The Unexpected Reality Behind Hollywood's Steamiest Scenes

All great movies have at least one great love scene in them, and these classics are no exception. From Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze's iconic pottery scene in "Ghost" to more modern, humorous takes like "American Pie," find out which steamy scenes were heavy enough to make the cut.

Emilia Clarke and Jason Momoa, "Game of Thrones"

Despite the rocky start to the Khaleesi and Khal's relationship, the chemistry between actors Emilia Clarke and Jason Momoa was steamy from the start. However, to help ease the tension while filming some of the more intimate scenes, Momoa wore a bright pink sock instead of the typical flesh-colored sock in an attempt to make Clark laugh. It certainly worked, because their scenes are some of Clarke and Momoa's most memorable moments. 

Henry Cavill, "The Tudors"

Despite the period drama's famous raunchy sex scenes, filming them wasn't as exciting as one would think. Star Henry Cavill said that he had to apologize profusely after filming one particularly hot scene since he'd gotten aroused and felt embarrassed and unprofessional. All that tension certainly couldn't have been one-sided, though.

Christopher Mintz-Plasse, "Superbad"

The actor was actually a real teen at the time of filming the Seth Rogen classic "Superbad." McLovin revealed that his notedly awkward sex scene wasn't fun for either party involved. “She got there, and I had fake sexual intercourse in front of her. Afterwards, we didn’t talk about it; we still don’t speak about that moment.”

Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, "The Passengers"

The scene between high profile actors Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt in their space odyssey film, "The Passengers," was allegedly anxiety-inducing for Lawrence. She got "really drunk" before filming in order to make it through the guilt of kissing a married man because Pratt was still with wife Anna Farris at the time. After she left the shoot, she said drinking had "led to more anxiety when I got home, because I was like, ‘What have I done? I don’t know.’"

Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal, "Love & Other Drugs"

Though "Love & Other Drugs" is full of sex scenes, one that particularly stood out to Hathaway was when her character accidentally stripped in front of Gyllenhaal's character's friend. She prepared a little too well during rehearsals, though. She removed her trenchcoat and accidentally revealed that she was completely nude underneath to a room full of people.

Robert Pattinson, "Maps to the Stars"

The former "Twilight" star has made it no secret that he's prone to sweating, and his time filming "Maps to the Stars" with Julianne Moore proved to be no different. He recalls things getting overwhelmingly steamy—literally —while filming the more intimate scenes. “I was trying to literally catch drops of sweat to stop them from hitting her back! Afterwards, she was like ‘Are you having a panic attack?’ It was so embarrassing.”

Emmy Rossum, "Shameless"

Emmy Rossum's character on "Shameless" is no stranger to topless scenes, but she and the producers made sure there was still a level of class to the set. There is a line between a love scene and flat-out erotic film, so Rossum wore discreet types of underwear in order to avoid going fully nude in her scenes. 

Allison Williams, "Girls"

Allison William's character Marnie made one particular scene pretty infamous as the show's season opener. She says that her goal with intimate scenes is to make things as comfortable for her scene partner as possible. “I grabbed the make-up girl and said, ‘I want to smell like a cake,’ so we put vanilla cream everywhere so everything smells good."

Ryan Reynolds and Olivia Wilde, "The Change Up"

Olivia Wilde pulled a prank on co-star Ryan Reynolds when she had to take her top off in front of him. “So in the scene, she’s sitting there, and I take her top off, I take her bra off, and she has those pasties on, but she’s drawn these adorable little smiley faces on them. And I forget every line in the scene. Not just from this movie, from every movie I’ve done," he said. 

Allison Janney, "Life During Wartime"

Janney actually sent her costar Michael Lerner to the hospital while filming their sex scene. “We had to have sex up against a wall and they started spraying us with glistening stuff to make us look sweaty, but no one seemed to realise that we were standing on a marble floor. They said action and he … pulled me up against the wall and his feet slipped out from under him and he went crashing down on the floor. It was terrible, but it was one of those moments I’ll never forget.”

Keanu Reeves, "Knock Knock"

Keanu Reeves filmed the 2015 movie "Knock Knock" alongside the director's wife. The kicker? The sex scenes he worked on were actually a threesome, and the director was totally cool with it.  "Eli [Roth, the director] created a great situation of trust in rehearsal...but eventually you've got to strip naked and simulate, and I wasn't going to be that guy who was like, 'Hey Eli, your wife's hot!' Yeah no, he was really cool about it and we all...had fun."

Margot Robbie, "The Wolf of Wall Street"

While filming that infamous sex scene with onscreen husband Leonardo DiCaprio, Robbie left the shoot with a ton of paper cuts on her back from rolling around on all that money. "If anyone is ever planning on having sex on top of a pile of cash: don’t. Or maybe real money is a bit softer...when I got up off the bed, I turned around to get my robe and everyone gasped. They said, 'You look like you’ve been whipped a million times."

Dave Franco, "Neighbors"

Dave Franco's first onscreen sex scene started and ended in embarrassment. He had a huge pimple right on his butt during the day of filming. He barely knew his co-star, Halson Sage, and "of course, I woke up that morning and I had a giant pimple on my ass," he said. "I had to go to the makeup artist who I had also just met that week and be like, 'Can I go in the other room and have you put makeup [on it]?'"

Aubrey Plaza and Robert DeNiro, "Dirty Grandpa"

Aubrey Plaza revealed she was so nervous to film raunchy scenes with Robert DeNiro, a much older man, so she found a way to break the ice. "I took an incredibly slutty picture of myself in character, put it in a book about Zen Buddhism, and slipped it under his trailer door. I didn't hear anything about it for a week, so I was terrified that I was going to get fired. Then, he casually came over to me a week later and was like, 'I got your book...' — and I had put the photo on page 4, so then he said—'I only got to page 4, but it was VERY good.'"

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, "Fifty Shades of Grey"

Jamie Dornan, a funny guy off camera and a heartthrob onscreen, did everything he could to make co-star Dakota Johnson laugh while filming their intimate scenes. The "Fifty Shades of Grey" franchise was known for its erotic bedroom moments, but the filming was actually very lighthearted and fun. "When there's a wider shot and we're going for it all in one piece, they'll play music over it, and it's always my temptation to make Dakota laugh," Dornan said. "So sometimes, I'll do things like—in a moment when I'm meant to orgasm—I'll instead go, 'Doo-doo-doodley-do!'"

Robert Pattinson, "Breaking Dawn"

Too much of Pattinson's body was shown during that infamous honeymoon scene and the editors had to recut it before sending the film to theaters. Though I'm sure viewers wouldn't have minded, he certainly did. "There was too much buttcrack," Pattinson said. "That was one thing I was told they had to cut out, but they didn't cut the shot—they just cut my crack out. Like, they painted over it, because you can show cheek, but you cannot show crack."

Julia Roberts, "Pretty Woman"

Before filming her intimate scenes with Richard Gere, Roberts said she got so nervous that she broke out in hives. “I had never done this kind of stuff before, and I was really nervous," Roberts said. "I'd get hives. They'd say, ‘kiss,’ and I'd get a hive...but the funny thing is that we’d become such a family. This particular crew, we became so close to one another that by the time a scene like this came up—everyone knowing the way that I felt and my kind of value ideas about it—everybody was more nervous than I was.”

Mark Wahlberg, "Boogie Nights"

Marky Mark wasn't exactly as well-endowed as the costume designers thought he was when designing a prosthetic penis for him to wear during filming. The first one was way too long, and the second one was accurately to scale. He actually kept it when the movie wrapped! "So this thing was down past my knees," Wahlberg said. "Everybody thought it was ridiculous, and I had to come out on the set to show it to everybody. It was very embarrassing, BUT the shorter one they remade is still the only prop I've ever kept from a movie."

Keira Knightley, "Atonement"

Keira Knightley's famous green dress in "Atonement" had several backups because it kept ripping during that famous library scene. "I probably broke them all," Knightley said. "You can't have a sex scene in a dress like that! It was all laser-cut in the front, so literally, if you touched it [it ripped]. They had so many [backups], and the tops had to keep being resewn and redone."

Kate Winslet and James Gandolfini, "Romance and Cigarettes"

Director John Turturro thought things were getting a little too heated during the couple's sex scenes, so he actually had them film them separately. "So I decided to take James out of the scene and I put Kate on a big bouncy ball and just had her bounce and look around. The problem was how to connect them so when it was James' turn, he pretended to have sex and I threw Kate's wig around...so if you watch the scene, they're completely free, but they're not in the same room together."

Ben Affleck, "Live By Night"

Ben Affleck starred in and directed "Live By Night," which made it pretty tricky to yell "cut" during an intimate scene. "We had these montages of sex scenes and in my mind—I was thinking, Well, we're just going again, like without yelling 'cut'; we'll just keep going. And finally, Sienna just started laughing and said, 'Who do you think you are? How many times can one man climax?!'"

Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"

The horror film based around the famous "Black Swan" ballet dance stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis pitted against each other as rival dancers. The steamy scene they share is left up for debate about whether or not it actually really happened, or if it was a fever dream. The film is overall beautiful and violent and marked as one of both actresses' best films.

Emma Stone and Olivia Coleman, "The Favourite"

Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas, "Original Sin"

While "Original Sin" might not have been a box office hit, it makes up for its lack of acclaim with several incredibly steamy scenes between stars Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie. The two had so much chemistry that people still wonder, nearly a decade later, if their scenes were actually stimulated or not. Neither will say yes or no, so it's up to viewers' imagination.

Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze, "Ghost"

"Ghost" holds one of the most infamous sex scenes of all time, probably for its unique framing and concept. Somehow the two make wheel-thrown pottery sexy. Though it's one of the only steamy scenes in the movie, it definitely packs a huge punch. 

Ashely Benson and Vanessa Hudgens, "Spring Breakers"

Despite denouncing a sequel, James Franco did partake in an underwater threesome scene with Benson and Hudgens that would have made anyone's spring break an unbelievable trip. Though the film itself was quite a mess, it did get viewers talking about what makes a truly ideal spring break trip. 

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, "Titanic"

Though nothing tops Titanic's "draw me like one of your French girls" scene, this one comes in a close second. This is the scene viewers sat through two hours for, and the image of Kate Winslet's steamy handprint on the car window has become one of the film's most iconic moments.

Jason Biggs, "American Pie"

"American Pie" is the go-to raunchy coming of age film. One particular scene featuring norious strike-out Jason Biggs tends to come to mind. That infamous pie scene is probably why the film has the name that it does, right?

Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, "The Notebook"

"The Notebook" is one of the most timeless love stories ever told. The moment where Noah and Allie finally reconnect after years apart is what so many young women hope to find in their own love lives. McAdams and Gosling's chemistry onscreen was obviously intense because they dated for several years after the movie.

Kristen Bell, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"

Jason Segel stars opposite Bell in this rom-com, and he's best known for that split-second of full-frontal we see in the opening credits. Also starring known playboy Russell Brand, who plays Bell's summer fling, this film has plenty of awkward sexcapades to go around. And yes, he does forget Sarah Marshall.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, "Brokeback Mountain"

2005's cowboy romance film went down in history as one of the most controversial and one of the most-watched films ever. The taboo-at-the-time love story between Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal was shown onscreen unapologetically and is still one of the most notable films of both actors' careers. It paved the way for more LGBTQ-friendly films. 

Midsommar

"Midsommar" features a ritualistic sex scene that took two weeks to film. It's filled with nudity, and the hyper-real yet dystopic aesthetic makes it both terrifying and funny in a can't-look-away kind of way. 

Timothee Chalomet and Armie Hammer, "Call Me By Your Name"

The "I don't want you to go" scene was the most talked-about scene of the summer when this film came out. Though the two never go all the way onscreen, they have enough foreplay to make the audience think that they did. At least they have the peach scene to hold them over.

Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, "Cruel Intentions"

The couple in this film would later actually get married in real life, which only added to their chemistry. Though they aren't together anymore, if you ever miss the good old days of a classic '90's couple, just put on this film. Things get steamy for everyone involved, which makes this a classic hot and heavy watch.

Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine"

This movie explores the inevitability of toxic relationships as a  lack of motivation and intense self-absorption causes the undoing of a marriage. Despite the ups and downs in their relationship, you can't deny Gosling and Williams have intense chemistry. Their intimate scenes are some of the driving forces behind the plot. 

Tom Cruise and Renee Zellwegger, "Jerry Maguire"

This is every mom's favorite movie, don't try and prove that wrong. Tom Cruise was at his peak dream boy in this film, and Renee Zellwegger played the every-woman who pins him down. The sweet yet frustrating relationship they have is one of the most normal portrayed onscreen.

Tom Cruise and Rebecca de Mornay, "Risky Business"

The taboo sex-in-public scene between Joel and Lana was definitely the highlight of this teenage boy's adventures while his parents are away. For whatever reason, the bus driver doesn't notice Joel and Lana getting hot and heavy in the backseat, and they somehow go all the way without getting caught. That's something he can check off his bucket list. 

Cerina Vincent and Rider Strong, "Cabin Fever"

"Cabin Fever" plays out the typical "last man standing versus the final girl" trope. A flesh-eating virus terrorizes a group of college students vacationing in the mountains, but while they're trying to enjoy their time in isolation, all hell breaks loose. However, when it seems like the end, Vincent and Strong's characters decide to go at it one last time. 

Sharon Stone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, "Total Recall"

Despite a very macho plotline and action-packed fight scenes, "Total Recall" has its moments of intimacy. Lori and Douglas Quaid have a sweet scene in the beginning of the film that sets the tone of their relationship for the rest of the movie. Don't be fooled, though—Schwarzenegger is still the ultimate action star and not a rom-com hero.

Eric Bana and Ayelet Zurer, "Munich"

The film "Munich" is more of a war biopic based in Israel rather than a romantic film. However, Bana and Zurer's characters, a married couple expecting a baby, do share an incredibly intimate scene while she's still pregnant. It grounds the rest of the violence in the movie and distances the viewer from the overwhelming action for a few minutes.

Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"

In this murder mystery, Pike's character—married to Affleck's character—decided to seduce another man. Things got steamy fast, but it all ends in tragedy when she slits his throat. The entire film is a rollercoaster of "whodunnit" right up until the very end. 

Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"

One of Hollywood's strangest cult obsession, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" is known for one particularly raunchy scene: the "Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me" number. Leading couple Janet and Brad get caught up in the heat of the moment while also wrapped up in an elaborate musical number. There's a reason your parents probably didn't let you see this film, or any of its remakes, in theaters as a kid.

Doug Jones and Sally Hawkins, "The Shape of Water"

The most shocking part of this Guillermo del Toro film was definitely the interspecies sex scene. Viewers weren't expecting a quiet young woman to fall for an amphibian man, but it happened. It made it all the way to the Oscar's for its...creativity. There certainly hasn't been a film like it since. 

Patrick Swayze, "Road House"

Only one man could have made all the scenes in this film look so effortless: Patrick Swayze. He's the entire face of this film, and whether he's beating up guys at bars or having what appears to be simulated sex against a brick wall, he makes them both look good. Who would have thought "Dirty Dancing" would have kicked off his career?

Sharon Stone and Stan Collymore, "Basic Instinct"

The standout scene in "Basic Instinct" takes place in a moving car with Sharon Stone behind the wheel. They get busy while she's tearing down rain-covered streets, and she somehow doesn't miss a single turn. Her scene partner, Stan Collymore, was a pro football player-turned actor.

Patrick Wilson and Malin Akerman, "Watchmen"

Considered one of the best graphic novel adaptations ever, "Watchmen" features two superheroes, Silk Spectre and Night Owl II, who come together during an intimate scene featuring Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." After they've spent the day saving the world from evil, things start to heat up in their galactic spaceship.

John Cusak and Nicole Kidman, "The Paperboy"

Despite the obvious chemistry between Zac Efron's character and the older leading lady Nicole Kidman's character, the true heat comes from a rough laundry room scene featuring Kidman and John Cusak. The two play the loves of each other's lives, and they finally get together for one steamy scene.

Chris Hemsworth and Anna Hutchison, "The Cabin in the Woods"

In one scene, Chris Hemsworth is set on having sex with his girlfriend Anna Hutchison in the woods, and if you've ever seen any horror movie, you know that's a recipe for disaster. Weird things have already started happening to this gang of misfit friends while they're on spring break, so splitting up from the group probably isn't a good idea. However, they're being watched the entire time.

Erika Christensen, "Swimfan"

The hot scene in this movie is just a good old fashioned underwater romp. Despite Christensen's character being pretty crazy, she and her crush (or obsession) still somehow have a pretty good time sneaking into the pool.

Bradley Cooper and Michael Ian Black, "Wet Hot American Summer"

A very young Bradley Cooper plays a gay camp counselor in the classic summer flick, and he has a secret rendezvous with Michael Ian Black's character in a tool shed. This film was another progressively LGBTQ friendly film for its time and having an actor like Cooper play an openly gay character helped normalize the role.

Diane Lane and Oliver Martinez, "Unfaithful"

There's one quick scene in "Unfaithful," despite the fact that the entire film is about an affair, where Diane Lane excuses herself from a lunch with friends to have a quick fling with her secret lover in the bathroom. Lane's character cheats on her husband, played by Richard Gere, and viewers probably thought she was crazy. Both men vying for her attention are incredibly attractive, though, so maybe it's a win-win?

Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton, "Monster's Ball"

This scene in "Monster's Ball" is all about consent. Halle Berry is the center of attention during their love scene, and the most chills-inducing part is when Thornton asks if it's okay for him to touch her. Oh, man!

Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux, "Blue is the Warmest Color"

This film was incredibly controversial at the time of its release, even though it's relatively new. The 2013 lesbian-centered love story is filled with lots of intimate-to-graphic sex scenes but also tells a very touching coming-of-age story. 

Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman, "No Strings Attached"

The "making it happen" scene in this film is a fan-favorite. Who doesn't love a dream duo like Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher, first of all? In this particular moment, the two try to have sex as quietly as possible so Portman's roommates don't hear them.

Uma Thurman and John Malkovitch, "Dangerous Liaisons"

If period dramas aren't your thing, you might not like this one, even though it is all about power, seduction, betrayal, and manipulation. There's a particularly intimate scene that features Malkovitch seducing the very young Thurman.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"

The film where "Brangelina" got together has gone down in history as one of the couple's steamiest roles. Their moments together are usually a little rough, which fits the violent theme of the film. It's no wonder they fell in love on set—the chemistry in this movie is undeniable.

Brooke Shields and Christopher Atkins, "The Blue Lagoon"

Brooke Shields was only 14 when she starred in this Castaway-esque film alongside heartthrob Christopher Atkins. Two stranded teens come of age and fall in love on a deserted island, and the film was risque for its time because Shields walked around topless for most of her scenes. It's stood the test of time, though, because there have been several remakes.

Eva Green and Sullivan Stapleton, "300: Rise of an Empire"

Not the Gerard Butler movie, the other 300, released in 2014. The sequel details the continuation of Butler's epic saga, and it features a rough scene between Stapleton and Green, who play each other's enemies. The saying "keep your enemies closer" is taken to a whole new level here.

Reese Witherspoon and Mark Wahlberg, "Fear"

The classic rollercoaster scene between a very young Witherspoon and Wahlberg is what solidifies his obsession with her and ultimately drives him insane. What starts off as a seemingly-innocent teenage relationship quickly turns deadly as Wahlberg does whatever he can to pursue the young girl.

Keira Knightley and Aaron Taylor Johnson, "Anna Karenina"

This is another steamy period piece that places two British heartthrobs in the center of 19th century Russia. Their scene rivals the gracefully-choreographed ballroom dance numbers they share. Behind closed doors, they're just as in sync with each other as they are on the dance floor.

Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton, "American Gigolo"

Tables are turned on Richard Gere as he plays the escort this time instead of another pretty woman. In the same vein as "Pretty Woman," the escort falls in love, and in the scene, Gere shares with Hutton, they have a romantic and passionate night together as they affirm their love for one another. There's a reason Gere was one of the most sought-after men of his time.

Ewan McGregor and Vivian Wu, "The Pillow Book"

"The Pillow Book" follows a young couple who take direction from a Japenese tantric book and find inspiration in all sorts of places. There are romantic bathtub scenes and even an intimate bodypainting scene. There certainly is something for everyone in this film.

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, "Revolutionary Road"

The "Titanic" lovers are back on the screen together after nearly a decade. In "Revolutionary Road," they play a couple whose marriage is falling apart. Though the actors have been platonic friends for years, their steamy kitchen scene will have you thinking otherwise. Despite the film's sad ending, their love story is another one that rivals the box office hit of their youth.

Brad Pitt and Rose Byrne, "Troy"

Honestly, what can't Brad Pitt do? One of his earlier, and maybe most famous, roles is as Achilles in a remake of the classic story "Troy." He kidnaps Byrne's character, Briseis, and though their relationship gets off to a rocky start, the two fall deeply in love. Like most period stories, theirs ends in tragedy. 

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, "Breaking Dawn: Part II"

The scene every Twihard waited so long for: vampire sex. This time, no furniture was broken during the action. Though it might not compare to the beautiful honeymoon scene from "Breaking Dawn: Part 1," Bella's transformation was the plotline that the entire franchise was building toward.