Intimate scenes are one of the biggest challenges in movies. Often the stars don’t feel comfortable filming certain s*x scenes. But according to Keira Knightley, it depends on the director and how he uses the techniques to film the scenes. The star described how she shot one of the best s*x scenes in her life in the 2007 Joe Wright directorial, Atonement.
Keira Knightley is one of the most renowned actresses of recent times. She has been a part of movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, Pride and Prejudice, and The Imitation Game. It was during the release of her 2019 movie The Aftermath, that the actress described how she had one of the most comfortable intimate scenes with James McAvoy.
What made Atonement’s s*x scene the best for Keira Knightley?
Keira Knightley has made quite a name for herself in the genre of period dramas. She was also a part of the 2007 Joe Wright movie Atonement, starring alongside James McAvoy. The movie went on to become a critical and commercial success, even winning an Oscar for the Best Original Score. One of the iconic scenes from the romantic war drama was the bookshelf scene, which according to the Elizabeth Swann fame was one of the most well-shot intimate scenes in her career.
As said by the Oscar-nominated actress, the Atonement scene involving her and James McAvoy is one of the best s*x scenes of her career.
“The best s*x scene I’ve done onscreen is the one in Atonement, on the bookshelf. It was both the best s*x scene, but also [the best] to shoot.”
She accredited director Joe Wright for directing it with absolute perfection that didn’t lead to any uneasiness between the two co-stars. Keira Knightley described how the choreography played a crucial role in the scene and made it comfortable between her and the X-Men star.
“Foot goes up there, hand goes up there. So both me and James [McAvoy] felt utterly comfortable and not exposed, and like we could deal with it. It’s never gonna be fun, but we could deal with it.”
Joe Wright’s direction helped Knightley understand the correct way and techniques to shoot such intimate scenes. She also went on to apply those in The Aftermath and according to the director James Kent, it completely changed his perspective.
How Atonement’s bookshelf scene affected The Aftermath?
Similar to Atonement, 2019’s The Aftermath starring Keira Knightley alongside Alexander Skarsgård and Jason Clarke also involved some steamy sequences. After having an amazing experience under director Joe Wright, the Love Actually actress requested the director James Kent to follow a similar way.
“With s*x scenes in particular, it always has to be choreographed like a dance. So with James [Kent], I was like, ‘You’re the director, you know what you want from this, so you have to just tell us. And everyone will feel comfortable.'”
Also Read: Keira Knightley Was Desperate to Kiss Johnny Depp in $1.06B Pirates Movie: “It was really good”
Later, when Kent spoke to Vulture, it was revealed that Knightley’s words changed his perspective towards s*x scenes completely.
“Keira asked me to narrate — [she said] otherwise, you’re too conscious that we’re doing it. But if you narrate, it takes the awkwardness out of it, it becomes technical.'”
It can be said that the bookshelf scene was indeed one of the best on-screen s*x scenes ever and also teaches a lot about the art of filming such scenes.
Atonement can be streamed on Hulu.
Source: Vulture
