Henry Cavill Says S.e.x Scenes Are Sometimes ‘Overused’ in Movies: ‘I Don’t Understand Them — I’m Not a Fan’

Henry Cavill, the actor known for his roles in blockbuster hits like Justice League and The Witcher, recently shared his candid thoughts on the use of sex scenes in films. In a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he appeared alongside his Argylle director Matthew Vaughn, Cavill expressed his skepticism about the necessity and frequency of such scenes in modern cinema.

“I don’t understand them — I’m not a fan,” Cavill, 40, stated plainly. He elaborated on his perspective, noting that while sex scenes can sometimes enhance a movie, they are often overused. “There are circumstances where a sex scene actually is beneficial to a movie, rather than just the audience… [but] I think sometimes they’re overused these days,” he continued.

Cavill questioned the true purpose of these scenes, wondering if they were essential to the narrative or merely an excuse for displaying nudity. “It’s when you have a sense that you’re going, ‘Is this really necessary, or is it just people with less clothing on?’” he pondered.

He further explained that unnecessary sex scenes could detract from the film’s performance and storytelling. “That’s when you start to get more uncomfortable and you’re thinking, ‘There’s not a performance here. There’s not a piece which is going to carry through to the rest of the movie.’ ”

Cavill emphasized that while sex scenes have their place in movies and can significantly contribute to storytelling, often the human imagination is more powerful. “Most of the time, human imagination is gonna trump it,” he said. He critiqued the over-reliance on these scenes in some productions, suggesting that they could be seen as a shortcut to grab attention. “And so I think it can be a little bit of a cop-out if a TV show or a movie is just filled with gyrating bodies and you’re going, ‘Okay, but what is this doing for us apart from the idea of, ‘Oh, naked person, great’?”

Cavill’s reflections also brought up an amusing yet embarrassing anecdote from his past. In a 2015 interview with Men’s Fitness, he recounted a moment on the set of The Tudors where he got aroused during a racy scene. “A girl had to be on top of me, she had spectacular breasts, and I hadn’t rearranged my … stuff into a harmless position. She’s basically rubbing herself all over me, um, it got a bit hard.” He apologized profusely afterward, acknowledging the awkwardness of the situation, “It’s not great when you’re in a professional acting environment and somebody gets a boner, is it? No, not acceptable.”

Outside of his professional life, Cavill has been in a committed relationship with TV executive Natalie Viscuso for over two years. The couple made their relationship public in April 2021, sharing a photo of themselves playing chess on Instagram. They made their red-carpet debut in October 2022 at the premiere of Cavill’s Netflix movie Enola Holmes 2 in New York City and recently appeared together at the Seoul premiere of Argylle in South Korea on January 18.

As Henry Cavill continues to captivate audiences with his performances, his insights on the film industry offer a thought-provoking perspective on the balance between storytelling and spectacle.