Henry Cavill Says He’s ‘Not a Fan’ of Sex Scenes

Henry Cavill visits SiriusXM at SiriusXM Studios in New York City, on Jan. 29, 2024. Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images

Henry Cavill recently opened up about his feelings on sex scenes, saying he believes they are “overused” in films.

The actor—who starred in the newly released “Argylle” and 2013’s “Man of Steel”—said he’s “not a fan” of simulating intimate scenes for the big screen.

Mr. Cavill commented during an interview on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, released on Feb. 5. “Argylle” director Matthew Vaughn also participated in the discussion. The duo previously worked together on the 2007 adventure-fantasy film “Stardust.”

During the episode, Mr. Vaughn, who also directed 2011’s “X-Men: First Class” and 2021’s “The King’s Man,” noted that he didn’t “understand” sex scenes.

“If you’ve noticed, I don’t really direct them,” he explained. “I can’t get my head around [them],” he said, adding that he feels “quite awkward” about on-screen intimacy.

The British actor agreed, saying: “I also don’t understand. I’m not a fan.”

Mr. Cavill added that he believes there are “circumstances where a sex scene actually is beneficial to a movie rather than just the audience.” However, he said that, overall, he thinks “they’re overused these days.”

“[I]t’s when you have a sense that you’re going, ‘is this really necessary or is it people just with less clothing on,’” he continued. “And that’s where you start to get more uncomfortable and you’re thinking there’s not a performance here.”

Mr. Cavill reiterated that in certain circumstances, such scenes “can really help with the storytelling.”

“[B]ut most of the time, the human imagination is going to trump it,” he said. “So I think 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, ‘Okay, but what is this doing for us?’”

Celebrities Who Refuse to Do Sex Scenes

Mr. Cavill isn’t the first actor to voice his disdain for intimate movie scenes. Actors Penn Badgley and Neal McDonough have also shared similar sentiments.

Mr. Badgley, star of Netflix’s “You,” said on his podcast, “Podcrushed,” that he asked the show’s creator, Sera Gamble, if he could not do any more intimate scenes. He noted he didn’t want to return to a career path where he’s “just always the romantic lead.”

“Fidelity in every relationship, and especially my marriage, is really important to me,” he added.

In 2019, Mr. McDonough told Closer Weekly that he lost a role in the 2010 series “Scoundrels” over his refusal to do love scenes. “I am very religious,” he said. “I put God and family first, and me second.”

Christian actress Candace Cameron Bure, star of “Full House” and the spinoff series “Fuller House,” is also adamant about not having intimate scenes.

She told Your Tango that she doesn’t go beyond kissing. “I have boundaries that my husband and I talked about and are both comfortable with,” she said. “I’m not going to get naked, and I’m not going to have sex scenes.”

Stars Against Nudity in Films

A variety of other Hollywood A-listers are against filming scenes that require full or partial nudity.

Leading lady Julia Roberts—known for her roles in 1990’s “Pretty Woman,” 1999’s “Notting Hill,” and more recently, 2023’s “Leave the World Behind”—refuses to film raunchy nude scenes.

At the premiere of her 2009 film “Duplicity,” the actress said nude scenes are “not really” what she does. “[S]o if you are going to ask me to do it, you have to expect it to be toned down,” she told the Daily Mail in a 2009 interview.

Ms. Roberts touched upon her feelings about nude scenes once again during a recent interview for British Vogue’s February issue. “You know, not to be criticizing others’ choices, but for me to not take off my clothes in a movie or be vulnerable in physical ways is a choice that I guess I make for myself,” she explained.

Sex Scenes Lose Favor Among Young Audiences

A 2023 UCLA survey found young audiences are less interested in viewing content that features romance and sex. The poll included data collected from 1,500 adolescents between the ages of 10 and 24.

The survey found more than 51 percent of adolescents want to see more content focused on friendships and platonic relationships.

More than 44 percent thought romance was overused in the media, while over 47 percent said sex isn’t needed for the plot of “most TV shows and movies.”