An actress who engaged in real-life ‘messy’ sex scenes for a film originally didn’t want her name in the film credits.
When it comes to filming spicy scenes in film and TV they are often carefully choreographed on set, with intimacy co-ordinators, clever filming angles and prosthetics used in order to make sure all the actors are comfortable shooting.
However that’s not always the case, with one very erotic drama film featuring completely unstimulated sex scenes.
9 Songs featured unsimulated sex. (Revolution Films)
Released in 2004, 9 Songs followed a series of intense sexual encounters between a British scientist (Kieran O’Brien) and an American exchange student, played by Margo Stilley.
The film featured multiple messy ‘sexual encounters’ between the pair, including one scene where O’Brien’s character ejaculates.
The decision to have unsimulated sex scenes in the film proved to be a controversial one, with the movie infamously holding the title of the most sexually explicit mainstream film.
Aged just 21 at the time, Stilley had also been cautious about having her name attached to such a racy film, initially asking to be identified only as ‘Lisa’ (her character’s name) instead.
The actress spoke out about not wanting her name on the film’s credits. (Revolution Films)
The decision not to attach her name to the project backfired, with media outlets scrambling to identify her after the release.
“Newspapers were running competitions with pictures of me, saying, “Who’s this girl?” They were offering rewards to readers if they found out who I was. It was ridiculous,” she told The Telegraph in a 2008 interview.
However Stilley has since come around to embracing her role as Lisa, with the film allowing her to enjoy a career as an actress in flicks such as 2008’s How to Lose Friends & Alienate People alongside Simon Pegg and Megan Fox.
Margo Stilley has gone on to star in several other movies. (Brian Killian/WireImage/Getty Images)
“It isn’t shocking. If you know you are going to watch a film like this, it’s not abrasive. It’s normal sex that everyone has, not crazy stuff,” she told The Guardian.
“I’m surprised [by the controversy], and even more by the fact that I’ve brought most of it on myself.”
Stilley also touched on the backlash in a 2008 interview with The Irish Examiner, revealing that she had been branded a ‘wh**e’ and a ‘sl*t’ for her role in the film.
“I didn’t invent sex! There’s a huge sex industry out there that’s worth billions.
“People ask me if I felt that [director] Michael Winterbottom took advantage of me because I hadn’t acted before, but they forget that I developed the character,” she said.
“It was just hot sex! 9 Songs was a real film about love and sex, and I wanted to do that film and I am proud of it.”
Featured Image Credit: Revolution Films
Topics: Film, Sex and Relationships
