Margaret Qualley is pulling back the curtain on one of the most talked-about moments in her new film Honey, Don’t!; a steamy bar scene with co-star Aubrey Plaza.
The 29-year-old actress recently spoke with Out about the unusual filmmaking trick used to stage the intimate moment, which has already generated buzz following the release of Ethan Coen’s latest project.
A bold entry in Coen's sapphic trilogyHoney, Don’t! marks the second entry in Coen’s planned “sapphic B-movie trilogy,” following last year’s Drive-Away Dolls. The new film, which opened in theaters this week, stars Qualley as Honey O'Donahue, a small-town private investigator unraveling a series of suspicious deaths connected to a church with cult-like undertones.
She stars opposite Plaza, who plays a local police officer, while Chris Evans appears as a charismatic reverend at the heart of the mystery.
As with Coen’s previous outing, critics have been split on the film’s deliberately campy tone. Honey, Don’t! currently holds a 48% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 47 on Metacritic, with reviews ranging from sharply critical to playfully appreciative of its throwback B-movie sensibility.
The coconut oil trickOne sequence in particular has caught the attention of early viewers; a flirtatious exchange at a bar that turns unexpectedly explicit.
In the scene, Plaza’s MG Falcone and Qualley’s Honey share drinks and information about the case, before Falcone slides her hand suggestively between Honey’s legs.
Though filmed largely from the shoulders up, the moment leaves little to the imagination. To make the scene work, Qualley explained, the crew employed an unconventional method.
“It was fun,” she told Out. “There’s someone from the props department on their knees holding a jar of coconut oil. Aubrey’s got to lift her finger up and have it be wet. It was just playing with different levels of how far you get in that setting and trying to work out the physicality there. But it was really funny and really fun.”
Qualley also praised Plaza’s presence on set, calling the experience of working alongside her a highlight. “I don’t know anyone that doesn’t just love her, and I’ve loved her from afar for such a long time. Getting to work with her was such a dream,” she said.
While Honey, Don’t! has drawn polarized reactions, some critics have singled out Qualley as the standout.
Writing for The Guardian, Radheyan Simonpillai awarded the film three stars, noting: “These characters and more don’t so much connect (to each other or some overarching plot) as they brush past each other. But Honey’s time with them makes it all worthwhile, because Qualley is such a commanding force.”
With its mix of pulpy noir, camp comedy, and unabashedly sapphic energy, Honey, Don’t! is already proving to be one of the year’s most divisive (and talked-about) releases.
Honey, Don’t! is in theaters now.