James McAvoy set a series of strict rules when it came to simulating lovemaking with his Atonement co-star Keira Knightley.
The movie followed young lovers Cecilia (Knightley) and Robbie (McAvoy), who are torn apart by a cruel lie constructed by Cecilia’s jealous younger sister. With Robbie tossed into prison, they later have to see if they can rekindle their love against a backdrop of World War II.
The film featured some pretty intense sex scenes – but James told People Magazine that they “talked a lot beforehand”. He explained: “We had it figured out what we were going to do, what bits are we going to feel, and what bits are we not going to feel.”
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He advised using “breath mints” before embarking on any raunchy scenes, advising: “Don’t have a lot of garlic. Don’t have a salmon-and-cucumber sandwich beforehand.”
(Image: PA)
He went on: “What we do first and what happens next [we worked out]. We tell a story. There is an emotional journey shooting the sexy scene, so it’s not just, ‘Blah, blah, blah’.”
Meanwhile, Keira has branded it the “best sex scene” she’s ever done. She explained how director Joe Wright “choreographed [it] within an inch of its life”, elaborating: “It was absolutely, ‘Foot goes up there, hand goes up there.’ So both me and James felt utterly comfortable and not exposed, and like we could deal with it.”
She added: “It’s never gonna be fun, but we could deal with it. What never helps is when a director goes, ‘Oh, you guys know what you’re doing,’ and you’re like, ‘Uh, I’ve never met this person, I have no idea what I’m doing in this room full of men’,” she told Vulture.
(Image: Universal Studios)
“With sex scenes, in particular, it always has to be choreographed like a dance. So with James, I was like, ‘You’re the director, you know what you want from this, so you have to just tell us. And everyone will feel comfortable.’”
James has previously admitted to getting aroused during sex scenes, with the “merest hint of an erection” troubling him “a couple of times”. He said the hardest were with his now ex-wife Anne-Marie Duff for Shameless, before the pair were officially together.
(Image: Universal)
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He told The Guardian: “We weren’t together yet. I fancied her, but you don’t want to make that person feel like they’re being abused or that you’re enjoying yourself. I’ve had the merest hint of an erection a couple of times, but its usually so uncomfortable that it’s more about making it look like you’re really going for this person, while convincing the person that you’re not having a good time.
“While at the same time not making them feel like you’re saying ‘Don’t worry, I’m not enjoying it, because you’re f***ing stinking!’”
He and Anne-Marie divorced in 2016 after a decade together, and he went on to tie the knot with Lisa Liberati in 2022.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
