'The Crown's Claire Foy Opens up About Feeling Exploited Shooting Sex Scenes

Claire Foy, the Emmy Award-winning actress renowned for her role in The Crown, is starring in the upcoming series A Very British Scandal. In a recent interview with BBC4 Radio, she talked about how uncomfortable it was to shoot certain intimate scenes, saying it was "the grimmest thing you can do."

The storyline follows a true story surrounding Margaret Campbell, the Duchess of Argyll, whose reputation was destroyed due to a nude photo leak in 1963. With this premise, more intimate scenes were required to fuel the plot, resulting in the star feeling exposed.

Foy said that performing fake sex on screen was equivalent to being exploited as a woman due to the loss of autonomy. "You feel exposed. Everyone can try their best to make you not feel that way but it's, unfortunately, the reality." She added: "But my thing was I felt very strongly it had to be present, although I wanted it to be female. I did not want it to be that sort of awful climactic sexual experience you often see on the cinema screen."

The Crown actress subsequently discussed the "slut-shaming" phenomenon, stating that the word "slut" should not exist and be devoid of any context. She also talks about how a shift in the industry has allowed her to speak up for herself and others, expressing that there is now room and acceptance for a forum between her and her colleagues.

You can listen to the full conversation on BBC4 Radio.