Have you ever seen a steamy s*x scene in a movie and thought, “That is not how it works in real life?” Well, it turns out you are not alone. Twilight fame actress Kristen Stewart recently came out against the way s*x is portrayed in movies.
Rose Glass’s latest romantic thriller, Love Lies Bleeding, stars Stewart, who recently told NBC News she is “so sick” of s*x scenes in films that are overly methodical and unrealistically staged. The new film, which has several intimate scenes that Stewart and her co-star Katy O’Brian shot, is being distributed by A24.
The relationship between an aspirational bodybuilder and a reclusive gym manager (Stewart as Lou), who is connected to a criminal family, is the focus of this story, which is set in the 1980s.
Kristen Stewart Calls Out Unrealistic S*x Scenes in Movies
For her latest R-rated movie, Love Lies Bleeding, Kristen Stewart revealed some intimate details about her experience filming lesbian s*x scenes. In an interview with NBC News, she expressed her desire to alter the way s*x scenes are portrayed on screen by making them seem less robotic and more realistic:
“The run-of-the-mill, like, just-go-for-it simulated s*x thing is so rote, and it’s like actors do have this default thing where, like, ‘Okay, we’re supposed to make out and have s*x now. That’s just not how people have s*x, and I’m so sick of seeing it.”
Stewart’s character in the latest romance-thriller develops a lesbian relationship with Katy O’Brian’s Jackie. The Panic Room actress spoke with NBC about how she set out to improve the film’s s*x scenes.
According to the Oscar nominee, the intimate scenes in Rose Glass’ film were more about
“Really nailing the details and talking about the physical experience more so than even seeing it, like verbalizing it, talking to each other, sharing space, having it not be cut up into a ton of different shots, it felt like … a really beautiful thing to deliver an experience that was, like, literal instead of faux.”
O’Brian nevertheless stated that it was “hard to feel s*xy” when they were actually filming those scenes because the house felt like it was 112 degrees, necessitating the wearing of multiple layers, one of which “felt like I was wearing a diaper”. She further added:
“If anyone takes anything from this movie, it’s to ask your partner what they like. You don’t see that in a movie.”
Stewart, 33, had earlier stated to Variety that this film’s few intimate scenes would “shock people” due to their explicit nature. She wanted to do precisely that with Love Lies Bleeding, presenting a more complex portrait of herself than she had ever done on screen.
Love Lies Bleeding: Kristen Stewart Wants Viewers To See That ‘Gay People Do a Lot of Stuff’
On Tuesday, March 5, at Love Lies Bleeding’s Los Angeles red carpet premiere, Out spoke with Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian. The two talked about the experience of creating their lovable yet messy queer characters. According to Snow White and the Huntsman actress, the film demonstrates that “gay people do a lot of stuff” outside of the s*x scenes.
To quote Stewart:
“They don’t just slowly glance, lingering, finger-brush each other. This movie was fun to do because I felt like we were all on a playground and allowed to be the kids that we were born as and then also as adults could play with. It was a nice return to form.”
As she put it, people were calling it a “s*xual thriller”. There is not a lot of s*xual activity. It is hilarious because it is primarily about the stories we tell one another, the faith we have in one another, and the “immediate, unexplained connection” that is “purely physical”.
Moving on, Stewart said:
“That is so gay. To not have to bond over trauma or do any of the things that make everyone feel good about making queer movies, it just feels like it came from a place of pure selfish desire, and that is f*cking fun.”
While fans eagerly await her latest project, they can rest assured that Stewart will bring her signature mix of intensity and vulnerability to the screen. In terms of her personal life, she has been dating Dylan Meyer since August 2019 (via the LA Times). The two announced their engagement in November 2021.
Love Lies Bleeding opens in theaters on March 8.
