Nudity & Covering Up
Depending on the production, if it’s an intimate scene you will often be given various items of clothing to cover your bits and pieces.
In general, if something doesn’t appear in the frame then it will be covered. For example, if the shot is the top half of the body only then the actor will likely wear shorts underneath. If it’s a close up of a couple kissing they’ll be fully clothed.
But where the shot needs something more explicit then there are other coverings used.
A female actor might wear a flesh coloured g-string or a simple piece of cloth attached to cover the genitals. If it is even more explicit the actor might go for a lightly adhesive covering over her vagina (something like a very thin sanitary pad; but in this case remember that the less hair you have the better as it can be a little painful to remove if the tape is sticky).
For some very explicit films you might even be asked to wear a fake covering on your genitals. The so-called “nude patch” looks like a vagina but is made of rubber and is glued on. Although it looks like the real thing and covers well, it can get sweaty and fall off and quite a number of actors don’t bother with a covering like this as it’s simply too much hassle.
Meanwhile, male actors will sometimes wear a so-called “cock sock” to cover themselves. In some films, the man might also wear a prosthetic penis which hides his real one.
But of course these are all optional. You might find that wearing these things are annoying and get in the way and you will come across some actors (male and female) who prefer to work without clothes.
Film is all about illusion and although in the scene it might appear as though you are naked, the reality is often very far from the truth. In a shower scene, for example, you might wear a flesh coloured body stocking so while it appears that you are naked from the other side of the glass, you are actually fully covered.
Male actors and arousal
Meanwhile male actors can face a problem with intimate scenes that female actors don’t.
There is a possibly apocryphal story about the actor George C. Scott. He was due to shoot a bedroom scene with a highly attractive actress. As they climbed into bed he told her: “I apologise if I get an erection. And I apologise if I don’t.”
So if you are a male actor and worry that you might get an erection during the take there are a few things you might like to try.
Some actors wear an extra pair of tight underpants if they are not going to be nude so that everything is kept under control, as it were. However, other actors say that if you do this and get an erection then it can lead to a lot of discomfort! And some actors suggest a “tactical tug” beforehand to calm the ardour.
But in all honesty if you do get an erection then so what? It means you are having a truthful reaction to the scene, which is good. No one worries if an actor cries during an emotional scene, after all!
Finally for all actors, if the man you are with gets an erection which is justified in the situation then just accept it as the way things happen. As professional actors you will carry on with the scene as normal… up to the limits you have both worked out beforehand!
