Frances O’Connor on her raunchy new role in Erotic Stories
Award-winning British-Australian actor Frances O’Connor has revealed why her husband was enlisted to approve her sex scenes in a new steamy TV series.
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Award-winning British-Australian actor Frances O’Connor enlisted her husband to rate her steamy sex scenes in her latest role.
“I got my husband (Gerald Lepkowski) to watch because I wanted to see if my acting was OK in it and just to see what the sex stuff was like,” she said.
“And he confirmed that I had nothing to worry about. But I haven’t had the courage to watch it myself yet.”
It’s quite a departure from period dramas Mansfield Park, Mr Selfridge or the movie Emily – which the Golden Globe nominated actor wrote and directed last year.
But she was immediately drawn to the role after reading the script for episode 7 in SBS anthology series Erotic Stories. Titled Come As You Are, O’Connor is Annabel, a successful woman in her 50s who has an encounter with her much younger male colleague, Florian (Alex FitzAlan), resulting in an unexpectedly liberating sexual exploration.
The 56-year-old heads up a star-studded cast of Australian greats including Mark Coles Smith, Kate Box, Tim Draxl, Danielle Cormack, Rarriwuy Hick and Catherine McClements in the provocative series with each of the eight episodes a completely different world, fresh cast and a new story.
“I wanted to do it because I thought the writing was really strong and I think it’s really exciting storytelling,” O’Connor said.
“Eroticism is something that we don’t really explore in a conscious, public way.”
She felt completely at ease with production, with an intimacy coach almost choreographing each movement in rehearsals.
“I knew how they were going to shoot,” O’Connor says.
“It was going to be very contained so it didn’t feel so risky.
“But also there’s a kind of sweetness to her and my episode that I really, really liked.”
“And the sense of humour in the piece is really fun – like the scene where I’m masturbating during a Zoom meeting was so funny because it’s kind of so silly, right?”
O’Connor, who’s currently filming the second season of Foxtel Group drama The Twelve in WA, had expressed reservations about stepping back in front of the camera again, after she cut her teeth as writer-director on Emily. Fortunately, her passion’s been reignited.
“Erotic Stories was the first thing I did after I finished promoting Emily and I thought ‘Well, it’s only 30 minutes. I can dip my toe in and have a feel’,” O’Connor said.
“It was just like stepping back into a warm bath. It was just lovely.”
Joining forces with Logie-winning actor Sam Neill on The Twelve has also been a joy.
“He’s just so much fun and I’m really just loving it,” O’Connor says.
The Perth-raised actor has particularly loved revisiting her home state and filming in locations where she grew up.
“It’s a really beautiful place to live and actually it’s everybody is having this amazing lifestyle – beach lifestyle,” O’Connor said, adding she, Lepkowski and their 18-year-old son Luka are looking to split their time between London and WA.
“I think our big game plan is that we get a place down south here.
“I really do Miss Australia even though I do get to come and work here regularly.
“When the pandemic hit, that was the longest I’ve ever been away.”
Erotic Stories premieres on Thursday, with double episodes at 9.30pm on SBS. All episodes streaming on SBS On Demand
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Originally published as Frances O’Connor on her raunchy new role in Erotic Stories
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