An actress has candidly shared how portraying a role in a film with a ‘graphic’ lesbian sex scene prompted her to reflect on her own sexuality. Lea Seydoux, widely recognized for her portrayal of Dr. Madeleine Swann in the James Bond films Spectre and No Time to Die, found herself deeply influenced by an earlier project. Before her appearances in the renowned spy series, Seydoux was part of a French film released in 2013.
In this movie, she starred alongside Adèle Exarchopoulos, and has openly discussed the profound impact the experience had on her. The film, Blue is the Warmest Colour, tracks the story of a young woman named Adele, portrayed by Exarchopoulos, who explores her sexuality. Seydoux plays Emma, Adele’s first love, a blue-haired bohemian artist. The dynamic between the two characters, including their intense initial sexual encounters, is pivotal to the narrative.
Blue is the Warmest Colour is notably recognized for its lengthy and explicit sex scene between the leads. Variety magazine hailed this portrayal as ‘the most explosively graphic lesbian sex scenes in recent memory.’ The intensity of the scene led Seydoux to question her own sexual orientation.
In an interview with the Evening Standard, when asked if the film made her question her sexuality, Seydoux affirmed, “Of course I did. Me as a person, as a human being. It’s not nothing, making those scenes.” Despite these reflections, she revealed that she didn’t experience any groundbreaking personal revelations.
The film garnered significant critical acclaim and won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013. However, it also sparked controversy due to the explicit nature and duration of the sex scene, which took 10 days to shoot.
The scene drew criticism from various quarters, including French author and illustrator Jul Maroh, who penned the graphic novel on which the film is based. Maroh lambasted the scene as ‘porn’ and disapproved of the casting choices, pointing out that the film, which centers on lesbian identity, did not feature LGBTQ+ actresses in the leading roles. In a blog post, Maroh described the scene as a ‘brutal and surgical display, exuberant and cold, of so-called lesbian sex, which turned into porn.’ She further noted that most of the laughter during the scene came from men, likely engrossed in what they saw as a depiction of their fantasies.
Seydoux and Exarchopoulos’s performances at Cannes in 2013, despite the controversies, left an indelible mark on audiences and critics alike, highlighting the complexities and challenges of representing authentic LGBTQ+ experiences in cinema.