With the many (many) recent conversations surrounding on-screen sex scenes, it seems like more actors are standing firm in their own preferences. Penn Badgley boldly decided that he wouldn’t have any sex scenes in season four of his raunchy drama You, and it seems like he isn’t alone in feeling like certain scenes aren’t necessary. He was also surprised when people were shocked about that, but that’s a whole other conversation.
The Good Place actress Jameela Jamil recently revealed that she “doesn’t do” sex scenes, even if it means missing out on a hit show. The actress was featured on Badgley’s podcast Podcrushed, where she admitted, “I don’t do sex scenes. In fact, I was supposed to audition for the most recent season of your show,” Jamil told Badgley, referring to You.
While she didn’t reveal which character she was set to audition for, Jamil knew she wasn’t right for it. “My character was supposed to be quite sexy, and I pulled out of the audition, because I am so shy about anything sexy that I can’t,” she explained. Jamil said she was inspired by Badgley opting out of sex scenes, which is something she didn’t realize she had the power to do. “I was like, ‘I didn’t even know that was a boundary that we could draw.’ But then I was like, I should have gone and done the f*cking show,” she added. To be fair, by the time a lead actor makes it to season four of a Netflix show, he probably has a lot more flexibility when it comes to those things. What would You be without Joe Goldberg? And all of his other personas, for that matter.
The actress clarified that she doesn’t have problems with other actors who choose to partake in sex scenes, it’s her own personal choice.
“I have so much deep, like, childhood sexual trauma stuff. So I think that was never in the cards for me. You know, I still wear the little skirt or the busty top, but like, occasionally. But generally, I feel quite protective of myself in that way.”
Even though she didn’t land the role, Jamil appeared on Disney+’s She-Hulk where she luckily didn’t have to do a sex scene. But she did get to repeatedly punch Tatiana Maslany, and not many people can say that!
