Oscar-winner’s awful sex scene experience: ‘That was not right’

Swedish actress Alicia Vikander says shooting sex scenes is “the worst thing ever”, as she recalled one particular horror experience on-set.

Swedish actress Alicia Vikander has recalled a mortifying sex scene encounter on one of her movies.

The Tomb Raider star, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for The Danish Girl in 2016, told Harpers Bazaar that shooting X-rated scenes before intimacy co-ordinators were introduced on-set was “the worst thing ever.”

“I am very comfortable with my body and I’ve done quite a bit of nudity and sex scenes, but it’s never easy,” Vikander, 33, said.

While she didn’t specify which film, Vikander opened up about a particular scene which left her feeling uncomfortable.

Alicia Vikander, who stars in Tomb Raider, said shooting sex scenes was “the worst thing ever.”

“Everyone was busy doing their own thing and, in the middle, you have an actor who sits there naked for a couple of hours. And someone is supposed to arrive with a robe, and they don’t,” she said.

“[The realisation] comes afterwards – that was not right. I should have been looked after.

“I’ve been in situations that were not fine, where I didn’t feel I was protected.”

Vikander at the Oscars in 2016. Picture: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The Oscar winner said she wished intimacy co-ordinators were on-set at the start of her career. Picture: ANGELA WEISS

Vikander, who said she shot her first sex scene aged 20, added that intimacy co-ordinators “should have existed at the beginning of my career.”

It’s only been in recent years that co-ordinators have become a necessity on film and TV sets.

Spicy Netflix series Bridgerton was the latest to use the skills of an intimacy co-ordinator, while the most recent James Bond film No Time to Die also had co-ordinators on set.

Speaking to news.com.au last year, Australian intimacy co-ordinator Leah Pellinkhof likened the practice to fight choreography, but for sex scenes.

“It’s glaringly obvious that in the last few years there has been so much misconduct, a lot of people have been privileged jerks and there haven’t been rules around it,” Ms Pellinkhof said.

“You always have fight co-ordinators to ensure the physical health and safety of actors. But having intimacy co-ordinators that look after the actor’s emotional and mental health is rarer.

“I ensure that everyone knows what going on and make it safe and look sexy, if that’s the desired outcome.”

Originally published as Oscar-winner’s awful sex scene experience: ‘That was not right’