‘Mary & George’ Star Nicholas Galitzine Felt an ‘Immense Sense of Power’ Filming Sex Scenes | Video

Note: The following story contains spoilers from “Mary & George” Episode 1.

In “Mary & George,” Nicholas Galitzine’s George Villiers uses seduction as a calculated tactic to rise through the ranks of the court of England — a layer the star said imbued an “immense sense of power” in him while filming the show’s steamy sex scenes.

“There are moments of real tenderness in a lot of the scenes, but there are moments of pure dominance in these scenes as well,” Galitzine told TheWrap of the Starz show’s intimate moments. “I love doing them because I really found out who George was, certainly in his scenes where he’s essentially manipulating these people — I felt an immense sense of power in those scenes.”

The limited series, which premiered Friday, initially introduced George as a naive romantic desperate to escape from being sent to France by his mother, Mary (Julianne Moore). She later put her trust in George, her second son, to help the family ascend into power. Despite his reluctance to leave the life he knows in England — including his romance with his family’s servant, Jenny — his world is opened through his journey to France, guided by Jean (Khalil Gharbia), his mentor of sorts, who prepares George to enter society as a true gentlemen.

“Through Jean … [George] learns poise, he learns competence — he’s kind of given a freedom as well,” Galitzine said. “He doesn’t really realize the power that he has until he goes to France. He learns these skills [and] he comes back very bolstered and very confident in himself.”

As Jean assisted George in perfecting his fencing, dancing and French, Jean also encouraged George to lean into his intimate desires by inviting him for a ménage à trois with himself and a servant. While George was certainly not a newcomer to sex thanks to his fling with Jenny, the intimate moment marked George’s first time being with a man, removing taboos of homosexuality and class rank.

“There is a definite innocence and curiosity to George at that point,” Galitzine said of filming the candlelit scene, pointing to the purity seen between George and Jenny. “He’s very much opening up as a human being, and when he comes back from France he has this poise about him that’s very different.”

Galitzine also noted the premiere episode’s scenes at the French chateau weren’t shot until the end of the six-month production, enabling the “Red, White and Royal Blue” actor to think through the impact of his time abroad, which he considers George’s “genesis.”

By the time George returns from France later in Episode 1, he’s finally earned his mother’s approval as he recounts his adventures and revelations, kickstarting Mary’s mastermind plan for George to become the all-powerful lover of King James I (Tony Curran), whom Mary learned during George’s time away is rather undiscriminating when he comes to taking lovers.

“He’s much more in line with his mother’s aspirations, I suppose, to climb the social order,” Galitzine said.

Though the premiere episode only previewed the debauchery and mischief stirred up by Mary and George that will be seen through the rest of the seven-episode series, Galitzine noted George “definitely” feels exploited by his mother’s twisted plans, pointing to a line later in the series where George tells Mary “I’ve given you everything, and still you try to milk every last drop.”

“George has aspirations of his own, but they were presented to him by his mother, and I think he feels a lot of responsibility for the well-being of his entire family —his older brother, John, who he cares for very deeply,” Galitzine said. “When it comes to love, it does not feel entirely… unconditional when it comes to his mother.”

Galitzine noted the moments of intimacy in “Mary & George” deepen audience’s understanding of George and “how his sexuality develops and empowers him.”

“There are moments in our industry where perhaps certain scenes of intimacy feel pandering or not integral, but I think for ours, especially, they all felt incredibly important to the plot,” Galitzine said. “I really feel like our show has purpose in its intimate work.”

After working with an intimacy coordinator to film countless sex scenes in “Mary & George” across the production, Galitzine admitted he was “desensitized” to some of the show’s more scandalous moments — including the orgy George is shocked to stumble upon in the premiere episode.

“It wasn’t so scandalizing,” Galitzine said. “I’ve done so many of these intimacy scenes and I know the weirdness that goes into it. But honestly, there’s something very empowering about being on a film set and everyone watching these very intimate moments.”

Galitzine also paid close attention to learn from Moore, the acting legend who played his on-screen mother — including taking a note out of her book to get Uggs to wear during close-up shots — as she led the set as both an actor and an executive producer.

“Seeing, after being in this industry around 40 years, the poise that she holds herself with is really admirable and an aspirational for me and all the other actors on set,” Galitzine said.

“Mary & George” premiered Friday, April 5 at midnight on the Starz app, and debuted on the Starz linear channel at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT in the U.S. and 10:00 p.m. ET/PT in Canada. New episodes will drop every Friday.

The post ‘Mary & George’ Star Nicholas Galitzine Felt an ‘Immense Sense of Power’ Filming Sex Scenes | Video appeared first on TheWrap.