The Invite: Consent, Chemistry & Couple Swapping

The Invite (2026) intimacy scene breakdown: intimacy coordinators react to Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton's sexy, cringe swinging comedy.

This week on Faking It, intimacy coordinators Morgan Smith and Ariel break down The Invite (2026), Olivia Wilde's A24 comedy about a married couple, Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde), whose upstairs neighbors Piña (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton) invite them into something far outside their comfort zone. It's one of the most deliciously awkward sex scenes we've covered, and we're here for all of it.

We're talking:

• Why authenticity can be more valuable than instant chemistry
• What happens when one partner's ready to go when the other is not
• How characters' personalities can continue when scenes get spicy
• The psychology of kink, control, and surrender in a sex scene
• Whether this scene really needed an intimacy coordinator

The Scene: 1:13:05

About the film

The Invite (2026) is directed by Olivia Wilde, written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, and distributed by A24. It's an English-language remake of Cesc Gay's 2020 Spanish film The People Upstairs (Sentimental). It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2026, opened wide July 10, 2026, and is streaming on digital platforms now, with HBO Max to follow.

Subscribe to Faking It  for behind the scenes breakdowns of the most iconic sex scenes in film and TV from two working intimacy coordinators. New episodes every other week wherever you get your podcasts.

Comment below with what movie or TV intimacy scene should we analyze next!

Stay real, fakers.

#TheInvite #OliviaWilde #SethRogen #IntimacyCoordinator

Sources for this Episode's Research

Boston.com

Time interview with Wilde

SAG interview

Seth Rogen interview on Jimmy Kimmel

IMDB

Deadline

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

SPEAKER_03 0:00

I'm so sorry. May I retroactively scream in just your discomfort? I'm like, ah, look, it's so discomfort. Oh my God, that was so visceral. And the more we talk about it, the more I'm like, oh my God, it was so awkward.

SPEAKER_00 0:15

Welcome to season two. Before we get into it, we have a mission for you fakers. Help us defeat the algorithm. Because this is a show about intimacy, and by intimacy I mean sex and nudity, our tech daddies are trying to shadow ban us.

SPEAKER_03 0:35

Don't let them draw your swords and hit subscribe so you don't miss any of our spicy movie secrets.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Now let's get into it. Hi, I'm Ariel Lee Cohen. Hey, I'm Morgan Smith.

SPEAKER_03 0:49

And we are the hosts of Faking It with Ariel and Morgan.

SPEAKER_00 0:52

We are two intimacy coordinators here to talk about the spicy scenes you see in film and TV.

SPEAKER_03 0:58

And we're starting season two! Season two! Yes! Oh my gosh, thank you to our audience for sticking with us or joining us for the first time.

SPEAKER_00 1:09

Yes. Thank you so much to all of our subscribers, to all of our listeners. If this is your first time, welcome to the faking it family. This is nuts. I feel like when we started this, I didn't fully realize what we were getting into, and it's been wonderful. And the feedback that we've been getting from fans has been incredible and so much fun.

SPEAKER_03 1:32

I've loved doing this podcast. You know, when you're about to start an endeavor with someone and you're like, yeah, okay, sure, we'll we'll do that and whatever. And I remember when we were at the table talking about it, I was like, don't test me because I'll do it. And you were like, no, don't test me because I will do it. And I'm like, I guess we're gonna do it. I will do this. It's been such a crazy fun experience. I'm just really grateful to all the people who have listened and enjoyed and our beautiful Patreon subscribers, but also just everyone in general. Thanks for listening. Thank you, friends. I'd love for you to talk to the audience about the question you had for the group today.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

Yeah, yeah. This is uh a group chat that we have a bunch of other intimacy professionals. I'm prepping a low budget feature that is so low budget, they don't have a special effects department. And there's a scene where a character is going to ejaculate while wearing shorts. And so I was asking if anyone had recommendations for a pump that could be used for this effect. Because we have a golden shower scene, so we have peeing, but that's not the right kind of release. So I was like, what do people use? There was a lot of fun options that came up. I used to work props, so I go, okay, what would work?

unknown 2:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:58

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 2:59

No, I liked the thing you sent. It looked like what people usually have for bachelorette parties, these like little penis things that can hold like alcohol shots, and then you just like push on the base of the penis, and then alcohol comes out of the head.

SPEAKER_03 3:14

It's like a penis-shaped syringe that has a large enough opening that it goes into a mouth, but it's very realistic looking. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 3:23

I was surprised at how realistic it was. Like they weren't just going for like a goofy gin, like it had veins.

SPEAKER_03 3:29

I think I literally Googled just like chocolate syringe, and that thing came up. I was like, wow, this is not safe for work on a basic Google search on like page one.

SPEAKER_00 3:42

That was great. That was one suggestion I got. I also had someone suggest a medical IV tube and a pump so that way someone can control it off camera. Because I think the thing you suggested, the actor would have to control, which could work. And I know costumes is also talking to a special effects person because they just worked on a project that had a similar practical effect. So I'm like curious to see what they'll come up with too. And I got a lot of recipes for semen.

SPEAKER_03 4:06

Yeah. Isn't that fun? A recipe for semen. I love a recipe for some fake semen. It's delightful. The recipe is slightly different for vegetal fluid. Normally, we would not be doing this. This would be special effects or art or props or maybe wardrobe, depending on what's going on. This it's funny when it becomes and they look for recommendations. I'm about to coordinate a film where there are like vegetables that have been used in some sexual capacity.

SPEAKER_00 4:39

Like in the story of the film.

SPEAKER_03 4:41

In the story of the film.

SPEAKER_00 4:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 4:43

And they're like, how do we make them look like glistening as if they've just been utilized? And I was like, it's a good question. I would probably just use lubricant. I feel like that would be enough. A light sheen is fine. You could probably also use sunscreen.

SPEAKER_00 4:57

You don't want to use something that's going to get absorbed, and since vegetables are porous. I worked on a project where a mythical creature that was kind of like a mermaid. That's literally the yeah, a mesolamine is what it's called. And it's the mermaid that you see on the Starbucks logo, but the two tails, tails look wet when she was getting out of the bathtub. Hair gel. Yeah, that can work. Like clear hair gel.

SPEAKER_03 5:19

I will mention it to them. They do have a special de effects deportment, so I'm not too worried.

SPEAKER_00 5:24

I mean priorities, you know? Yeah. I'm working on a film that is about a sex party. I can't go into too many details about it, but there was a scene we were working on yesterday where um we're choosing like different impact toys for this one character to play with, and I had so many options. Yay! It was so much fun. I was like nerding out so hard. They could use a flogger, and these are all the different things you can do with a flogger, and then this is what you can do with a whip, and this is what you can do with a crap, and um maybe BDSM is becoming your specialty too. Yes, okay. Well, here's the thing we had Brooke, Haney on the pod. Like every day they consume some kind of media that was either like gay or kinky. And I'm trying to do that, and because I do want to build up my kink specialty and get better at it. Like I took a Shibari class.

SPEAKER_04 6:21

Oh, look at you go!

SPEAKER_00 6:23

Yeah, some rope.

SPEAKER_02 6:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:26

Okay. Yes, love. Very fun. All right. Speaking of activities. Okay, good segue. Thank you. Today we are covering the invite. Yeah. For those who don't know, the invite was released July 10th of this year. It was directed by Olivia Wilde. It was based on a screenplay by Will McCormack and Roshita Jones. It is a remake of the Catalan play written by Susk Gay, titled The People Upstairs, which he later adapted into the Spanish film The Upstairs Neighblers. The Upstairs Neighbors. The neighblers. The Neighblers. The Enablers. The Enablers. The Spanish film The Upstairs Neighbors. In this scene, we are going to see Seth Rogan as Joe, Olivia Wilde as Angela, Penelope Cruz as Pinha, and Edward Norton as Hawk. And if you have not seen the movie yet, there are major spoilers ahead. So pause. If you haven't seen it, go watch it and then come back and listen to the podcast.

SPEAKER_03 7:33

What if I haven't seen it?

SPEAKER_00 7:39

It's still worth the ride, honestly. Like this film does have surprises in it, but it's a chamber play. Very much in the vein of like who's afraid of Virginia Wolf. It's about the journey as much as the destination.

SPEAKER_03 7:52

Is it true that this one is like partially improvised or that it was just like shot in chronological order? What was the thing with this one?

SPEAKER_00 8:01

Yes, to all of that. It was shot in chronological. It was shot in chronological order. There was a lot of improvisation that was encouraged. There are parts of it that were straight up written by cast members. Edward Norton wrote this really great monologue, and then Seth Roken improvised a reaction to it that stayed in the final product. This was an extremely collaborative process.

SPEAKER_03 8:25

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

Context for the scene. Joe and Angela's 15-year marriage is on the brink. They fight constantly. Most recently, about the last-minute dinner party Angela is throwing for their upstairs neighbors, Pina and Hawk. Joe threatens to finally confront them about their insanely loud sex, which hits harder because Joe and Angela's bed has been ice cold for a year. Angela, desperate to impress their extremely cool guests, shuts him down. The night must go perfectly. Pina, a bisexual sex therapist, has helped her boyfriend or former patient become annoyingly evolved. Hawk and Pinya share that their loud noises are from orgies that recently included as many as 10 people. And they're here tonight to invite Joe and Angela to join them. Although the proposal titillates the less thirsty hosts, Piny senses they're not ready for a group experience. So Hawk suggests they swap partners instead. They agree. For those following longtime code is 113.05.

SPEAKER_03 9:31

Was there an intimacy coordinator on this?

SPEAKER_00 9:33

No.

SPEAKER_03 9:34

Interesting.

SPEAKER_00 9:35

Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 9:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 9:39

Okay. Every day I become more and more the grandfather from uh Princess Bride. Like now. Alright. Okay. So is it Olivia Wilde and Seth Rogan in a relationship?

SPEAKER_00 9:52

Yes. Yes. The couples are wearing the same color.

SPEAKER_03 9:56

Oh my god, Wilde. Wardrobe.

SPEAKER_00 9:58

Yeah. Great job. I love them trying to figure out which room they should each go to.

SPEAKER_03 10:03

Arts and craft room! It's too small. This is palpably awkward, my lord. Thank you. Oh my god. See you soon. Oh, okay. So Olivia Wilde and Penelope Cruz made out a little bit. And she says not to say. The funniest reaction. Toast to condom usage. And honestly, a good reason. I love this cool music. Tense. Okay, so Penelope Cruz and Seth Rogan go into a room. And Olivia Wilde and Edward Norton go in the other room. They're gonna wipe the countertops. This is so real.

SPEAKER_00 10:53

I love her like quickly doing dishes.

SPEAKER_03 10:56

Really quick. I can do it. I'm so fast. Oh, he's about to kiss her. She stops him. Oh, she has the dimmer switch. And then meanwhile, Seth Rogan and Penelope Cruz are staring at each other. And she put her head in the crook of his neck and smelled his shoulder while he breathes. As you do. Seth Rogan looks like he is about to puke. Olivia Wilde takes the shirt off, stuck on her arms, as it always is with every actor on the face of the planet.

SPEAKER_00 11:30

I'm so glad they kept it. The sleeves are completely caught on her wrists.

SPEAKER_03 11:35

Oh, okay. We got a little Sade. They're so awkward. She's singing in his ear while she pets his beard. And he's just looking straight ahead, not looking at her at all. And I think she's trying to move his head to face her, and he is not moving his head. Olivia Wilde's in bra and underwear now. She goes up on the counter. Touch of Olivia Cruz's or no, Olivia, I'm gonna think so many names. Penelope Cruz's face. Dancing with Seth Rogan a little bit. So cute. They're like sinking in a little. Yeah. I loved it. Loved it. Oh god, no, I know.

unknown 12:21

I'm a stupid.

SPEAKER_03 12:22

So Penelope Cruz is in her brano. And Seth Rogan looks like he just doesn't know what to do with his hands.

SPEAKER_00 12:31

He's trying so hard to be polite.

SPEAKER_03 12:34

Yeah!

SPEAKER_00 12:35

He keeps thanking her.

SPEAKER_03 12:37

Yeah, it's like thank you so much. So Olivia Wilde's trying to intellectualize this. She wants the um thing with what you you say. He's kissing her shoulder while she's trying to speak more dancing with Seth Rogan and Penelope Cruz. Close right up on his face. She looks very at ease. And he's trying to dance and trying to shake out his hands. He's loosening up. Okay. He's loosening his body. And he's twerking. Alright, go Seth Rogan, twerking a little bit. He's got some moves. He's got some moves once he's a little looser. So he starts with the belt, which is interesting. And he's like putting a zipper up and down. And Olivia Wilde is now on the table, but her head is sort of half off of it. And something's happening. Alright, Seth Rogan's wiggling his hips and taking his pants off, and they too are getting caught, and he's falling into the bookcase. Oh, and Edward Norton was about he was about to simulate oral sex.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

She pushes his head back down, like, don't worry about it.

SPEAKER_03 13:50

He's grunting while he's crawling down the hallway. Oh my god, he's like crawling in his boxers. This film is wild. Wow.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

Initial thoughts.

SPEAKER_03 14:08

I feel awkward. So much lead up into it. That awkwardness was palpable. The motions were so specific, and the vibes were like, oh, you could drizzle that tension over pancakes. It was just insane. Four powerhouse actors all just killing it together. And the God, that uh, I I feel like my shoulders are at my ears. I'm so tense for them, is my initial impression. You?

SPEAKER_00 14:41

I feel that. I mean, one of the things that I really, really enjoyed about this scene, because I remember when I started watching this, I texted you and I was like, oh my God, we have to do the invite. I love how grounded it is. I love how they're not afraid to show the awkwardness and the nerves. And in Seth's case, like I love his take of apologizing and thanking her over and over again. It feels so real. Apparently, that was all improvised.

SPEAKER_03 15:10

I believe it.

SPEAKER_00 15:11

Penelope Cruz singing, Seth Rogan apologizing. Apparently, they called Cut and Olivia was like, why do you keep saying thank you? He's like, that's just all that comes out of my mouth when that's happening.

SPEAKER_03 15:21

I'm so sorry. May I retroactively scream just fear discomfort? I'm like, ah, look, it's so discomfort. Oh my God, that was so visceral. And the more we talk about it, the more I'm like, oh my God, it was so awkward.

SPEAKER_00 15:38

So awkward. I love like because I feel like so often when we see this type of scene where like people are hooking up with a new person they have been desiring for a while, then it's just like this immediate chemistry, and like they just can't wait to get into it. And they're kissing and they're moving each other's bodies and doing all this stuff like seamlessly, and it's all so intuitive. But this is so real. Like Joe and Angela have been monogamous for over 15 years, and they haven't even been intimate with each other for over a year. So of course it's awkward and nerve-wracking. And even though their marriage is on the brink, there's still love and respect for each other there. And you can see it like in Seth's character. Like he's not ready to pounce anybody else that isn't his wife. It's so sweet.

SPEAKER_03 16:29

It's so cute and so sweet and so uncomfortable. I love this for them, but also hate this for them. There's a trope in book talk, in romance novels, romance movies, stuff like that, where the two leads are about to have some kind of sexual contact that the more dominant figure character will be like, tell me what you want. And then the more virginal, more innocent other party is like, um, you know, the thing. And they're like, I won't do anything until you tell me exactly what it is that you want. And then the confidence is so sexy. So I really like that this turned that on its head a little bit and is like, she's like, uh, you you take this one. You do uh you uh you know the thing, the thing that you do, do that thing. I was like, yeah. Which makes sense. He has sex parties all the time. Yeah, like maybe he is. I mean, honestly, that's not a crazy thing to expect when someone has more experience swinging and having different sex partners to be like, can you just like take the lead a little bit? Because it can be really awkward. I have a personal story that I'd like to share that I may or may not include in this podcast.

SPEAKER_00 17:37

Go for it, go for it. I can't wait.

SPEAKER_03 17:39

I used to do like sex parties when I was in my 20s and stuff. And I went, yeah. I went to one and I met this couple there. We went out to dinner, the three of us. It was like a little like we all knew what was happening, but nothing was being spoken. And then we would, they were like, Well, do you want to come back to our house? And I was like, Yeah, okay. So we go back to their house and we were sitting there and doing nothing. And they were like, Should we play a board game? And I was like, Yeah, let's let's play a board game. Because you're like, I don't know what to do. Someone needs to initiate, and no one wanted to initiate. Eventually, things did happen, but like it literally someone had to stop what the board game and be like, so should we just like get into this a little bit? You need somebody to be that guy.

SPEAKER_00 18:30

Did we pause Monopoly for a second and just like fool around?

SPEAKER_03 18:35

I can't remember exactly what happened. It was something along the lines of like, so it's getting late. Um we do that.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

I love that.

SPEAKER_03 18:46

Yeah, it was funny. Um, but anyways, okay, but back to this. It's really an awkward experience to suddenly be faced with a different face, literally, than the person that you're used to sleeping with. And I am kind of glad that the Edward Norton character took the initiative to then be like, this is what you want. And she's like, Yes, thank you. I did think it was hilarious, however, and very real that when she lies down on the kitchen counter, her head is off of it. I was like, I was like, oh my god, yeah, of course, of course, that's not big enough for him with her set.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

So good. She has talked about the orgasms Penelli P. Cruz's character Pinha has and how epic they are. And she is so envious of them. It has come up in the dinner party that she envies Pina's orgasm. So when he says, Do you want me to do the thing that makes her scream? he knows for sure that this is actually what she wants.

SPEAKER_03 19:45

Just in the authenticity of sex experience, some people just are more vocal than other people. Yeah. And it doesn't necessarily mean that they are orgasming better or having better experiences. Some people just are more vocal. And also, who's to say that the thing that works for Pina works for Angela? Angela may be like, uh moved down? Left, wrong, no bad.

SPEAKER_00 20:09

That's so true. I also feel like she has so much pent-up energy that he might just touch her and she'll be good to go.

SPEAKER_03 20:18

But it's just as likely as the other way around. Like she's so high strung that he might touch her and she like let's relax. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:29

Yeah. I actually think it's better what Pinya and Joe are doing, having the little dance because it's loosening him up. And you see it in his body language. He starts from like standing with his arms in front of him, just like looking kind of down and not moving, to fully twerking and starting to do a strip tease for her. It actually kind of reminds me of the scene we talked about in off campus.

SPEAKER_03 20:54

Yeah, when they do the little dance. Yeah. They're like getting into it. Yeah. It would have been a good tactic for Edward Norton to do with Olivia Wilde as well, instead of her taking her clothing off in the dark and then him like propping her up and being like, okay, what now? Like, I feel like that's more stressful than just like, even though it was awkward in the beginning, it can like loosen the body and yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:18

So uh, fakers, if you want an intimacy coordinator approved move, put on some music and dance. Dance the awkwardness out and dance the sexiness in.

SPEAKER_03 21:30

Unless you are certain people who hate dancing so much that it would make them a thousand times more awkward.

SPEAKER_00 21:39

Yes, you know who you are. Good caveat. Good caveat. Hey, I do think there is something to like getting in touch with your body in some way before hooking up, because hooking up is an act that uh requires your body.

SPEAKER_03 21:56

I mean, uh uh, presumably, yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:59

Should we spice it?

SPEAKER_03 22:00

I feel like we should spice scale. Let's do it. Welcome to the spice scale, or not so scientific way of rating intimacy scenes, based on consent and power dynamics, technical craft and coordination excellence, and heat factor. Each category gets a score from one to five, with five being the highest. Then we add it all up to give the scene a final letter grade. So we start with consent and power dynamics, how the scene depicts consent and power in the story, and if known, behind the scenes.

SPEAKER_00 22:26

I did research. I couldn't find a lot of information specifically about how the intimate scene was shot, other than Seth Rogan and Penelope Cruz improvised a lot of their scene. Penelope improvised the singing to him, and apparently it almost broke Seth because he found it so funny. He came up with the idea of falling. All of his dialogue was improvised. So that's all I know. There is no intimacy coordinator. What I found out in general about how the film was made was it was so intensely collaborative. And originally Olivia Wilde was just supposed to direct. There was another actor cast in the role of Angela. And then that actor dropped out for unknown reasons, probably scheduling conflict or something. And the rest of the cast demanded that Olivia play the role because they were like, you would be great in this. And she was like, Are you sure there's like a million other actors who can do it? And they're like, No, you. Which I found so interesting because that really changes what the power dynamic could have been of someone who's directing and acting.

SPEAKER_04 23:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:28

So it really felt like a team experience, especially when you think about how Seth and Edward Penelope also directed. And so they're coming in with that experience. Yeah. So for projects that didn't have an intimacy coordinator, it was actually okay with this one. And I really enjoyed the comedy of Olivia's leg over Edward's shoulder and her like popping up and laying back down and like pushing his head down. No, it's fine. It's fine. He's fine. He's fine. Get back down there.

SPEAKER_03 24:01

Consent-wise, the power dynamics are a little um interesting here, but overall, like you said, it's very collaborative. It is consensual on everyone's part, even though there's hesitation. Yeah, for me, a five, babe.

SPEAKER_00 24:16

Five. So now we have technical craft slash coordination excellence, the staging, film coverage, modesty, protection, choreography, and overall execution of the scene.

SPEAKER_03 24:28

So good. So tense. Crazy. I can't imagine how hard it must be to choreograph a scene like this or improv a scene like this when you are in it and directing. That sounds so hard to have your mind in like 12 different places. I love what you were talking about, the scene where she where she's up and down and pushing his head. I thought that was hilarious.

SPEAKER_00 24:51

So good.

SPEAKER_03 24:52

I think the slinky way that Lenelope Cruz is dancing around him and he's so stiff is really, really well done. I know it's improvised, but this zipper moment with Cesar Rogan for me is like top-tier, S-tier movement.

SPEAKER_00 25:08

So good. He's obviously an incredible improviser. He's a great physical comedian. It doesn't surprise me at all that he was able to like squeeze so much comedy out of that moment. I thought Penelope was doing a great job in this scene of drawing him out. And then I also like how he starts twerking and she's basically like, okay, enough of the jokes. Take her clothes off.

SPEAKER_03 25:34

Yeah. She's like, okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:36

Yeah. It's like a kind of a recurring theme for his characters. He deflects a lot and she starts to call him out on it. Like she starts to catch him. Okay. And he's doing that. So I liked that they had a little moment like that here.

SPEAKER_03 25:50

Yeah. Characters don't stop being their personalities just because they're in a sexual space. And I I know that that sounds like it is profound, but then it's like, wait, is that actually profound? And then it is again. I argue that it once again is profound.

SPEAKER_00 26:03

No, I think it's so true. But I think one of like the big things we've talked about with intimacy scenes before intimacy coordinators that didn't work. A lot of times suffered because of a lack of a conversation.

SPEAKER_04 26:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:17

Usually people with the best of intentions just trying not to say the wrong thing. So they said nothing. Clearly, with this project, the way they worked, there was so much conversation about everything. So people really felt comfortable doing what they were doing in the scene. And I think part of that is also the actors really thinking about like, how do I carry this person through into this moment? Seth brought some of himself to this character. Not totally, because like there are a lot of things that uh he's talked about in interviews are very different from him. But like his reaction to this is on point with how, like, just to give you context, like leading up to this moment in the conversation they're having, when they first propose we want to have sex with you too and join you. He's like, Me too. Like you want, you also want me. Just to be clear, and and me involved.

SPEAKER_03 27:12

Aw, funny, but sad also, but very funny. Sometimes it's like people just want the scene to look as sexy as possible, more so than remain in that head space with the idiosyncrasies.

SPEAKER_00 27:27

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 27:28

There's a place for sexy sex scenes that exist, that's real. But like you have to maintain some semblance of how your character would react in those moments.

SPEAKER_00 27:40

And if we're going for sexy, which I don't I don't think they were in this project, but let's say in general, if you're working on something where they are going for sexy, it's what is sexy to these people?

SPEAKER_03 27:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:52

What is their version of sexy?

SPEAKER_03 27:54

Why does this character think it's sexy? You don't need to have a reason because sometimes the body just wants what it wants and there there is no reason behind it. But like you have to integrate that within the mental space of the character. If someone, let's say, really likes being on top or something, maybe it's like a power dynamic thing, or maybe they just like looking down at their partner in the moment. Like maybe that's something. There's some people who enjoy other people crying during sex. There's something in your body that wants that thing, and I think it can just be expressed physically.

SPEAKER_00 28:28

It doesn't even need to be verbal when it comes to like the actor wanting to look a certain way on screen. That always gets tricky and really ends up becoming a conversation with the director because I feel like that gets into territory that's not our terrain. I do fully understand actors wanting to present a certain way on screen because their bodies are part of their business and what they show or don't show is partially a business decision for them. And it's also like it's still your body and you have autonomy over it.

SPEAKER_03 28:56

I was working on a simulated penetrative sex scene where it started off consensual and aggressive and leading into a BDSM power play space and ends up not being consensual by the end. And the actors both really wanted it to look really hot and really sexy, and it's even at the end when it's no longer consensual, like you still want it to be that. And it's like, is that serving the story? Is that serving the characters and their journey from this moment, you know? Um but that being said, going back to the invite, technical craft, coordination, excellence, there may have been maybe no intimacy coordinator, but a lot of this was very deeply coordinated and thoughtful in its execution. So for me, it's a fev. Fav. It's a fev. Heat factor, the level of erotic charge or sexual tension in the scene.

SPEAKER_00 29:55

You know, that's actually tough. Maybe it's helpful to talk about these separately, like the two different spaces.

SPEAKER_02 30:03

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 30:04

For Pinha and Joe, it grows. It starts as like lukewarm because she's bringing sexy and is trying to like get him to loosen up. And she successfully does that. And then he finds his own kind of sexy way into it. Like by the time he's doing a strip tease, I believe I'm like, oh, this is Joe being sexy. I totally buy it. And then he trips and falls, and it's hilarious. So I'm like, it's kind of a roller coaster. It starts at a three, then it gets to a four for me at the end, and then it drops to a zero when he falls. So I'm like, three? Four? What makes sense?

SPEAKER_03 30:43

I mean, yes, but also it's what they intended as far as the sexiness. Right, right. You know, like they executed what they wanted to. Yeah, which is why I think we should have a bonus category of us and our particular heat experience versus what was intended, just because I like hearing about how we felt too. I do agree with the the Joe Pina moment. I I would go zero three-zero personally. Okay. It's like my feelings on it. I'm like, ah. And then I'm like, and I'm like, no.

SPEAKER_00 31:18

I think also the way it's shot, the way that they keep the bright light, we're in a wide for a lot of it. So we're not feeling the same level of intimacy that we are with Seth and Penelope, who are also in a tighter space, but they built the set, so they could have like gotten whatever shot they wanted. We're getting a lot more close-ups of them. It feels a lot more intimate with them.

SPEAKER_03 31:38

And more claustrophobic with them.

SPEAKER_00 31:41

A different kind of awkward. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:44

Then I say a five. Yeah. So this gets an A. And you know what happens when we get an A. We ruin it! First ruin of the year. All right, Ariel, you want to start this one off? How would you ruin it? I'm gonna separate these. Number one, no condoms. They you know how they cheer as condoms? No condoms anymore. Those are gone. And there's immediate chemistry. Pinha pulls Joe into the other room, immediately starts kissing him. He's a little awkward, but then he gets real suave and cool very suddenly. And they're having sex against the bookcase, and there's crazy music playing, not sexy sade. It's the band fun, like I'm sexy and I know it kind of thing. And then jumping into a pseudo-aggressive, almost BDSM level space with no conversation at all.

SPEAKER_00 32:45

Yes. We have Olivia suddenly abandoning who our character is, and now Angela is the dominatrix and is like throwing Hawk down onto the kitchen island and is like ripping his sweater off of him and rips her shirt off, and the buttons are popping off. And then we cut back between Pinha and Angela having orgasms, like competing, screaming loud sounds at the same time. And everyone orgasms together.

SPEAKER_03 33:17

Oh my God. Yes. Oh, and I love, I know how you love that. Angela, I love this idea. She's a dominatrix suddenly that this has been inside of her all along, which that can happen, but there is no, there's no slide to that moment. It is immediate drop when she's ready and knows all the things.

SPEAKER_00 33:35

I don't think this character would be into dominating because and I and I know you don't have this context because you've only seen this clip, but she is so controlling over every aspect of her life, the way she plans this dinner. And when we welcome them, first we have to do this, and then we have to do this, and everything has to go perfectly. And I feel like usually people who are that way in their everyday life tend to find a lot more release in being the submissive and allowing someone else to take over. And I feel like with this character who is so extremely controlling, and I think we get a hint of that with her being like, you decide.

SPEAKER_03 34:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:16

She's like, I can't make a decision.

SPEAKER_03 34:18

And that is a real thing in BDSM, absolutely. Where people who are like very controlling and need to organize a lot of things, they're very tired and they just want the held feeling of someone doing it for them. Can I can I don't know if I've ever told this story on the podcast? Can I tell a little story? Please. Oh my God. Okay. So I was working with a director once on a BDSM project, and the director disclosed to me later in the project that they had never really done a lot of research into BDSM, that it was a job, uh, and that they wish they had done a little bit of research. I kind of went out on a limb and I was like, well, imagine that you are directing this film, and very suddenly someone who has all of your best interests in mind, someone who has the vision as you've described it in their head, and they say, You, you go sit over there, and I'm gonna delegate all of this for you. And the director's entire body like collapsed in on itself, like with relief. And I was like, that, that's BDSM, baby. I'm like, that's the research.

SPEAKER_00 35:29

I love that description. Because I think people get really caught up in the aesthetics of it and the characters of the different archetypes, and they don't think about the psychological aspect in a positive way. If they do think about the psychological aspect, it's coming from like a broken place and your mom spanked you too much when you were a child, and now you want to be spanked.

SPEAKER_03 35:51

Yeah. And I mean, listen, and this is going off on a wild tangent, but like, if in this scenario I had said something like, and this dominant figure doesn't just say, go sit in that chair, they tie you to the chair and they say, You are not allowed to work on this anymore because I've got this for you. And for some people, that would be like, no, I'm gonna do this. This is my project. I I'm stressed. Like, this is so much, this is so much. But if you're tied down, you can't do it.

SPEAKER_02 36:21

Oh no.

SPEAKER_03 36:23

Whoops. Up. I guess I will have to just let you do it. You have to release and surrender. So, anyways, have we ruined it or is there anything else we can think of to ruin this? I think we ruined it pretty well.

SPEAKER_00 36:40

Well done.

SPEAKER_03 36:40

Alright, good job, us. Alright, well then shall we credits? Let's credits. And now the credits, starting off with our dogs, Maddie and Honey.

SPEAKER_02 36:51

If you liked today's episode, follow us on whatever podcatcher you're on right now. Leave us a review. Tell us about your favorite scene we've covered.

SPEAKER_01 37:02

Not only does it make our day for real, it helps other people find us! Thank you for listening to faking it. This episode's research and context was done by my mama Morgan. New episodes drop every other day. Follow us on social media at faking it the pod.

SPEAKER_03 37:20

Yay, puppies! Want to get involved? Head to patreon.com slash faking it the pod. For just one dollar, you get a shout-out at the end of every episode. For $10, you get bonus content and never before seen footage. So thank you, Carly. Goodbye, Guy, Susan, Dave's friends, Lee, Brielle, and Kiki Brown.

SPEAKER_00 37:45

This episode was produced by Ariel Lee Cohen, social media and branding by Morgan Smith. Our theme song is Faking It by Mike Getz. Credits for the film or show we reacted to our in the episode caption. Stay real, fakers.

SPEAKER_02 37:57

Yeah! Yeah. Uh uh uh uh uh uh.