Sex scenes are too steamy for actor

A PART-time Joburg actor told a Pretoria High Court judge that he was no longer available to star in a local film, which, according to him, required him to perform in pornographic scenes.

Last month, Judge Ferdi Preller ordered Lushen Naidoo to continue playing his role in the film And Now?, with conditions.

These included the movie producer, Natalie Raphil, give him a script and a shooting schedule beforehand.

At the time, Raphil said it would cause her and the rest of the crew irreparable harm if Naidoo pulled out.

Yesterday, Naidoo applied for leave to appeal against last month’s order because he was no longer comfortable with the sex scenes.

According to him, there were more than 50 sex scenes in the film (apart from the reshoots, of which there are many) and although he had already engaged in some of these scenes, he was no longer comfortable with this. It affected his physical and emotional health and his girlfriend was not happy.

Naidoo, in describing one of the sex scenes, said he was previously instructed to have sex with the leading actress in the toilets of a cinema in Lenasia Mall.

“This required me to sneak into the women’s toilets and conduct a sex scene in the toilets… I could have easily been arrested by the cinema security.”

Raphil’s advocate asked the court to order Naidoo to adhere to the previous order – even in the event of a pending appeal, which normally places an existing order on ice.

Judge Preller remarked: “Can you be forced to participate in pornographic scenes against your will? You cannot even be forced in Hollywood to do this.”

PA Swanepoel, Raphil’s counsel, said Naidoo was never forced to perform sex, as he was only required to simulate it. But after taking a look at one of the explicit scenes in the script, Judge Preller said: “This goes quite far. It does not appear to be mere simulation to me. It seems like the real McCoy.”

But Swanepoel was adamant that no real sex was necessary.

The judge took another look at the script and read out some of the scenes. He commented that this appeared “very close to pornography” to him.

Judge Preller suggested that Naidoo be written out of the film, as it was not sensible to force him to continue and expect him to take part in the film and give his best.

A ruling was due to be made today.