So which is it? Real sex or not? > > P.S. By “real sex”, I mean penetration. Oh for god’s sake. Look, with extremely rare exceptions, the sex scenes in non-pornographic movies are not real sex. Even if they look really really really _really_ real, they aren’t. Actors and actresses, especially ones with any power in the industry, will often have “nudity clauses” in their contracts which will spell out exactly what parts of their bodies may and may not appear in the film. I recall looking through a contract rider on the Smoking Gun (can’t remember the actress; too lazy to look it up) that not only specified she wouldn’t appear nude but the filmmakers were prohibited from representing her as nude (through the use of body doubles or technology). On the set, women will do things like put electrical tape on their nipples and men will wear “cock socks,” so that if the camera catches the part (intentionally or accidentally) the shot is unusable. In turn, directors will often require that any nude or sex scenes are filmed first (or early in the schedule) so that the performer can’t at the end of the shoot suddenly refuse to do it (or if they do refuse they can be replaced). Source for the above paragraph are a number of television and print interviews with various performers. The closest that non-hardcore movies get to penetration is in those direct-to-video/Cinemax things with titles like “Forbidden Sins” and “Model Lust.” If you look at how the woman is positioned, it’s apparent that in many of the set-ups not only are the performers not having actual sex but that the appropriate anatomical bits aren’t even lined up properly. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/11 "2004-07-15T11:05:44Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > The closest that non-hardcore movies get to penetration is in those direct-to-video/Cinemax things with titles like “Forbidden Sins” and “Model Lust.” Don’t forget _Forbidden Lust_, _Sinful Models_, _Passionate Sins_, _Forbidden Passion_, _Lustful Forbidden Passion_ and _Bikini Bistro_. ---
**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/12 "2004-07-15T11:17:15Z")
John Cameron Mitchell, who wrote, directed, and starred in _Hedwig and the Angry Inch_, has been in working on [this](http://imdb.com/title/tt0367027/) for the last few years. It’s supposed to be a non-pornographic film that nonetheless features graphic (penetrative) sex. But I first heard about this right after _Hedwig_ was released and it’s still in pre-production, so who knows if it’ll ever get filmed. [Here](http://www.thesexfilmproject.com/)’s the film’s official Web site, but it’s probably not work-safe. I’ve got mixed feelings about this. If it were anyone else making it, I’d just assume it was an attempt to “legitimize” porn, but John Cameron Mitchell doesn’t seem to be the type to do that. I imagine the reason the reason the film’s taking so long to get made is that he’s having trouble finding a cast. He doesn’t want porn stars, from what I can tell, he wants “legitimate” actors. The problem is that most as-yet-unknown actors he finds aren’t going to risk ruining their careers before they even get started by appearing in a film like this. I mean, look at the backlash Chloë Sevigny’s getting over _The Brown Bunny_ and they didn’t even show anything (from what I’ve heard). ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/13 "2004-07-15T11:42:51Z")
Some fairly recent movies featuring actual sex acts were _Intimacy_ starring Kerry Fox. It received generally good reviews and is well worth watching. as well as the French movies _Romance_ and _Baise-moi_, ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/14 "2004-07-15T12:21:12Z")
I had heard that Kim Bassinger and her husband did it for real one of the movies - maybe The Getaway. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/15 "2004-07-15T12:37:31Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Actors and actresses, especially ones with any power in the industry, will often have “nudity clauses” in their contracts which will spell out exactly what parts of their bodies may and may not appear in the film. I recall looking through a contract rider on the Smoking Gun (can’t remember the actress; too lazy to look it up) that not only specified she wouldn’t appear nude but the filmmakers were prohibited from representing her as nude (through the use of body doubles or technology). > > On the set, women will do things like put electrical tape on their nipples and men will wear “cock socks,” so that if the camera catches the part (intentionally or accidentally) the shot is unusable. In turn, directors will often require that any nude or sex scenes are filmed first (or early in the schedule) so that the performer can’t at the end of the shoot suddenly refuse to do it (or if they do refuse they can be replaced). Interesting, I didn’t think non A-list actors had that kind of clout. I was under the impression that with all the wannabe stars out there, directors cuold make pretty much whatever demands they liked of actors. I’m sure Meg Ryan, Sandra Bullock and Julia Roberts can make whatever demands the like, but anyone else seems … replaceable. ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/16 "2004-07-15T12:40:49Z")
> [@Fern Forest](#): > > There’s a new British movie called [“9 Songs”](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411705/) in which the two main actors did in fact have sex. And it’s supposed to be explicit about the sex. Meaning you see things go in things. Er, that would make it hardcore, wouldn’t it? Not I’m judging. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/17 "2004-07-15T12:59:09Z")
What appears to be happening is that people are trying to redraw the line between pornos and mainstream film. Taking it from what they will show and replacing it with the reason they show things. “9 Songs” is trying to tell a story and the sex is part of that. And the porno version could be the exact same movie but meant to excite and cause certain self gratifying acts. I guess you could say that makes the difference not in the film but in the director’s head. Well, that and his ability to carry it off and make a good movie. I don’t particularly agree with them. Sex to me is more then just a very, very good massage. BTW, watch who you go to see these movies with. I’d hate to be stuck next to my mom watching one of these for 90 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/18 "2004-07-15T15:14:06Z")
Linda Fiorentino’s [nudity rider](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/fiorentino1.html). A page from Diane Lane’s [contract](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0511041lane4.html) which requires prior written consent for any nude scene or body double sex scene. I think someone should come up with a better name than “nudity rider.” It sounds like a very naughty hero of the Old West. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/19 "2004-07-15T21:47:03Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Linda Fiorentino’s [nudity rider](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/fiorentino1.html). Interesting document. One part of it stipulated that any film not used in the “answer print” was to be promptly destroyed. Anybody know what an answer print is? It’s not in the IMDb glossary. DD ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2004, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221/20 "2004-07-15T21:55:58Z")
The answer print is the first print the Lab gives the producer so that he can determine if changes are needed before printing the balance of the order. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-scenes-in-movies-non-pornographic/255221.md?page=2)