Gemma Arterton has accused an unnamed director of trying to pressure her to film a sex scene.
In an interview with British outlet Radio Times published on Tuesday, Gemma claimed that a director once asked her and a co-star to film a sex scene that wasn’t included in the script.
“I said, ‘No, this scene was written for us to be off screen, so you just hear the noises,’” Gemma said she told the director. “I’d never have accepted the role if it was going to be filmed.”
Noting that there were “very high-profile people there,” she added that the director “put pressure on us on the day”.
“The other actor, God bless him, was mortified,” she recalled.
Gemma, who did not name the co-star or director, said she “flat out” refused to shoot the scene.
“I don’t care if you think I’m difficult,” she recalled telling the filmmaker.
The Quantum Of Solace star added that she might not have been as vocal about her discomfort if she had been younger for fear of getting fired or garnering a “terrible reputation”.
Intimacy co-ordinators, who advocate for a safe work environment during nude scenes or simulated sex scenes, had not yet become standard on film and TV sets at that time, Gemma explained.
She applauded the fact that this has changed since the Me Too movement, telling Radio Times that “it’s a totally different landscape” now.
“Anything you’re not comfortable with is not going to happen. I’ve heard other actors that are like, ‘I loved it when there was no intimacy coordinator,’ but I definitely think it’s better,” she added.