Anatomy of a Scene's Manatomy: Future Oscar Winner Mark Rylance Gets Real and Really Nude for 'Intimacy'

Throughout cinema history, there have been some iconic nude scenes that have transcended the bounds of the films in which they appeared. Our weekly column Anatomy of a Scene's Manatomy will take an in-depth look at these scenes, their history, their deeper meanings, and their legacy. This week, well respected actors Mark Rylance and Kerry Fox have sex for real in the appropriately named drama Intimacy.

Mark Rylance's road to stardom is not like that of many of his peers, as he gained notoriety simply through doing top notch stage work throughout the 80s and 90s. By the year 2000, he had earned a reputation as one of Britain's finest living actors, and has since morphed into one of the world's premiere weird uncles of acting, alongside Daniel Day-Lewis and Gary Oldman.

New Zealand native Kerry Fox, on the other hand, entered the world of acting by headlining an epic look at one of New Zealand's most famous poets—Janet Frame—in the 1990 Jane Campion film An Angel at My Table. Two years later, she broke out in a big way with a leading role in Gillian Armstrong's The Last Days of Chez Nous, and by the time she appeared in Danny Boyle's directorial debut Shallow Grave in 1994, her ascent was in full bloom.

By the time their paths crossed in 2001, Fox had nearly two dozen screen appearances while Rylance was only on his fifth film, his last one being released six years prior. They were a seemingly unlikely pair for director Patrice Chéreau (Queen Margot), who was setting out to do a sexually explicit film version of Hanif Kureishi's novel "Intimacy," which Chéreau and co-writer Anne-Louise Trividic supplemented with material from Kureishi's short story "Nightfall."

Their film, as scripted, told the story of two people—an embittered, divorced man and a happily married woman—who meet once a week for torrid, anonymous sex that is completely lacking any of the titular emotion. The man becomes obsessed with the woman, despite his insistence on a rule that they won't disclose any personal details about themselves, and begins following her after their dalliances.

It's similar in a lot of ways to Bernardo Bertolucci's erotic 1972 flick Last Tango in Paris, except that loosened censorship laws in the three decades between the two films allowed Intimacy to be a little more equal opportunity in the nudity department. In addition to seeing all of Kerry Fox, the audience also sees all of Mark Rylance, something that Last Tango star Marlon Brando never did—or likely would have dreamt to do—on film.

We don't have to wait long for their first encounter, coming just four minutes into the flick as the two wordlessly undress one another and have sex on the floor—their preferred place for coitus throughout the film...

In an absolutely fascinating article written by Fox's real-life partner Alexander Linklater just prior to the film's release, he gives a lot of insight into the process of being "the other man" involved with a woman shooting explicit sex scenes with another actor. Sure, people shoot sex scenes in films all the time and are able to just go home to their partner with no lingering effects, but the script to Intimacy was different. The script very explicitly stated that Fox's character Claire would be performing oral sex on Rylance's Jay as the script contained the direction: “She sucks him off for a long time.”

Linklater relates this experience to another bout of jealousy he suffered as a young man, and while the whole thing makes for a truly engrossing read, I'll only be citing some sections. I would encourage you to read the entire article by clicking here. In addition to relating the details of the script, he gives some insight into the voyeuristic nature of his part in the endeavor...

"I did have another response, however, which crept in gradually and stayed with me for the duration of filming, right up until the moment I first saw Intimacy. It wasn’t the classic fantasy of being hidden while watching your partner have sex with someone else. But it wasn’t entirely unconnected to it, either. It was an impulse to know how far I could extend the boundaries of my possession of Kerry, and still feel the same about her. Or, rather, I knew I wouldn’t feel the same about her. Ahead lay an obscure destination of the heart. Would it be better, or worse? If it didn’t ruin us, would it make us stronger? Frankly, neither I nor (despite her experience) Kerry had any idea what it would be like, or what effect it would have on us."

After going through all of the standard steps of the grieving process, Linklater finally comes to acceptance, thanks to meeting and getting to know Rylance...

"Yet, as Kerry and I talked about it, a sense of adventure emerged. We developed a new solidarity. If jealousy is about watching-or imagining you are watching-an infidelity, then this would be an experiment in controlled jealousy. I met Mark Rylance and felt not the slightest twitch of resentment. Mark has a calm, almost elfin presence."

One other key point that Linklater makes is that while the oral sex was un-simulated, the rest of the sex was shot in the standard mainstream mold. Fox and Rylance wouldn't actually be having sex, but the camera angles and careful choreography would keep Intimacy from tipping over into the realm of the hardcore. However, one might be left to wonder why Chéreau was insistent on showing the blowjob? Linklater once again eloquently explains...

"So why, if it’s an illusion, the need to go as far as the film does? Why the need to show real oral sex, even if only briefly? And why the need to show, more often, Mark with an erection? The answer is simple. It is to take the internal logic of a work of art to a conclusion; that is its integrity. In this case, it is to take a story that deals with sex as far as the actors can allow, without compromising their personal lives, and to elicit from them the most powerful performances of which they are capable."

We should all be so lucky as to have a partner willing to defend one's work to such a passionate degree. As of the time of publication, Fox and Linklater are still together and have two children, so it looks as though they've been able to navigate some rough waters and still make it work.

As for Rylance, he has similarly been partnered with the same woman, Claire van Kampen, since 1989, so they clearly weathered the storm as well. Some actors, obviously, can't be trusted to understand the difference between the illusion they create and the reality of the situation. It's why a lot of actors don't last in committed relationships, because they got into acting to, among other things, hook up with hot beefcakes or hot babes or both.

So the next time someone asks, who's a well-respected actor and what does that even mean, I would point them toward Kerry Fox or Mark Rylance. Simply show them Intimacy and tell them that these two actors came into this film in committed relationships and those relationships survive to this very day. That's the result of talent and a tremendously understanding partner, hence it's easy to respect the hell out of them.

Catch up with our other editions of Anatomy of a Scene's Manatomy...

Two of History's Manliest Men Wrestle Naked in Women in Love

Ewan McGregor Has Got It, Flaunts It in Velvet Goldmine

A Pair of Stars are Born in Y Tu Mamá También

Harvey Keitel Goes Hog Wild in Abel Ferrara's Bad Lieutenant

Viggo Mortensen is Naked From Every Imaginable Angle in Eastern Promises

There's No Shame is Michael Fassbender's Dick Game

Kevin Bacon Steals the Show Going Full Frontal in Wild Things

How We Met Jason Segel's Dick in Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Jack Reynor is Uniquely Vulnerable for a Man in Midsommar

Jaye Davidson Knows All There is to Know About The Crying Game

David Bowie Battles Rip Torn for Dick Supremacy in The Man Who Fell to Earth

Al Pacino Doesn't Get In All That Deep for William Friedkin's Cruising

John Cameron Mitchell's Ass Gives Hedwig and the Angry Inch the Perfect Ending

Ross Lynch Makes One Sexy Future Serial Killer in My Friend Dahmer

Rocketman Not-So-Boldly Goes Where Bohemian Rhapsody Refused

Color of Night Brings Us the Return of Bruno's Dick

Robert De Niro and Gerard Depardieu Get Serviced in Bertolucci's 1900