Anyone who has seen an intimate scene in a movie has always wondered: is it awkward? The short answer is yes, it's usually very awkward. A good actor knows how to qualm the nerves, though. Whether it's playing a prank on their scene partner or simply keeping the mood light by cracking bizarre jokes in between takes, there's always something going on that the viewer doesn't see during those steamy moments.
Margot Robbie in The Wolf of Wall Street
Margot Robbie and Leonardi DiCaprio filmed a scene that went down in the history if film. The two were actually filming on a pile of money (fake, of course) which apparently wasn't a very great surface to be on. When Robbie got up when the camera's stopped rolling, everyone in the room gasped.
The paper money that they had used for the "bed" was actually extremely sharp... So much so that it left Robbie's back completely turn up with paper cuts! "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."
Christopher Mintz-Plasse in Superbad
McLovin is an iconic character who is still talked about despite the fact that the movie is easily over a decade old. The awkward, nerdy character who didn't really seem to notice just how awkward and nerdy he was went down in history for one particular scene. No, it wasn't when he tried to show off his fake ID to the cashier!
Since he was 17 while shooting, his mother had to be on set to supervise. Yes, even during that scene. In an interview, Mintz-Plasse recalled, “She got [to set], 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.”
Emmy Rossum in Shameless
Emmy Rossum's character on Shameless was all over the place. She was definitely not shy during her romantic scenes, but she and the producers still made sure that things stayed professionally and classy on set, which is hilarious considering that no characters in the show are remotely professional nor classy.
In order to keep things low-key on set, the costume designer had the perfect plan to keep Rossum partially clothed... even during her fully nude scenes. She wore a plethora of discreet types of underwear to avoid going truly fully nude. You would never even know!
Emilia Clarke and Jason Momoa, "Game of Thrones"
At the beginning of Game of Thrones, the Khaleesi and Khal's relationship was everybody's endgame. The beginning was rough and scary but it turned into something that people actually loved and cherished. For actors Emilia Clarke and Jason Momoa, things weren't as romantic on set as they seemed on screen. Momoa did have some funny ideas to keep things funny during the awkwardly steamy scenes!
Instead of wearing the typical flesh-colored socks that actors use during romantic scenes, Momoa decided to wear a bright pink one that truly stuck out. His attempt at breaking the ice actually worked, and they were some of the most memorable for Clarke and Momoa!
Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal in Love & Other Drugs
Love & Other Drugs has its fair share of romantic scenes, but there was always one in particular that stood out to Hathaway. It was the iconic scene where her character accidentally strips in front of a friend of Gullenhaal's character. It wasn't the scene itself, but what the rehearsal of said scene.
Although her character was supposed to strip, she was still supposed to be clothed during rehearsals. Apparently, she didn't get the memo, and accidentally flashed a room full of people who weren't yet expecting her to be fully nude! As embarrassed as she was, she played it off and now looks back on that moment as a funny one.
Henry Cavill in The Tudors
This period drama is surely one for the books. There's something about romance in the old ages that makes fans super excited. Even though Henry Cavill looks like he'd be a smooth talking cool guy, he was actuaully quite the opposite while filming the love scenes
In an interview, Cavill admitted that he had accidentally gotten aroused during a particular scene. He was so embarrassed and felt unprofessional that he could barely come back to set! In hindsight, he said that it was funny but he still profusely apologized to his co-actor for his behavior. Whoops!
Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt in The Passengers
Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence were at the height of their careers during the filming of The Passengers. Lawrence admitted in nearly every interview how awkward and anxious she was about her love scene with Pratt, who was married to Anna Farris at the time. How did she get through the nerves and guilt? Drinking.
Lawrence said that she had to get "really drunk" before filming just to get through the guilt of kissing a married man. After she left the shoot, she said that the drinking only led to more anxiety, especially once she was home and finally alone with her thoughts. "I was like, ‘What have I done? I don’t know.’"
Robert Pattinson in Maps to the Stars
Robert Pattinson doesn't take himself too seriously. He likes to joke and make light of himself, especially his embarrassing moments. While he was filming Map to the Stars, he always tended to get sweaty while filming the steamy scenes.
Now, it's no secret that he's generally a sweaty guy and has even said that during other interviews, but that doesn't make it any less embarrassing! “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.”
Allison Williams in Girls
Girls was a show filled with sex scenes. Allison Williams played the character of Marnie. Marnie had plenty of romantic partners, so Williams was used to filming those types of scenes, despite how awkward they were. In order to keep things as comfortable as possible, Williams had one trick up her sleeve.
In interviews, she's always said that her number one goal was to make sure that her scene partner was as comfortable as possible. So, she came up with the idea of smelling like a vanilla cake. “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 in The Change Up
Olivia Wilde and Ryan Reynolds co-starred in the film The Change Up. The film was a comedy, so even the romantic scenes weren't exactly serious. Apparently, Wilde wanted to keep the mood light, so she pulled a little prank on Reynolds during their scene.
“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 in Life During Wartime
Allison Janney had a hilarious mishap during her romantic scene with costar Michael Lerner while filming Life During Wartime. In fact, it was more like an accident! Lerner actuaully had to make a trip to the hospital post-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 in Knock Knock
Everyone loves Keanu Reeves. In fact, he's so beloved by everyone in film that he was given the okay to film a romantic scene with the director's wife. Eli Roth, of course, 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." Honestly, if Roth put his wife in the scene and then got mad, that'd be pretty weird!
Dave Franco in Neighbors
Dave Franco's scene in Neighbors was actually is very first onscreen sex scene. Sadly, it was an extremely embarrassing day for him and it was totally out of control. He woke up with a pimple... on his butt.
He said of the day, "Of course, I woke up that morning and I had a giant pimple on my [butt]. 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 in Dirty Grandpa
Aubrey Plaza was (rightfully) nervous about filming raunchy scenes with her incredibly famous (and much older) costar, Robert DeNiro. Since Plaza is a notorious prankster, she decided to break the ice in a funny and lighthearted way.
"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 in Fifty Shades of Grey
amie Dornon plays an extremely unfunny, very serious character in the (Twilight fanfiction) film Fifty Shades of Grey. Off screen, he's hilarious and loveable. He said in interviews that all he ever wanted to do was make his costar, Dakota Johnson, laugh while filming their intimate and intense scenes.
"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!'" He definitely seems like a good scene partner to have!
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in Breaking Dawn
This is the scene that every Twilight fan was waiting for. Everything seemed perfect and to-the-book (literally), but that actually wasn't the case! The editors were forced to recut the scene before finally sending it to theaters, and it was for a pretty hilarious reason: "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."
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in Breaking Dawn: Part II
Part 2 is a different story. Now, Bella is a vampire. This scene was possibly even more important than the first one, which was tricky for Stewart and Pattinson, who were dating at the time, to overcome. It was a lot of pressure, which didn't make the scene very much fun to film. "It had to be transcendent and otherworldly, inhuman, better sex than you can possibly ever imagine, and we were like, 'How do we live up to that?"
Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman
Julia Roberts and Richard Gere had a notable intimate scene in Pretty Woman. Most people would never know by looking, but Roberts was extremely nervous! So nervous, in fact, that she completely 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 in Boogie Nights
Marky Wahlberg had to use a prosthetic penis during filming. Apparently, the costume designers oveprepared for how endowed Wahlberg really was. It was way too big and looked ridiculous, so they had to remake it for him! "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 in Atonement
Everybody loved Keira Knightleys green dress in Atonement. Funny enough, it was not always the same dress! It kept ripping during the famous library scene and they had to keep remakig it. 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 in Romance and Cigarettes
Even director John Turturro thought that Kate Winslet and James Gandolfini were getting a bit too heated during their romantic scenes... He actually went ahead of separately filmed them! "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 in Live By Night
Actor and director Ben Affleck ended up having full and complete control over his sex scenes in Live By Night, since, you know, he had to direct it himself. "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 in Black Swan
The psychological horror film Black Swan is one of the best of the decade. Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis play two ballet rivals. The two close friends didn't initially realize that they had to have a sex scene together! "It was pretty awkward. I almost feel like it would be easier to do it with someone you didn't know," Portman said. "But, having said that, it was great to have a friend there who, we could laugh and make jokes and get over it together."
Emma Stone and Olivia Coleman in The Favourite
When Emma Stone and Olivia Coleman had to film a sneaky love scene, Coleman actually decided to take a prank on Stone to try and lighten the mood... Stone was pretty nervous, so her plan definitely worked! "I went to makeup and I got a sponge...a big, wet sponge. I put it there as a barrier and told her not to worry about it. So when we were shooting, she was going up my leg and then went 'OH?! [in disgust]' and I was like "Oh no, it's a sponge!"
Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas in Original Sin
These two actors are total A-listers, but this film wasn't really that popular. There were some incredibly steamy scenes between Banderas and Jolie, though. Neither of them has really talked about the scenes they filmed together, which is a bit peculiar!
Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in Ghost
This pottery scene is so iconic. So many other TV shows and movies have parodied it! It's quite literally the only romantic scene in the movie, so it really goes a long way. Somehow, they made gross pottery mud look sexy!
Ashely Benson and Vanessa Hudgens in Spring Breakers
It's pretty obvious that no one in this film is a fan of it anymore. Ashley Benson and Vanessa Hudgens did have to partake in a sex scene with James Franco... None of the actors involved had a good time. In fact, Hudgens was so disgusted that she only wanted to do it in one shot!
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic
Titanic is easily a crowd favorite. No one knows love better than Jack and Rose! Their scene together in the classic car is probably a top moment for all romantic movie lovers. Even the "paint me like one of your french girls" scene doesn't even compare!
Jason Biggs in American Pie
American Pie is one of the top go-to coming-of-age films that is just as raunchy as it is relatable. The infamous pie scene quickly got people talking. That's probably why the film has the name that it does, right?
Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling in The Notebook
Nobody who has seen The Notebook doesn't like it. It's a timeless love story that is as cute as it is devastating. The two obviously had incredible onscreen chemistry... So much so that they dated for a long time after the movie was made. That's probably what made it so good!
Kristen Bell in Forgetting Sarah Marshall
If it weren't for Russell Brand, this film wouldn't be as hilarious as it is. This film had so many "sexcapades" scenes that everyone just got used to each other! That's how you know a film is ranchy.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger Brokeback Mountain
Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal are rightfully some of the most iconic actors of their time. The 2005 cowboy romantic flick surely had something to do with their exponential growth as actors. This love story was totally taboo at the time and paved the way for LGBTQ movies.
Midsommar
Midsommar was all around crazy and whacky. Nobody going into the theater knew what to expect! The ritualistic sex scene took a whipping two weeks to make, which definitely shows... It's confusing, scary, and kind of funny.
Timothee Chalomet and Armie Hammer in Call Me By Your Name
Even though these two never fully go "all the way" on screen, there are enough moments that make it feel implied. The "I don't want you to go" scene was the most talked-about scene of the summer when this film came out.
Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe in Cruel Intentions
Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe would actually go on to get married later in life. They had an obvious chemistry on-set. This classic '90s movie had its fair share of steamy moments.
Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine
Even though Gosling and Williams' characters have their ups and downs, their on-screen chemistry is palpable. The film follows them and their horrifically toxic relationship that leads to the end of their marriage. Their intimate scenes are some of the driving forces behind the plot.
Tom Cruise and Renee Zellwegger in Jerry Maguire
If your mother doesn't like this movie, you're lying. Tom Cruise was at his peak "sexiest man alive" status. He and Renee Zelwegger played up a sweet-yet-frustrating relationship that had viewers swooning!
Tom Cruise and Rebecca de Mornay in Risky Business
The taboo public sex scenes were definitely a huge part of the film. After all, Tom Cruise is playing a teenage boy having the time of his life while his parents are away. Cruise's character, Joel, and Lana go all the way in the back of a bus!
Cerina Vincent and Rider Strong in Cabin Fever
Who doesn't love a good horror movie sex scene? As a flesh-eating virus terrorizes a group of college students vacationing in the mountains, Cerina Vincent and Rider Strong decide to go at it one more time.
Sharon Stone and Arnold Schwarzenegger in Total Recall
Total Recall is an overly masculine movie packed to the brim with intense fight scenes. In the midst of it all, there are some nice moments of intimacy, including one with Hollywood favorites Sharon Stone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Eric Bana and Ayelet Zurer in Munich
Munich is moreso a biopic than a film, but the romantic scenes are still hot and steamy! Eric Bana and Ayelet Zurer share an intimate scene in the film, which helps break up the rest of the violence and disaster moments.
Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl
Gone Girl is an intense murder mystery "whodunnit" type of film that you wouldn't really expect to have an intimate scene in. Of course, things escalated quickly when Rosamund Pike's character decides to cheat on her husband...
Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick in The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a cult classic that finds popularity around Halloween every single year. The raunchy "Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me" number is forever engraved into peoples' memories. Janet and Brad got all caught up during this musical number!
Doug Jones and Sally Hawkins in The Shape of Water
This was a weird one. Leading up to the interspecies sex scene, many viewers were thinking, "they won't do it... she won't do it." And then, they did it. And then, it won an Oscar. All because she had sex with a fish.
Patrick Swayze in Road House
Patrick Swayze is violently a man in this film. Whether he's beating up guys at the bar or having sex against the brick wall, he's still very obviously an All-American man. This is pretty interesting coming from the guy who came to Roadhouse directly from Dirty Dancing.
Sharon Stone and Stan Collymore in Basic Instinct
The romantic scene in Basic Instinct famously takes place in a moving car with Sharon Stone behind the wheel. They get busy while she's seamlessly tearing down rain-covered streets.
Chris Hemsworth and Anna Hutchison in The Cabin in the Woods
Everybody saw this one coming. The two characters split from the rest of the group, which is already a bad idea. Then, they start having sex in the woods... another bad idea. Naturally, that leads to some chaos.
Bradley Cooper and Michael Ian Black in Wet Hot American Summer
Bradley Cooper plays an overtly gay camp counselor in the classic summer flick, but he has a secret rendezvous with Michael Ian Black's character in a tool shed. The kick? No one knows that Black's character is gay, but everyone knows that Cooper's is. 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.
Uma Thurman and John Malkovitch in Dangerous Liaisons
Even if you're not a fan of period dramas, you might not like this one. It's all about power, seduction, betrayal, and manipulation. Fans will never forget the particularly steamy scene between Uma Thurman and John Malkovitch.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Yes, this is the film that created Brangelina. The two got together after this film, which only made sense to literally everybody. Their chemistry on-screen felt so real! Even though this movie is pretty violent, many would consider it to be romantic.