Henry Cavill and Matthew Vaughn appeared on this week’s episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast to promote Vaughn’s latest movie Argylle, co-starring Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, and a ton of other well-known actors. I know the movie didn’t get great reviews, but it looks SO much like my type of movie and I still want to see it. Anyway, during the interview, Cavill, Vaughn, and host Josh Horowitz discussed sex scenes in movies and television. Henry, who is considered a bit of a sex symbol, voiced his dislike for them in general, calling them “overused” and oftentimes not necessary to the overall plot.
Henry Cavill thinks sex scenes are “overused” in movies and television. The “Argylle” actor discussed why he’s “not a fan” of intimacy scenes on the Monday episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast.
“I don’t understand them, I’m not a fan,” he said. “I think there are circumstances where a sex scene actually is beneficial to a movie, rather than just the audience, but I think sometimes they’re overused these days.”
Cavill added that often sex scenes don’t add anything to the development of the film and leaving an air of mystery does more for the audience.
“It’s when you have a sense where you’re going, ‘Is this really necessary or is it just people with less clothing on?’ And that’s when you start to get more uncomfortable and you’re thinking, ‘There’s not a performance here, there’s not a piece which is going to carry through to the rest of the movie,'” the “Man of Steel” star reflected.
He added: “Most of the time the human imagination is going to trump it. So it can be a little bit of a cop out if a TV show or a movie is just filled with gyrating bodies and you’re going, ‘OK, but what is this doing for us apart from the idea of, oh naked person, great.'”
“Argylle” director Matthew Vaughn, who appeared on the podcast with Cavill, said that’s one of the reasons he doesn’t direct them. “I can’t get my head around sex scenes. It’s just something I don’t understand.”
Well, first things first. I was trying to talk myself out of making an “Okay, Grandpa” joke about Henry’s opinions, but I can’t help it. I have to make it: “Henry followed up his original comments by exclaiming, ‘Back in my day, Lucy and Desi slept in two different beds but they had a baby so we knew they had sex and imagined it ourselves!'” Whew. Alright, it’s out of my system now.
Honestly, though, I totally get where he’s coming from and understand his point. Sex scenes generally do not bother me unless I’m watching them with my parents, but I get it. I agree that a lot of the time, like in action movies, they’re just thrown in there for the hell of it, like the writers or directors are checking off a box. It’s also a good point about leaving some things to the imagination to make it sexier. A great example of this is the pottery scene in Ghost. It was originally going to end with Molly and Sam having sex on the floor. After watching the footage of the pottery scene, director Jerry Zucker realized that it was “so erotic” on its own that they didn’t need to show them actually making love. IMO, that was absolutely the right call. However, I do think it’s funny that Vaughn “can’t get [his] head around” sex scenes. I guess that explains that insane shot towards the end of Kingsman 2. IYKYK.
Photos credit: James Warren/Bang Showbiz/Avalon, Getty and via YouTube
I totally agree with him. And yes, I’m old.
I’m not actually that old but I do remember to be annoyed about them in non-romantic movies since I was a teenager, I found it off-putting and sometimes unrealistic. I think they’re fine when a relationship is the centre of the film or sex is used as a means to forward the plot somehow but in the 1980s and 1990s they were everywhere, regardless of the genre of the movie.
I agree with Cavill here.
I’m old too (59) and the only sex/seduction scenes I’ve really thought appropriate or even hot are from Highlander and The Good Mother (although Liam Neeson can just stand there and look at the camera and my knees feel weak). I thought the Kingsman movies were cute except for the sex scenes. Those ruined the experience for me.
Hard disagree. I love a well done sex scene. It doesn’t have to go forever and I don’t need to see everything; but I think the tension of the lead-in to the main act can be EVERYTHING. I much prefer a good sex scene to mindless violence and endless action scenes.
However, that “in the butt” scene in Kingsman ruined the whole movie for me. Utterly ruined it and left a bad taste in my mouth.
Henry’s right. Just saw Poor Things. Should be called Porn Things. Sat next to my adult son who at one point muttered, “will this movie never end”.
The issue I have with that film isn’t the sex scenes, it’s the abysmally misogynistic point of view of the director.
I haven’t seen the movie yet but I’ve read the book, and it has been interesting seeing how the marketing just glossed over the fact that there is so much sex (she calls it “furious jumping” in the book) and nudity happening in the story. Bella’s sexual discovery and exploits are a main feature of the book. It’s kind of a bait-and-switch, and I don’t get it. It’s not really fair to audiences who might not care to see certain types of films. Similar to how The Color Purple and Mean Girls marketing played down or ignored the fact that they are musicals. It’s a weird trend.
I’m not bothered by seeing people naked onscreen as much as I’m bothered by seeing people getting abused, shot, stabbed, blown up, etc. It doesn’t feel like sex scenes are overused at all these days, I think entertainment has taken to turn for the chaste lol. More sex, less violence pls.
Oh God, no. Violence is part of public life, sex isn’t and it’s confined to the private sphere. I disliked all those movies where people were shown having sex pointlessly.
I’m with AB on this. There are so many movies I end up skipping for how violent they are.
This reminds me of when the MPAA told Ang Lee to cut and also cut down some of the sex scenes in Lust, Caution to get an R rating. Ang Lee refused to cut anything and the film received a NC-17 rating. I saw the movie when it came out on DVD and realized Ang Lee was right. Those scenes were actually essential; they charted the development of that relationship so clearly.
I can’t always consider a sex scene “essential.” Some are helpful for character development (for example, is this person rough or tender, and how does that compare with how they are elsewhere in the film?) or some advance the plot, but most sex scenes are probably not “essential.”
That said, most violence in film is not “essential” either, so…
I think he’s had his fair share of sex scenes when he was starring in The Tudors and I don’t think that intimacy coordinators were truly a thing at the time so he can have his opinion on the subject.
I’m gonna agree with Henry on this.
And yes that final scene in Kingman was not needed, it was laughable.
Bridgerton S2 had Jonathan Bailey smoldering up the screen with steamy looks, took episodes before he even kissed the girl. Both actors (can’t recall her name) were very good.
Yup, the sex scenes, the blood and guts gore, explosions are all over done.
Better stories, new ideas please.
Sex scenes are overused in movies and television. I will add heavy kissing. I do not want to see it either. Also, I an an old.
Henry is right and it’s refreshing to hear it come from a man for once. Most sex scenes are not really important to the development of a TV show or movie IMO. I don’t mind kissing and making out and then maybe a door closing as the characters move into the bedroom or going offscreen onto the bed. I don’t need to see everything to understand the characters slept together. There’s also just a lot of unnecessary nudity too. This goes for American movies and European stuff I watch. I forget which Superman movie it was when Henry Cavill gets into the bathtub with Amy Adams while fully clothed (he takes his shirt off) to make out with her and the water overflows. All I could think of in that scene was omg, the water damage to the wooden floors lol.
Remember all those hot and heavy sex scenes in Succession? No? There weren’t any because of the female skewing writers room. Actresses don’t like doing nude scenes, why should we watch them? Just lazy writing IMO.
It’s not lazy writing. Normally, it’s requested by the Producers of the film/TV episode. Succession had Producers that understood sex wasn’t needed because of the type of show it was. Trust me, sometimes screenwriters don’t have a choice.
As a screenwriter, I have to say writing sex scenes is annoying lol. Producers tell you sex sells. And unfortunately, they are necessary (according to anyone that makes decisions). But yes, I agree with Henry, they suck and are unnecessary.
Many sex scenes are egregious and weird but I would rather see one of those than a graphic rape or disembowelment or someone’s brain getting blown out. Violence in movies seems like a way bigger problem to me than sex.
Both are a problem and they seem to go hand in hand. Action movies need some violence because the whole point is that someone is fighting against a power… usually a David vs Goliath vibe. Violence can be done without gore and sex can be implied without it becoming soft core porn.
I find it extremely lazy and off-putting.
I’ve watched so many good shows lately that I think did a good job for the most part, Reacher was good for the fade to black romantic scenes, you clearly knew what was going on. More of that! We started watching See (with Jason Momoa) and while I really like the concept of the story I certainly don’t need to watch some woman masturbate as a version of prayer or that much blood flinging around. I’m interested in the story so I’ll just look away for a while, but I wish they’d just clean it up a bit.
I bet filming sex scenes is incredibly awkward. It’s great that intimacy coordinators are becoming the norm because if I had to be any amount of disrobed in front of my coworkers I would die, even more so if they’re hot lol. So from the actor’s perspective I definitely get being over sex scenes. As a viewer, I think they have a place in sexy stories! I’m thinking Bridgerton, Mr and Mrs Smith, etc. Sex is part of life, and it can be a really important part of life at some points. But yeah when an epic kiss and a closed door would suffice for the story, that’s fine with me! I appreciate a really good kiss on film! Last thing – maybe I err on the side of a never nude, but I’m just not naked nearly as much as some movies think normal people are!
I think this was a big issue with him during the Witcher- they had a lot of sex scenes. We get that Geralt and Yennefer were together, didn’t have to be boning all the time
It’s so nice to hear there are more people than just me and my bff who find egregious sex scenes boring. We were just talking about how 99% of the sex scenes in the Outlander books are so unnecessary to the point of distracting from the story. I thought I was the only one skipping most of them. I’m not a prude, but unless it’s somehow important to the plot or character development, I just find them boring.