The 'Grim' Reason Clare Foy Hates Filming Sex Scenes

British actor Claire Foy rose to fame for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix's "The Crown." The performance earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, which she added to her impressive pile of accolades, which included a Golden Globe nod and BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress. Then in June, news surfaced that Foy would be joining Rooney Mara, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand in the film "Women Talking," from writer and director Sarah Polley. 

The actor will also play the role of Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, in "A Very British Scandal." The series features other A-listers like Paul Bettany and Ian Campbell. In a December 20 interview with BBC Radio 4, per People, Foy opened up about playing Margaret in the limited series, which centers on her character's 1963 divorce. And Foy's admission about playing the part is generating headlines. 

In her interview with BBC Radio 4, per People, Foy said filming sex scenes makes her feel "exploited." She shared, "It's a really hard line because basically you do feel exploited when you are a woman and you are having to perform fake sex on screen. You can't help but feel exploited. It's grim – it's the grimmest thing you can do." She continued by describing the experience as feeling "exposed." 

In the film, Foy plays Margaret Campbell, a British socialite. Campbell's divorce made headlines, as explicit photographs of her had surfaced, with papers calling her "dirty duchess." During her interview, Foy was asked whether she believes Campbell was one of the first women to be "publicly shamed" for her sex life. Foy replied, "I hate the phrase slut-shaming, I absolutely hate it. But I think that women have basically been slut-shamed forever. I think Eve (Margaret's nickname) probably was slut-shamed." However, Foy added, "I feel like there is a room and an acceptance now that I never would have had."

Of course, Foy isn't the only actor who has spoken out about sex scenes — in October, Victoria Pedretti, who plays Love on "You," discussed how COVID-19 shaped her experience. "We [she and Penn Badgley] played a couple before, but it didn't just immediately come back after being in a global pandemic," she told Entertainment Weekly. Penn Badgley added, "It's really true, the implications of all that stuff was really felt."