‘Passages’ Star Franz Rogowski Says Intimacy With Co-Star Ben Whishaw ‘Felt Like Sex’

LGBTQ Movie

2023-09-01
11:34

‘Passages’ actor Franz Rogowski has divulged how he created “real intimacy” with co-star Ben Whishaw while filming the new queer film.

In an interview with GQ, Rogowski revealed how he and his screen partner Whishaw were able to create realistic affection without the help of an intimacy coordinator.

The German actor shared that they “created the intimacy themselves” and that he and Whishaw felt a strong connection from the start, with Rogowski saying he “wanted to be with him.”

Rogowski said that the sex scenes took too long to get right, which helped in their endeavor to create a realistic passion for each other.

“Sometimes you shoot for like 20 seconds, we shot these scenes for five minutes, 10 minutes. So, it really felt like sex. I think it helped that we just trusted each other,” he said.

‘Passages’ tells the story of a love triangle between movie director Tomas (Rogowski), print-maker Martin (Whishaw), and grade-school teacher Agathe (Adèle Exarchapoulos). Tomas and Martin are in a long-term relationship when the former decides to pursue a relationship with Agathe, which then turns their whole lives upside down.

The film is said to have its fair share of showing physical intimacy among the three leads which earned it a controversial NC-17 rating, forcing director Ira Sachs to speak up against what she called a “cultural censorship.”

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23 and screened in the Panorama section at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in February. It is due to open in the UK on September 1.

Source: (1)