Anna Kendrick has one strict rule when it comes to filming and if you go back to any of her movie involving romance, you’ll probably notice it right away.
There are so many actors who choose to get in the nude when shooting scenes, whether it’s to make the moment more realistic like Margot Robbie or to make 'a love story' convincing like Jake Gyllenhaal.
However, Kendrick, who turned 39 today (9 August), has a totally valid reason for why she’s happy to shoot sex scenes, just not one particular aspect of it.
The actor previously spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald about her 2020 show Love Life which saw her playing Darby, a woman who is going through the journey of finding love.
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The HBO show focuses on her first love through to her last, and features some raunchy intimate scenes.
The Pitch Perfect star went on to share that although she’s down for the sex scene, she doesn’t like nudity.
She said: “My personal feelings on nudity - that I’m not really interested in nudity for me - stayed the same.
"I’ve never had a problem with simulated sex scenes - that feels like it’s about the character, whereas I only get one body, so nudity is more about me."
In Love Life, which wrapped up after two seasons, Kendrick’s character goes on her fair share of dates and of course, some of those lead to after-dark activities between the sheets.
This realisation of the plot meant that Kendrick knew that sex was inevitable.
She explained: “When we started filming, it dawned on me that in every single episode I was going to be doing a kissing scene or a sex scene with someone brand new.
“It was definitely weird to know that we were going to meet and within a week we were going to be in bed pretending to have sex!”
Even though sex scenes might be a staple in most shows and films, that doesn’t mean that it’s comfortable for everyone involved.
Recently, there has been a rise in intimacy coordinators in the industry, who essentially ensure the actors understand the scene, what’s involved and are comfortable with every aspect. If not, they are well within their rights to refuse.
However, unlike Kendrick, not everyone has been able to exercise their voice or felt as though they could say no to nudity.
When appearing on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast in 2019, Emilia Clarke got candid about nudity while on the set of Game of Thrones.
The Daenerys Targaryen actor said she felt as though she didn’t deserve to feel uncomfortable and recalled telling herself: “Whatever I’m feeling is wrong; I’m gonna go cry in the bathroom, and then I’m gonna come back and we’re gonna do the scene - it’s gonna be completely fine. But it was definitely hard.”
Thankfully, she had co-star Jason Momoa on hand to at least make sure she had a robe to cover herself in between takes.
"He took care of me, too, in an environment where I didn't know I needed to be taken care of," she added.
Topics: Celebrity, Sex and Relationships, TV and Film
Britt Jones