Viola Davis reveals why she 'can't stand' sex scenes and her one condition for filming them

Viola Davis has given her unfiltered thoughts on sex scenes, and she's not a fan.

The legendary actress and EGOT winner, 60, has graced our screens with a remarkable range of acclaimed roles. From her Academy Award–winning performance as Rose Maxson in Fences, to Aibileen Clark in The Help and the iconic blues singer in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, she has consistently delivered powerful, unforgettable performances.

On television, she captivated audiences as Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder, further cementing her status as one of the most compelling actors of her generation.

But there’s one thing Davis is not a big fan of doing as an actress, and she’s explaining why.

“I can’t stand love scenes,” she told Amy Poehler on her Good Hang podcast in Tuesday’s episode. “I can’t stand watching them. I can’t stand doing them.”

Davis’ character on How to Get Away with Murder had a number of intimate scenes, but the actress eventually got tired of doing them.

Viola Davis received acclaim for her role as Annalise Keating (ABC)

“I finally said, ‘How to Get Away with Murder, I’m not doing any more love scenes anymore. I mean, that’s it,” she recalled.

She then revealed the one condition she put in place if the show’s producers wanted more love scenes, and it was, 'unless you give me a boyfriend who has a stomach. A big gut'.

Poehler, 54, pressed for more details. “Wait. Say more.”

“You know why? Because you’ll actually write the scene. It won’t be about taking off the shirt and the six-pack abs,” Davis added.

She recalled a scene with her How to Get Away With Murder co-star Billy Brown, where he appeared wearing only his underwear, holding a scrub brush, and was instructed to 'slap it on his hand as if he’s slapping my a**.'

Viola Davis as Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad (DC)

“I’m in the scene, and I’m like, ‘You got to cut. You got to cut. Please cut,’” Davis joked, pressing her hands together as if in prayer.

“So I said, ‘If you write someone with a gut, maybe we won’t be in bed. Maybe it’ll be about everything else. And then when we finally kiss, it’s like something that’s organically happening,’” she said.

Davis also avoids watching love scenes in the movies and TV shows she’s not in. “Right now, for me, a lot of love scenes, it’s like that’s the time to go to the bathroom,” Davis joked. “If you want to pick up, go to the bathroom, you come back, you haven’t missed anything.”