Sure, some actors have to do physically demanding work when filming movies and TV shows. Some hire stunt doubles, while others complete the stunts themselves. Acting often involves wearing elaborate costumes as well, and actors are willing to wear things that are extremely heavy or uncomfortable in order to bring more life to the world. Of course, there are some times when love scenes are required. Some actors have expressed that it’s just “part of the job,” but everyone isn’t so comfortable with it.
While most people think actors are just “whining” when they complain about doing love scenes, you’ve got to admit that these scenes can get pretty awkward. After all, there’s a crew of people in the room while actors try to have an intimate moment with each other—even if they just met. Love scenes can easily be a little scary, even for those who have been in the business for a while. Here are 12 actors who feel extremely uncomfortable filming love scenes.
12Blake Lively
11Jesse Metcalfe
Actor Jesse Metcalfe will likely always be known as Gabriella Solis’ pool boy love interest from Desperate Housewives. Like most men, he doesn’t mind getting close to beautiful women, but things definitely got a little awkward when Jesse needed some “time” once the director decided to reset the set. He noted that actors don’t often get aroused, but it does happen from time to time. After all, they are human. To make matters worse, Jesse stated that this uncomfortable moment occurred the first time he and Eva Longoria’s character were intimate. That’s got to be pretty embarrassing. But if you were a fan of Desperate Housewives, you know that Metcalfe eventually got over it.
10Keira Knightley
The wife and mom is known for being versatile in the roles she plays. Knightley is usually a pretty fearless actress, but in A Dangerous Method, she admits that she needed a little courage in the form of booze to get her through the scenes. Keira says that she took a vodka shot or two to “calm her nerves” before filming.The drink of choice after the scenes was champagne, and she shares that vodka and champagne are a “good combination.” After all, Keira had to shoot sex scenes with Viggo Mortenson and Michael Fassbender, so she probably needed to be tipsy to keep from dying of embarrassment.
9Anne Hathaway
8Shailene Woodley
7Natalie Portman
Most people who saw the movie Black Swan will always remember Natalie Portman’s sex scene with Mila Kunis. Portman thought that it would be a good idea for Kunis to play the role, since they were good friends and she hoped that would make filming the sex scene less weird. After filming, Portman said that it was “pretty awkward” and that it may have been more comfortable to film the scene with someone she didn’t know in real life. However, she did state that Mila helped her to feel a little more at ease, since the two were able to joke with each other in between takes. Natalie states that they were both nervous about it, but they “got over it together.”
6Michael Fassbender
When Michael Fassbender was filming Jane Eyre, he says that he was extra careful about how he went about love scenes. He states the sex scenes can be “quite awkward” and that he doesn’t ever want his female co-stars to feel that he’s taking advantage of them. Fassbender says that he breaks the ice by trying to “make a fool of himself in one way or another.” Once he and his co-star are comfortable, he states that it’s best to just “go for it,” so that multiple takes aren’t necessary. What a gentleman! Fassbender tends to have a professional attitude toward sex scenes, since it’s not far-fetched to think that some guys would want to do multiple takes on purpose.
5Ashton Kutcher
When Ashton Kutcher was filming No Strings Attached with Natalie Portman (who also filmed a sex scene with his wife Mila Kunis), he said that he got through the love scenes with lots of apologies. He says that he got the advice from Sir Laurence Olivier, who said to “apologize if you get aroused, and apologize if you don’t get aroused.” Kutcher also said that it feels weird shooting these types of scenes, because you don’t know what’s “OK” and what’s not, then you have to act like it’s perfectly normal to be simulating sex with someone you’re not actually in a relationship with. Kutcher also says that this helps you to see “how good of an actor you really are.”
4Dakota Johnson
3Mila Kunis
New mom and wife of fellow actor Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis is not only known for her sex scene with Natalie Portman in Black Swan. She also had a few racy scenes with co-star Justin Timberlake in the move Friends With Benefits. Kunis and Timberlake were so believable in the movie that some people thought they were sleeping together in real life! However, Mila reveals that it was awkward to shoot the scenes, mainly because you can’t get comfortable when there’s an entire film crew in your face. She even says that she fell asleep during some of the scenes. If nothing else, it’s a surefire way not to get aroused and make things more awkward.
2Kristen Stewart
1Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa Hudgens went from being a sweet and innocent Disney character in the High School Musical movie franchise, to having a threesome on screen in Spring Breakers. This was actually her first love scene! Vanessa clearly wanted to break free from her Disney image and be taken seriously as a versatile actor. But she admits that the love scene was jolting for her. Hudgens refers to the experience as “nerve-racking” and says that she told her agent she never wanted to do it “ever again.” Unfortunately, many of Hudgens’ fans will have to deal with the disappointing fact that she probably won’t be filming sex scenes any time soon. Or, at least not any scenes that involve threesomes.