This Is How Filmmakers Deal With Actors Getting Aroused During Sex Scenes

When done right, a sex scene can be incredibly steamy and really enhance the viewing experience, especially if you’re already heavily invested in the characters. 

For example, is there anything better in a romcom than the will-they-won’t-they couple finally coming to their senses and racing to the bedroom for a passionate evening in the sheets? I think not.

In fact, these scenes can be so believable that it’s hard to believe that the actors aren’t actually going at it. How do you stay un-aroused while filming these scenes? How do you go back to talking normally to the co-star once the scene is complete?

Well, there’s a lot to it.

How do actors avoid getting turned on when filming sex scenes?

While these scenes are hot as hell to us, the behind-the-scenes filming is... not so much. According to Backstage, there are a number of measures in place to ensure the safety and comfort of the actors, as well as choreography.

Basically, the scenes may SEEM very real to us but there is so much that goes into making them happen that they’re anything but.

Before the scene is even staged, the parties involved in a sex scene will meet with an intimacy coordinator one-on-one to ensure that the actor feels safe in the scene, discuss any boundaries and any other concerns that they may have.

From there, the intimacy coordinator works with a choreographer to discuss what can and cannot happen in the scene, which areas of the body the actors are comfortable with displaying and being touched and the boundaries the actors have when it comes to filming a sex scene.

Then there are the modesty garments. Backstage explains: “Modesty garments are coverings or full-body makeup can shield certain body parts from the camera and prevent genital-on-genital contact, which is strictly prohibited on union sets. ”

Shibues and hibues—strapless thongs—are a popular form of modesty patch. These stick directly to the body and give the illusion of nudity without actually revealing an actor’s genitals. While the adhesive is pretty strong, these can be removed with baby oil.

Speaking to Backstage, Alicia Rodis, an intimacy coordinator said that she keeps these in a variety of hues on set, adding: “We take a shibue, open it up, and put a silicone guard underneath so everyone becomes like a Barbie doll.” 

Though people with penises may opt to wear a “sock”, which is a drawstring skin-coloured pouch that holds the penis and testicles, instead. For those with breasts, they can wear pasties over their nipples.

What happens if an actor gets aroused during a sex scene?

With all of these measures in place, it’s hard to imagine getting aroused but according to David Thackeray, an intimacy coordinator for studios like Netflix, Warner Bros, Apple TV, BBC, and HBO, it’s perfectly normal.

Speaking to Business Insider, Thackery said that during the filming of sex scenes, actors “are going through the physical and the mind, so yeah, it happens.”

When it does happen, the production immediately pauses. Thackery said: “We just make it really clear that’s normal and that the worst thing you can do is carry on, so we call that a time-out. Give them five minutes then I come in and check in … Then we come back into it when they’re ready.”

Thackery added that actors are warned that this can happen beforehand and intimacy coordinators work hard to ensure the entire team knows that this is normal, saying: “The worst thing we can do is gawk or make it a massive deal. I will say for the crew as well, making sure they’re aware of what scene is being shot, what nudity is going to be seen. You don’t want them to be surprised.”