Pursuit of Love star Emily Beecham speaks out about feeling ‘unsafe’ during past sex scenes

‘I’ve had friends who have had actors press their erections up against them,’ revealed Beecham

(BBC Studios/Steve Schofield)

The Pursuit of Love’s Emily Beecham has spoken out about previously feeling “unsafe” when filming sex scenes.

Beecham – who currently stars as Fanny Logan in the BBC’s new drama – told The Sunday Times magazine: “I was very young and I was doing an awful lot of sex scenes. So I did feel quite defensive after a while, a bit unsafe.”

The 36-year-old added: “I’ve had friends who have had actors press their erections up against them, and you’ve just got to ignore it.

“People do blur the lines and they do suddenly try to go ‘method’ with you.”

She went on to applaud the introduction of intimacy coordinators whose role it is to choreograph sex scenes and ensure the safety and consent of all parties involved.

Intimacy coordinators have become increasingly common on film and TV sets following the #MeToo movement.

Beecham – who won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 for her role in Little Joe – currently stars opposite Lily James and Andrew Scott in BBC’s adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s 1945 novel The Pursuit of Love.

Lily James and Emily Beecham star in The Pursuit of Love (Theodora Films Limited & Moonage Pictures Limited/Robert Viglasky)

Beecham plays Fanny Logan, a bookish young woman taken under the wing of her uncle Matthew Radlett (Dominic West) after her mother, “The Bolter”, abandons her as a baby.

Fanny’s best friend is her cousin Linda Radlett (James), Matthew’s daughter, whose head is filled with nothing but romantic fantasies.

Following the broadcast of its first episode last night (9 May), the drama has received mixed reviews from audiences.

You can read The Independent’s four-star review of the series here.