Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Film and TV
Gerrard Kaonga
Charles Melton has revealed a surprising detail about his x-rated scene with Natalie Portman.
The 32 year-old plays a leading role in the 2023 drama film, May December, starring as Joe Yoo, a man who marries a woman (played by Julianne Moore) who started a relationship with him when he was 13-years-old.
The film synopsis reads: “Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance, a married couple buckle under the pressure when a Hollywood actress meets them to do research for a film about their past.”
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In the film, Natalie Portman’s character is shadowing the couple as she prepares to play the role of Moore's character in an upcoming film.
A film within a film so to speak.
And Melton went on to have a sex scene with Portman in the movie - but with a pretty unusual addition.
“It was very professional, Melton told Variety.
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“The whole thing. Natalie, Todd, and I met to discuss the scene, walking through it and ensuring everybody was comfortable.
“There were a few conversations about the prosthetic, regarding what was realistic and what wasn’t. And I had to wear that prosthetic for nine hours that day.
“I didn’t have anything to drink that morning or the night before. That was an annoying process but still very respectful.”
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While the film has put itself into the Oscar conversation, much of the praise has directed at Melton and he explained how he managed to give such a brilliant performance.
He said: "There’s so much pathos, so much going on.
“There’s this kind of repressed feeling. How they talk, it’s all right in the throat. For [playing] Joe, these words are forming for the first time.
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“It’s like seeing somebody at a party hunched over, protected, and not trying to take up too much space. Joe doesn’t even know he’s doing it.
“It’s part of his adult child that has translated into the physicality of his movement which he’s not even aware. It’s just him existing.”
He also looked to other performances for inspiration - ranging from Tony Leung’s role in Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love and Heath Ledger in Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain.
He also had nothing but praise for director Todd Haynes, adding: "Todd held my hand every step of the way.
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"He would tell me, ‘You got this, trust your instincts.’
"When you have that support from a director like Todd Haynes, in my opinion, the greatest living director, there’s no boundaries or limits.”
The film is now available to stream on Netflix.