Mark Rylance, known for his role in Dunkirk, once revealed that he lacked the ‘confidence to say no’ when asked to perform an unsimulated sex act on screen.
Rylance, now 64, boasts a versatile career spanning film, television, and theater.
He has been honored with two Laurence Olivier Awards and three Tony Awards. Rylance made his film debut in 1987 with Hearts of Fire and has maintained a steady presence in the industry.
Throughout his career, the actor from Kent has taken on many memorable roles, but his part as Jay, a bartender and musician in London, is of particular interest.
In the 2001 film Intimacy, Rylance portrayed a man who had left his family after his wife seemed to lose affection for him.
In his solitude, he engages in weekly, intense, physical encounters with a woman.
Initially, his relationship with the woman, played by Kerry Fox, is purely physical, but Jay eventually develops feelings for her.
He discovers that his weekly partner is actually Claire, an actress.
Claire has a husband and son, leading Jay to feel a sense of longing for the family he abandoned.
This film, which debuted at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, is based on Hanif Kureishi’s book and includes an unsimulated scene where Fox performs oral sex on Rylance.
Furthermore, Patrice Chéreau’s controversial film contains a sex scene that, according to researcher Tanya Krzywinska, left viewers certain of actual penetration.
Intimacy stirred controversy upon its release and currently holds a moderate 66 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
While some praised it as ‘imaginative’ and ‘interesting’, Rylance doesn’t remember it fondly.
During a 2016 Q&A, Rylance was asked about his decision to participate in the film.
The RADA alum answered: “Intimacy was the most difficult job I’ve ever had. Hanif Kureishi’s work and Patrice Chereau’s words convinced me it was a very true and vital story about the difficulties people face finding intimacy in a big city like London.
“I know Hanif Kureishi’s writing couldn’t have been more intimate and revealing, but I found the making of the film and the subsequent publicity and personal attacks very, very painful. And I wish I hadn’t made it.”
Reflecting on the oral sex scene, Rylance admitted to feeling the pressure to perform.
“It soured me on my life two months,” he recalled, adding: “At that point I didn’t have the confidence as a film actor to say no. Now, I think a lot of actors that people say are difficult are actually just being sensible.”
Kerry Fox’s own partner shared his thoughts, admitting he was a ‘jealous guy’.
“It wasn’t going to be a trick,” he wrote for The Guardian. “If Kerry accepted the role, the sex in Intimacy would be far more demanding than the normal perfunctory erotic interlude of most mainstream movies. To some indefinable degree, this sex would be real.”
If you’re interested in watching the film, Intimacy is available to stream on Prime Video.