This Oscar-winning film on AI featured a famous sex scene, the production of which angered the lead actor and gave the actress 'panic'
The conversation around artificial intelligence (AI) is nothing new. While it may be all-pervasive now, the discussion of AI and its pros and cons has continued for decades. There have even been several films that have talked about this phenomenon. One such film came out a decade ago, winning several awards, grossing big money at the box office, but also leaving a sour taste in the mouths of its two lead stars.
The film with the ‘bizarre’ orgasm scene that irked its stars
In 2013, filmmaker Spike Jonze wrote, directed, and co-produced the sci-fi romantic drama Her. The film was set in a future where a man falls in love with his AI assistant only to realise the downsides of such a relationship. The film starred Joaquin Phoenix along with the voice of Scarlett Johansson as the Alexa-like virtual assistant Samantha. The film featured a scene where the two characters ‘have sex’, largely dirty talking, punctuated by sounds of them attaining a climax.
In a recent interview, Scarlett Johansson spoke about the awkwardness of recording that scene. Speaking on The Armchair Expert podcast, Scarlett said that the scene was filmed separately since only Joaquin was needed on camera, but they had later dub together in a recording studio. “Joaquin comes in, we try to get through one take, and he was, like, losing it. He was like, angry ... He had already done [the scene], he had done it in person, and now he was with me, in this weird theater, I’m in this box and [Joaquin] is staring at me, the lights are low, and like, Spike is there. It was so bizarre. Joaquin was so upset about it, he left the studio. He needed a break,” the actress recalled.
Scarlett added that thinking back on the scene even today, 11 years on, gives her ‘panic’. She reasoned, “You definitely don’t want to hear what you sound like having an orgasm. You definitely don’t want to hear what you sound like having a fake orgasm — ew. It’s so gross.”
Her’s critical and commercial success
But the scene was just a footnote in Her’s overall story. Upon its release in December 2013, Her was a commercial success, grossing $48.3 million (Rs 320 crore in those days) against a production budget of $23 million (Rs 150 crore). But it was the critical success that made Her a bigger phenomenon. The film achieved almost unanimous praise, securing a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It secured five nominations at the 2014 Oscars, winning one – Best Original Screenplay.
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