HARLOTS' Jessica Brown Findlay put a whoopee cushion under her male co-stars during 'awkward' sex scenes to break the ice.

The 30-year-old actress plays Charlotte Wells, a brothel madam's daughter and prostitute in the period drama, which is airing on BBC Two.

The nature of the show means there are plenty of sex scenes, and while Jessica says she "got away quite lightly" compared to some of her co-stars, she still had to deal with the awkwardness of such scenes a few times during filming.

She told the BBC: "It’s always a closed set for the sex scenes. So that helps.

"And I found it was quite amusing if you put a whoopee cushion underneath someone. It breaks the ice. Sex scenes are massively awkward, but you can make them funny.

"Working with the directors and producers we did, I felt we could actually have really informed discussions.

"Not just about what physically you saw but about what circumstances we were going to depict and why they were being depicted.

"They were always to drive the scene forward, to see that dynamic between two people."

She continued: "Because of that I felt, for the first time ever, confident and happy and able to talk openly and be as free as possible with the people you’re working with and the context in which things were happening. Our directors were amazing."

Harlots also stars Samantha Morton, Lesley Manville and Eloise Smyth, and all the women find themselves in risque scenes.

Most read in Drama

5

Jessica said: "There are many manners and forms in which sex is displayed in Harlots. It is part of the story and can’t be shied away from.

"As long as you’re open and feel safe and are protected with who you are working with and everyone else around you, then you can get over the awkwardness."

Harlots continues tonight at 9pm on BBC Two.

Source: Read Full Article