Miranda and Bridget Jones star Sally Phillips has revealed she layered herself up like an onion when asked to film a sex scene with Vinnie Jones.
If you've ventured beyond the world of films rated 12, then you'll know that sex scenes are usually all bare skin and close-ups, with the actors having to do everything in their power to make it look like they're in the middle of some passionate love-making, while keeping things entirely professional.
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Being (mostly) naked is part of what makes these scenes convincing, but Phillips decided that stripping off wasn't a necessity when she got up-close and personal with Jones in the 2001 film Mean Machine.
The movie tells the story of a disgraced ex-England captain (Jones), who is thrown in jail for assaulting police officers, but while behind bars, he rallies up the prisoners to lead them in a match against the prison guards.
It doesn't exactly scream 'sex', but the subject still found its way into the movie in a scene which, according to Phillips, Time Out magazine described as ''the shortest, most gratuitous sex scene in cinema history'.
The actor opened up about her experience in an interview with the Daily Mail, saying: "I swear I was supposed to just have sex with Vinnie Jones over a desk for no apparent reason, and I was terrified about this because I have never been the grand beauty, and always had crippling body shyness."
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In a bid to avoid getting undressed, Phillips said she came up with a 'plot' with the film's costume designers.
She continued: "I had loads and loads of layers and little, tiddly buttons, and so Vinnie literally could not unwrap me."
When it came time to film the scene, Phillips recalled: "He went, "Ah, f*** this for a game of soldiers", and just pushed my head down under the desk, which made it more gratuitous."
It turns out Phillips wasn't the only one who was anxious about the scene, as Jones previously opened up to Female.com.au about the fact the encounter in Mean Machine marked the first time he'd ever filmed a sex scene.
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He explained: "It was quite nerve-racking for both of us, but you bring your acting side into it and say, 'Well, look, I'm only acting' and after the first couple of takes, it's fine."
Jones might have had a slightly easier time making the scene if he didn't find himself unexpectedly faced with 'little tiddly buttons', but at least things worked out alright in the end. Even if 'alright' means 'gratuitous' in this case.
Topics: Sex and Relationships, TV and Film, Celebrity
Emily Brown