Scarlett Johansson recently shared an awkward experience while filming a sex scene with Joaquin Phoenix.
The Marvel actress and the lead actor of Joker have previously collaborated on screen in a rather unconventional manner, which led to an awkward moment during production.
If you’re not familiar with the film we’re referring to, we highly recommend watching Spike Jonze’s sci-fi romance Her, released in 2013. The movie is much more than its intimate scenes.
Set in a futuristic Los Angeles, Jonze’s film features Phoenix as Theodore, a solitary man who falls in love with his AI assistant, Samantha, voiced by Johansson.
Although Johansson doesn’t appear physically in the film, that didn’t prevent Her from incorporating a passionate phone scene between her character and Phoenix’s. However, as is often the case in films, the process of shooting the scene was far from romantic.
In a 2022 conversation with Dax Shepard and Monica Padman on the Armchair Expert podcast, Johansson discussed an unconventional scene where filming was more uncomfortable than imaginable.
She mentioned that Phoenix had already shot his part, but since Johansson’s role was voice-only, he needed to join her in a recording studio for her segment.
She recalled: “Joaquin comes in, we try to get through one take, and he was, like, losing it.
“He was like, angry … He had already done [the scene], he had done it in person, and now he was with me, in this weird theater, I’m in this box and [Joaquin] is staring at me, the lights are low, and like, Spike is there. It was so bizarre.
“Joaquin was so upset about it, he left the studio. He needed a break.”
Johansson completely understood Phoenix’s discomfort and admitted that reminiscing about it causes her anxiety.
She continued: “You don’t want to hear your voice, ever.
“You definitely don’t want to hear what you sound like having an orgasm. You definitely don’t want to hear what you sound like having a fake orgasm – ew. It’s so gross.”
So if you decide to watch Her, keep in mind the awkwardness the actors experienced while filming that scene.
Moreover, the film is highly acclaimed, boasting an IMDb rating of 8/10 and a Tomatometer score of 95 percent.