Adele Exarchopoulos Sets ‘Limits’ for Sex Scenes in ‘Passages’

French actress Adele Exarchopoulos has reflected on the backlash over her controversial sex scenes in Blue is the warmest color and her fresh approach to intimacy in her latest film, Transitions.

Directed by renowned director Ira Sachs. Transitions stars Ben Whishaw, Franz Rogowski and Adele Exarchopoulos. Although the film is due to be released in September, it has already made headlines due to its controversial NC-17 rating, meaning the content is not suitable for people under 18.

The film tells the story of the sensual love between film director Thomas (Rogowski) and teacher Agatha (Exarchopoulos), which threatens the long-standing marriage of Thomas and artist Martin (Whishaw).

This isn’t the first time Exarchopoulos has appeared in an NC-17 rated film. In 2013, she played a lesbian lover in the controversial queer film. Blue is the warmest color, opposite Lea Seydoux. Following the film’s release, director Abdellatif Kechiche was heavily criticized for exploiting the main stars and catering to the male gaze with graphic and gratuitous sex scenes.

In an exclusive interview with The Guardian, Exarchopoulos spoke about her conflicting feelings about the film and its aftermath.

“Now that I’m older, I know that it was a very difficult experience in terms of the commitments that were asked of us in some of the scenes,” she explained.

“And it’s true that the controversy probably marred the project and its beauty, because we were making something that was truly ours to begin with.”

Despite this, she still has “a lot of love” for Kechiche, adding that her performance, for which she won a Cesar Award for Most Promising Actress, “couldn’t have been better.”

“(It’s) really very rare when you’re an actor. It was like filming life, like you were making a documentary about your own character.”

Over the years, the industry has adapted, introducing intimacy coordinators and setting higher standards for women’s safety on set in the wake of the #MeToo movement. This time, Exarchopoulos set “limits” while filming lengthy sex scenes with Rogowski for Transitions.

“I told Ira that I have no problem with the sex scene, but I don’t want people to see my body the same way, so we can find another way,” she explained.

“Ira was not primarily interested in my boobs and my body; it was more about capturing two people from different cultures who couldn’t express all their desires in words. We agreed not to treat the scene as about a boy discovering love for a girl: it was more about two people trying to find each other, a kind of mutual seduction.

“And I think between me and Franz there is something really physical, but between us it was also clear what the limits were.”

The 29-year-old actress also shared her views on the NC-17 rating, saying it wasn’t necessary because “we all experience that kind of sensual attraction.”

Earlier in July, Sachs shared his frustration with the Motion Picture Association’s (MPA) ratings, which he called a “cultural censorship” of queer relationships and bodies.

In an August interview with Vogue, Exarchopoulos also elaborated on the LGBTQ+ aspect of the love triangle.

“I like that it’s not the theme of the movie, that they’re gay and they love a girl,” she told the publication.

“It’s just, like, this is a couple (who’ve been together for a long time) and they’re faced with the fact that one of them is going to cross the border and risk losing the other. This is a film about the present; it’s modern.

“It’s also about transition—things that can touch you in life, even if you know it’s just an experience of a few months, but it can change you forever.”

Transitions opens in UK cinemas on 1 September 2023.