Actor Michele Morrone - widely recognized for his steamy performances in Netflix’s 365 Days films - has opened up about a surprising behind-the-scenes element of filming those intense and intimate scenes.
Morrone rose to international fame with his role in 365 Days and its sequels, which drew attention for their highly explicit intimacy and criticized storyline. While the franchise often faced comparisons to the Fifty Shades movie franchise, Morrone’s bold performance carved out its own place in the genre.
Now, in the 2024 Netflix-distributed sci-fi thriller Subservience, Morrone returns in another role that involves intense sexual scenes, this time opposite Megan Fox.
The actress plays an AI-powered android hired to help around the house after the family's mother becomes ill. But the robot’s assistance soon turns sinister as she begins to manipulate and dominate her environment, including Morrone’s character.
As the relationship between the human father and android becomes sexual, one particularly disturbing scene sees the android blindfold Morrone’s character and imitate his wife’s voice during intimacy.
Directed by SK Dale (who previously worked with Fox on Till Death), Subservience required close collaboration between the actors and director, particularly when it came to filming these provocative sequences.
Dale spoke about the importance of establishing trust and safety on set, telling TooFab that maintaining a “safe environment” was crucial during the shoot.
He described the sex scenes like “an action sequence,” noting that they were carefully planned and storyboarded in advance. During filming, different actors would take turns performing on top of Morrone, reflecting the android’s shifting forms as the actor relied on his imagination to complete the illusion.
Intimacy coordinators were involved throughout production to ensure everyone’s comfort and boundaries were respected. However, Morrone shared that he prefers working without them.
Reflecting on his experience with 365 Days, he told Metro: "I did not need an intimacy coordinator to help me... Of course, it’s an important person to have on set for the other actors and for people who work backstage, it helps us all, but personally, no, I don’t need anyone."
He added: "I like to build up a character and a scene the way I imagined it in my mind and how I like to work the script."
Despite his preference, intimacy coordinators are now considered standard in Hollywood productions, and their presence on Subservience was non-negotiable.
Director Dale praised the coordinators for helping ensure scenes were story-driven rather than gratuitous: "What I really liked about the intimacy coordinators within the prep of it all was they would ask questions that were story driven."
He continued: "Like, 'Okay, how aggressive is this intimate scene? How essential is it? Is there kissing? If there is kissing, is it kind of pashing or just pecking?'"
While Morrone previously confirmed that prosthetics were used in 365 Days, it remains unclear how intimate scenes were handled in Subservience from a technical standpoint.