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Gwyneth Paltrow reveals why she refused to take part in 'ecstasy' sex scene with Ethan Hawke
Gwyneth Paltrow has opened up about her reasons for refusing to engage in a sex scene with Ethan Hawke.
Sex scenes can be a divisive topic among actors, with some stars happy to go the whole way while others refuse to do them at all.
The rise of intimacy coordinators in recent years has also marked an important change in how the scenes are shot, to ensure everyone is comfortable with filming vulnerable intimate sequences.
Gwyneth revealed that there was one scene she outright refused to do as she and Ethan sat down together for a new interview with Vanity Fair.
The pair worked together on the 1998 adaptation of the novel Great Expectations and recalled the difficult decisions they had to make early in their careers.
Ethan recalled how filmmakers pitched a proposed sex scene between their characters - Finn Bell and Estella - with director Alfonso Cuaron saying to Gwyneth: "The camera is going to go down your belly, and then it's going to go up your breasts, and then it's going to go in your face as you reach ecstasy. And then when you reach ecstasy, the light will explode like to the sun!"
Gwyneth remembered herself thinking: "Oh, my God, my father’s going to have a heart attack."
Ethan says Gwyneth shut down the idea point blank, telling the director: "Alfonso, I'm never going to do that."
The actress opened up about her reasoning for turning down the intimate scene, explaining: "I was really self-conscious about my dad and grandfather seeing this kind of stuff. Like, it really bothered me. Now, I wouldn't care."
Ethan praised his co-star for how she handled the difficult conversation, stating that she was firm without being problematic, and understood that the images could be interpreted and reused differently.
Gwyneth added: "Maybe I was too prudish in the moment," to which he responded: "I don't think you were."
The actress admitted: "I was definitely worried about it."