Oscar-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo said he faced insecurities while filming sex scenes with Emma Stone in “Poor Things.”
The star of the science-fantasy film said he wasn’t certain he could see his role through to the end, because he was deeply concerned about getting through the sex scenes.
“I didn’t know if I could pull this off,” the 56-year-old star told Perfect Magazine.
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Ruffalo admitted to being out of his element in this new territory.
“I’ve never done anything like [‘Poor Things’] before,” Ruffalo told the publication.
He explained his initial hesitation.
“So, like, the sex scenes — am I too old to be doing that kind of stuff? Does anyone want to see that?” he recalled questioning.
“I was like, ‘Do I have to?’ All I can hear is, ‘Nobody wants to see your old ass anymore. Maybe you shouldn’t be doing movies like that anymore,'” Ruffalo said, as he reflected on the challenges he faced.
The actor admitted to not feeling particularly connected to the sex scenes.
PARK CITY, UT – JANUARY 19: Actor Mark Ruffalo poses for a portrait during the 2014 Sundance Film Festival at the Getty Images Portrait Studio at the Village At The Lift Presented By McDonald’s McCafe on January 19, 2014 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
“I mean, it’s my least favorite part of it, but I also saw it as very comedic and also, like, an extension of the physical comedy that we were already finding. So it was just another way to tell the story,” he said.
Ruffalo was quoted in an Instagram Post for the publication.
“I feel like we’re in this prudish time for films. Sexuality is so deeply connected to the psychology of a character. And it should be explored in that sense, too,” he said. (RELATED: ‘It’s So F*cking Powerful’: Cillian Murphy Details Oppenheimer Sex Scenes)
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“Poor Things” is based on a novel of the same name, written by Alasdair Gray. The plot tells the tale of Bella Baxter, played by Emma Stone, who is resurrected by her husband, (Willem Dafoe) by using a child’s brain. She then pursues an affair with a lawyer named Duncan Wedderburn, played by Ruffalo, according to the New York Post.