Scarlett Johansson Discusses The ‘Bizarre’ Orgasm Scene That Led Joaquin Phoenix To 'Leave the Studio'

By Khadija Pervez in Showbiz On 21st August 2024
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Scarlett Johansson recently shared a rather awkward moment she and Joaquin Phoenix experienced while filming a scene for their movie.

Now, before you get too excited, let me clarify: this wasn't some X-rated Scarlett Johansson movie that you somehow missed.

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I double-checked, and as far as we know, there isn’t one. This incident actually took place while working on Spike Jonze’s film, Her.

In case you haven’t seen this fantastic sci-fi rom-com from 2013, the story revolves around Theodore, played by Joaquin Phoenix, who falls in love with a computer program named Samantha, voiced by Johansson.

Scarlett Johansson opened up about an awkward scene she had to film. Paolo Blocco/FilmMagic

Here’s the twist: Johansson doesn’t appear physically in the film. Instead, her voice communicates with Phoenix’s character throughout the movie.

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During an interview on the Armchair Expert podcast with hosts Dax Shepard and Monica Padman in 2022, Johansson revealed the details of a rather unusual and awkward sex scene they had to shoot for Her.

Yes, the film does include a steamy phone sex scene.

However, according to Johansson, filming this segment was far more uncomfortable than you might think.

She explained that Phoenix had already completed his part of the scene, but since Johansson’s contribution was purely vocal, he had to join her in a recording studio to complete the scene.

“He was like, angry ... He had already done the scene, he had done it in person, and now he was with me, in this weird theater, I’m in this box and Joaquin is staring at me, the lights are low, and like, Spike is there. It was so bizarre.”

“Joaquin was so upset about it, he left the studio. He needed a break.”

Joaquin Phoenix's character gets VERY acquainted with Scarlett Johansson's voice... if you know what I mean. Warner Bros.

Johansson admitted she completely understood Phoenix’s discomfort and said that thinking about it now gives her ‘panic.’

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She added, “You don’t want to hear your voice, ever.

“You definitely don’t want to hear what you sound like having an orgasm. You definitely don’t want to hear what you sound like having a fake orgasm - ew. It’s so gross.”

So, if you plan to watch Her, you can look forward to that scene, knowing just how awkward it was for both actors.

And if that doesn’t convince you, the film has been quite well-received, boasting an 8/10 rating on IMDb and a 95 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.