An actor’s primary job is to convince audiences that everything they see on screen is authentic.
A good actor does not pretend to be a character going through scripted actions, they become
the person and exist naturally.
When it comes to sex scenes the question of reality and simulation may cause viewer to
ask, “Are they really doing it?”
Here are 10 Famous Actors who Actually Did It on screen.
Chloe Sevigny, The Brown Bunny Writer/Director Vincent Gallo is a controversial
filmmaker who tends to take advantage of his position.
His first film Buffalo 66 featured Christina Ricci in one of her first scantily clad and
seductive roles after evolving from child to adult actor.
However, it was 2003’s The Brown Bunny in which actress Chloe Sevigny enacts fellatio
on Gallo that really had people talking.
The excruciatingly awkward four minute scene was fine for Sevigny as she stated she had
an intimate relationship to Gallo prior to filming.
It was an unprecedented move considering Sevigny was becoming a major player of the
indie film scene before The Brown Bunny.
Legendary film critic Roger Ebert complained about the film not because of the salacious
scene but because of its banality.
Sevigny’s career did not suffer and she has since become an even bigger star with
choice film and television roles.
Robert Pattinson, Little Ashes Robert Pattinson is best known to audiences
as the sparkly vampire, Edward, from the Twilight film franchise.
When he isn’t playing the object of a lip-biting teenager’s affection, the actor likes to
branch out to small films like Little Ashes. Little Ashes is a 2008 drama about the life
of artist Salvador Dali.
For a sex scene in the film, Pattinson decided to pleasure himself on camera to have a realistic
reaction.
He later regretted the scene claiming it was such an embarrassing moment in his career
that he almost quit acting.
He persevered and continued working in spite of publicly displaying the personal moment.
Divine, Pink Flamingos John Waters may be one of the most bizarre
filmmakers in history.
His extreme vision knows no bounds but he has been able to acquire a cult following
in the over five decades he has been making movies.
All of his movies require a warning and an iron stomach prior to viewing.
One of the strangest and notorious Waters films is 1972’s Pink Flamingos.
The film stars flamboyant drag queen Divine and includes many questionable scenes such
as Divine eating real dog feces.
Just as Pink Flamingos seems to have reached its unappealing peak, it goes a step further
with Divine performing fellatio on an actor who plays her son.
Luckily, the two actors were not actually related.
The scene is disturbing nonetheless.
John Waters continued to make weird films like Cry-Baby and Serial Mom but none of them
compare to the truly off-the-wall Pink Flamingos.
Donald Sutherland with Julie Christie, Don’t Look Now
Don’t Look Now is a creepy 1973 thriller which stars Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie.
The film has a vibe similar to Rosemary’s Baby and tells the story of a couple who travel
to Italy after losing their daughter.
Soon they meet two women who claim that their daughter is alive causing chilling events
to unravel.
Don’t Look Now has a memorable sex scene between the two stars that was so convincing
many questioned if the two were engaging in an unsimulated act.
A movie producer who was on set while they were shooting the scene claimed that the scene
was not the work of movie magic but rather a genuine act between Sutherland and Christie.
Sutherland denied it years later but the film’s director and star Christie have decided to
remain tight lipped on the matter.
Melvin Van Peeples, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song
Melvin Van Peeples is a revolutionary filmmaker who triggered a new era of African American
focused flicks that were released in the 1970s.
His film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song was a solitary project which he wrote, directed,
produced, scored and financed after it was clear no studio would touch the action thriller.
Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song led the way for future Blaxploitation films, Shaft
and Superfly.
Since the film was put together with scotch tape and a dream, Melvin did his own stunts.
There were also unsimulated sex scenes featured in the film.
As this was basically Van Peeples pet project, he and the other actors engaged with one another
freely which reportedly resulted in a few sexually transmitted diseases, making the
independent film a memorable experience for all who were involved.
Peter Sarsgaard with Molly Parker, The Center of the World
The 2001 drama The Center of the World stars Peter Sarsgaard as a dot.com millionaire who
offers an exotic dancer $10,000 to spend three days with him.
While the plot sounds similar to Pretty Woman, the film is much darker and was filmed digitally
giving it a voyeuristic feel.
The film aroused controversy with its full frontal nudity and a scene involving a dancer
penetrating herself with a lollipop.
With that, it became the opinion of many that the sex scenes between Sargaard and actress
Molly Parker were also real.
There has been no confirmation to the contrary and the assumption remains true until otherwise
stated.
The Center of the World did not suffer for its graphic scenes but was praised by film
critics allowing it to be known as a true arthouse film.
Malcolm McDowell, Caligula The 1979 historical drama Caligula may be
the most well-known mainstream film to feature illicit pornographic sexual acts.
The film stars a cast of legitimate actors including Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren and
Peter O'Toole.
Penthouse founder Bob Guccione produced the film with the intention of having a pornographic
style film with a big budget, feature-film quality and seasoned actors.
Caligula does feature many orgy scenes performed by Penthouse Pets and most of the mainstream
actors stick to graphic nudity without penetration.
However, Macolm McDowell in the titular role was not able to get away with faking it on
screen.
Rumor has it there was no faux fornicating on his part and he truly committed to embodying
the sinful Roman emperor.
Eric Balfour with Lauren Lee Smith, Lie With Me
Canadian actress Lauren Lee Smith has worked steadily in television and film for years
most notably as a main character on the Showtime series The L Word and her brief stint on CSI.
Eric Balfour is an even more recognizable actor who has popped up in films like 2003’s
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and television’s Six Feet Under and Haven.
The two actors have both been around the block with demanding roles for a while but their
commitment to acting was tested with the 2005 drama Lie to Me.
The plot revolves around a sexually aggressive woman who hooks up with an equally aggressive
man causing explosive situations along the way.
The drama involved many explicit sex scenes with the two leads carrying out the scenes
with actual explicit acts.
Even with the actor’s dedication to graphic realism by pushing themselves to the limits,
the film was not well received.
Keiran O’ Reilly with Margot Stilley 9 Songs British Actor Keiran O’ Reilly and American
Actress Margot Stilley play a young couple who travel through England in the love story
9 Songs.
Director Michael Winterbottom has a history of realism with his filmmaking in movies like
1999’s Wonderland and 2002’s 24 hour Party People.
For the film 9 Songs, Winterbottom decided to bring naturalism through in the way of
intimate scenes between O’Reilly and Stilley.
The sexual content was majorly controversial once the film was released in 2004 due to
multiple instances of the two actors engaging in one salacious scene after another.
Critics were not impressed by the scenes but found them unerotic and tedious to watch.
Viewers and critics agreed the film was not worth the buzz.
Halle Berry with Billy Bob Thornton Monster's Ball
The 2001 romantic drama Monster’s Ball spills over with tremendous performances including
Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger and Halle Berry who earned an Academy Award for her
gritty role.
Thornton plays a former prison guard and Berry a widowed woman who recently lost her son
in a tragic accident.
The entire film is one bummer after another which culminates in a sexual encounter between
Thornton and Berry after drowning their sorrows with alcohol.
There was much speculation concerning the authenticity of the scene.
Berry’s and Thornton’s comments to the press regarding their mutual attraction may
have been what sparked speculation.
The two stars did not deny whether the scene was real but did emphasize the steaminess
of filming it.
Whether the heated scene was just another reason Berry deserved Oscar gold, or it was
legitimate sex between the two, is still unknown.
There’s our list.
What did you think?
Who did we forget?
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