Jennifer Aniston has revealed that filming an intense sex scene with Clive Owen for their 2005 thriller Derailed left her with what she called "good bruises" on her legs. The Friends actress, 57, said she didn't feel any pain at the time.
Aniston played Lucinda Harris in the film, which followed two married business executives engaged in a steamy affair. They end up being blackmailed by a violent criminal and have to turn the tables on him to save both their families.
Adrenaline masked the bruises
Speaking at the time, Aniston said: "I got some good bruises on my legs. It wasn't pretty. But your adrenaline is running so you don't even feel it!"
Owen told the Daily Mail that it was "comfortable" stripping down with Aniston. He said: "There's a lot going on in those scenes which makes it a lot easier to play then if its just two people having sex. There's all sorts of things going on between them and so it made filming those scenes as comfortable as it could be."
He added: "She's lovely, incredibly level-headed considering the spotlight that is on her. It's an inspired casting, she's a really great actress whether she's playing a straight part or comedy."
Filming amid personal turmoil
The film came just as Aniston's marriage to Brad Pitt was breaking down, but director Mikael Hafstrom said she didn't show her emotional turmoil. He commented at the time: "She's a professional person and didn't bring that with her to the set."
Hafstrom added: "She just did her job and hung out with us after we finished shooting the whole thing. We created a private zone so she could feel secure and safe."
Other actors bruised by sex scenes
Aniston isn't the only actor to come out bruised from sex scenes. Netflix star Charlie Murphy was left black and blue filming thriller Obsession this year. She explained: "We were covered, covered in bruises. There was no give in that hardwood - it was not great... My bruises were on my knees, my toes, elbows, all the bony bits!"
Meanwhile, Aniston says she is a "seasoned pro" at filming sex scenes and refused to use an intimacy coordinator with her Morning Show co-star Jon Hamm for their racy romp. In the scene, their characters end up in bed together at his mansion in the Hamptons, with a naked Aniston lying on top of Hamm.
She told Variety: "Jon was such a gentleman, always – I mean every move, every cut, 'You okay?' It was also very choreographed. That's the beauty of Mimi and our gorgeous editor, the music and lighting. So, you don't prepare."
Aniston said she had no idea what an intimacy coordinator was, admitting: "They asked us if we wanted an intimacy coordinator. I'm from the olden days, so I was like, 'What does that mean?' They said, 'Where someone asks you if you're OK.'"
The star said: "Please, this is awkward enough! We're seasoned – we can figure this one out."
