Actress Amanda Seyfried revealed during a Sunday conversation with Alec Baldwin at the Hamptons International Film Festival in East Hampton, New York, that she rejected a television series because of its frequent sex scenes, explaining that she has become increasingly uncomfortable performing intimate scenes as she gets older.
“I passed on a show where I would have to have sex all the time because of the sex. Doesn’t matter [who it’s with]… I don’t want to do it. I’m uncomfortable with it. I’m not into it right now,” Seyfried said, according to People Magazine.
Seyfried’s decision echoes concerns raised by other Hollywood actresses, including Gina Gershon, who told Fox News Digital in March that she rejected a starring role in the 1981 horror film “Friday the 13th Part 2” after learning her character would appear topless.
“I was offered a lead in that movie,” Gershon said, adding that the nudity “definitely felt kind of exploitative to me.”
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Seyfried, 40, said her feelings about portraying romantic relationships on screen have changed significantly since the beginning of her career, when she was more enthusiastic about filming intimate scenes.
“Maybe if [the project] came along again [at a later point], maybe I’d be in a different space. But I don’t want to deal with being naked with a stranger,” Seyfried said.
The Oscar-nominated actress previously acknowledged feeling pressured to participate in uncomfortable scenes when she was younger. In a 2022 interview with Porter magazine, Seyfried described participating in scenes without underwear at 19 because she feared upsetting people and jeopardizing her career.
“Oh, I know why: I was 19, and I didn’t want to upset anybody and I wanted to keep my job. That’s why,” Seyfried said.
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Other actresses have described similar experiences. In 2023, Christina Ricci revealed on “The View” that she was once threatened with legal action after refusing to perform an intimate scene in a particular way.
“Someone threatened to sue me once because I didn’t want to do this sex scene in a certain way,” Ricci said.
Keira Knightley previously revealed that becoming a mother changed her willingness to appear nude on camera. The actress incorporated a no-nudity clause into her contracts, allowing her greater control over intimate scenes.
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Not every actress has taken the same approach. In June, Fox News Digital reported that “Euphoria” star Sydney Sweeney rejected creator Sam Levinson’s suggestion to reduce nudity in the show’s third season, believing the scenes were relevant to her character’s storyline.
Hollywood has introduced additional protections for actors filming intimate scenes. Jessica Steinrock, an intimacy coordinator, told Fox News Digital that coordinators help establish expectations and consent during production.
“[Intimacy Coordinator] is a relatively new role. It really hit its stride kind of in 2018 when HBO made their commitment to having an intimacy coordinator on all their film sets,” she said. “An intimacy coordinator is there to provide safety and framework for scenes of intimacy. Those are scenes of simulated sex, simulated genital contact, or scenes of nudity.”
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Under SAG-AFTRA’s guidelines, performers must receive advance notice of expected nudity or simulated sex acts, and producers generally must provide written nudity riders at least 48 hours before filming. The union also established a collective bargaining agreement covering intimacy coordinators in 2025.
Seyfried, who shares two children with actor Thomas Sadoski, said motherhood has further influenced her willingness to establish boundaries, both professionally and personally.
“I have kids now who are paying attention to what I do, and so I have to be less of a pushover,” Seyfried said.
