Mike's Musings: Sex and the Movies

When "Top Gun: Maverick" came out, a USA Today contributor, Cari Pierson, mentioned how relieved she was that the film didn't feature any sex scenes.  She explained how when her family went to the movies she and her husband would always have one hand ready to cover their children's eyes in case anyone started having some activity in bed (or elsewhere...hey, it's the movies!).

I could go on another rant about the bizarre and hypocritical "sex vs violence" debate in American culture, which would no doubt lead me to take another potshot at the MPA, but why bother?  Besides, if Pierson doesn't want her children to see sex on a big or small screen, that's her choice.  I vividly remember my parents struggling to shield my eyes from a particularly violent scene in "The Jackal."

Then I decided to write about what really bothered me.

Pierson went on to plead with Hollywood to make more big budget movies without sex so she and others wouldn't have to worry.  And she used the #MeToo movement to bolster her case.

Let's make a few things perfectly clear.  The #MeToo movement shook the world, and deserved to.  It's long past time that men and women be able to do their jobs without being made uncomfortable by sexual comments or actions by their superiors.  No one should have to endure what many women (and men) were subjected to by people like Harvey Weinstein.  Period.

What unnerved me was that Pierson used the #MeToo movement to claim that acting in a sex scene in a film is the equivalent of sexual assault and harassment.  True, no one should be forced to participate in a sex scene or undress if they don't want to.  Many actresses, such as Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts and Renee Zellwegger, have declined to do so.  Nia Long, for instance, had a no-nudity clause in her contract to appear in the remake of "Alfie."  Other actresses use body doubles (Jeanne Tripplehorn did so in "Waterworld," even though she had appeared nude in films before and after the notorious Kevin Costner dude).  Still others use CGI (Leslie Mann and Olivia Wilde did so in "The Change-Up," although Wilde did appear naked in "Alpha Dog.").  These are not rare occurrences.  Jessica Alba, who has always stated that she would never appear nude on screen, did so with the use of CGI in "Machete."  According to James Berardinelli, the CGI was so convincing that he had been fooled.

But others simply don't care.  Helen Mirren has appeared without clothing throughout her career.  Ditto for Nicole Kidman, who has never used a body double for her nude scenes.  Some simply feel that the nudity and sexuality are essential to the film and the character they are portraying, as Glenn Close did regarding "Fatal Attraction."  Julie Delpy told Berardinelli that on-screen nudity was great because she didn't have to worry about the wardrobe.  Carice van Houten says that in Holland nudity is a non-issue.  Michael Fassbender is well-known for appearing in his birthday suit for the camera (and even going farther).

What Pierson has overlooked is that many actresses who appear in love scenes or without clothing do so because they choose to.  I find her assumption that these actors and actresses are, by default, being forced to do something they don't want to do irritating and more than a little exploitative.  How can one advocate for victimized men and women yet at the same time claim that those who choose to do these things are victims too?

The point here is that it has to be the actor's decision.  If an actor or actress chooses to participate in a sex scene or appear without clothing, they aren't victims in that instance.

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