Sienna Miller speaks out about 'nine-hour' sex scene with Ben Affleck which left her 'shaking'

Based on what actors have said over the years, filming sex scenes is far from the enthralling, sensual experience of the 'real thing', and instead, often proves to be a tedious aspect of particular roles, as actor Sienna Miller discovered.

Miller, who made her breakthrough in 2004's Layer Cake, is no stranger to on-screen romps, but her encounter with Ben Affleck on the set of his movie Live By Night is a particular standout in her repertoire for more reasons than one.

The pair worked together on the 2016 gangster thriller, in which Miller played Emma Gould and Affleck took on the role of kingpin Joe Coughlin, while also directing the film.

Reflecting on their intimate scenes, Miller said: “Ben and I are like brother and sister, thank God, so there was no awkwardness.” She added: “There was just a lot of stupid giggling. He's very professional - I am not, but he is. In that environment, it was a cool scene.”

The brutal reality of filming sex scenes

However, the reality of filming those moments turned out to be far more exhausting than expected.

Miller explained that one part of the script involved multiple scenes showing the couple together in different locations. “There was a montage in the script saying we did it everywhere: in the car, in the bar... I was like, 'That's an entire day of just love scenes! OK. How do we do this?'”

Spending hours filming these scenes took its toll. She recalled: “Obviously, by the time nine hours of it has gone past, I was shaking with tears running down my face. I mean, I can't tell you - but you have to laugh. Ben is just professional. It is what it is.”

At one point, things became almost surreal, with Affleck reportedly asking for filming to continue. Miller joked: “I was like, 'OK, obviously Joe Coughlin is a real performer'.”

She said this happened more than once, adding: “This happened three times, and by the third I [finally said], 'Are you joking?'”

The situation left her in fits of laughter, to the point where she had to step away. “There will be some outtakes from that [scene] where I have to walk out of the room because I just have tears running down my face,” she said.

An intimacy coordinator's perspective

It’s not clear whether the production used an intimacy coordinator, though it’s now common practice on film sets. One such coordinator, Brooke M. Haney, has previously explained what these scenes are really like behind the scenes.

“Here’s the thing — this isn’t actually very common,” she told US Weekly in 2024, referring to actors becoming overly aroused. “We’re at work, right? With the lights bearing down, microphones, a couple of cameras in your face, director, DP and other necessary crew watching on monitors, it’s just not that sexy.”

Featured Image. Credit: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage