10 Movie Scenes Where Actors Weren't Faking
1. The Whole Cast Go All-In Balls-Out - Shortbus
Upon release in 2006, the sex drama Shortbus was notorious for its sexually explicit content, which led to it being banned or boycotted in a variety of locales the world over. Little did these prudes know though, the sex was not only explicit, but in most cases completely real.
Directed by John Cameron Mitchell, who penned the genderqueer rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Itch in 1998, and then brought us the film version in 2001, Shortbus revolves around a diverse ensemble of characters in NYC sexually transgressing and seeking connection, and it should come as no surprise that the film isn't backward about being forward.
The mid-film orgy scene in particular was unsimulated throughout. Involving many of the principal cast and a vast assortment of extras, including cameos from porn industry figures such as Tristan Taormino, the scene dispenses with any subtlety and shows just about every position and permutation of couple imaginable, including mainstream cinema's kryptonite: brief shots of (gasp) erections and penetrative sex. Not only that, but to make the actors more comfortable, Mitchell and his camera crew agreed to appear naked themselves while filming.
Though the feature had a well-earned 18 rating in the UK, it is actually a surprise that the notoriously stringent BBFC agreed to classify it at all. But, given the cinematic boundaries it pushed, we should be thankful they did.