Everyone thinks filming a pretend sex scene with a random stranger would be more awkward than doing it with someone you’re actually in a relationship with, but Riley Keough is here to tell you that is very much not the case.
For an all-important scene in Prime Video’s new limited series Daisy Jones & The Six, Keough’s character Daisy encounters a one-night stand with a guy she just meets. On Late Night with Seth Meyers, Keough shared how the show’s producers thought it’d be “funny” if she filmed said sex scene with her real-life husband Ben Smith-Petersen, who is also an actor. Keough said it was the complete opposite. In fact, it was “more awkward” than your standard I-just-met-you-let’s-have-fake-sex scene.
“I think that they were thinking it would be less awkward,” said Keough. “And then we got there and they’re like, ‘This is really uncomfortable.’ Like, for one, I’ve never had pretend sex with my husband.”
“And for two, normally, typically, when you do these things, it’s somebody coming in for the day. You’re like, ‘Hello, nice to meet you,’ and you kind of get down to business and it’s very professional. With him, we were just giggling the whole time.”
In between laughs, Keough also explained how she felt the need to vindicate her lack of enjoyment, which made the whole thing even more awkward. “In this scene, I’m not really enjoying it. And I really kept feeling inclined to be like, ‘In real life, it’s not like this!’ Then I was like, ‘I’ll just keep that to myself.'”
In the show, Keough’s character Daisy doesn’t have time for men. As an aspiring musician trying to make a record-breaking album, the only thing on her mind is her lyrics, her melodies, and her imminent stardom. So, when she’s asked if she’d like to spice things up and change positions, Daisy shrugs the guy off, reaches for her journal, and scribbles some lyrics. In other words, the exact opposite of what would happen between Keough and Smith-Petersen in real life, and not just because they’re married.
Despite being the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, Keough had no professional experience with music prior to Daisy Jones & The Six, she told Meyers. Her forte lies in acting, not singing. She and her castmates — which includes Sam Claflin as her star-crossed lover, Billy Dune — spent over a year learning their respective instruments, and studying vocal technique.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Keough shared that she was instructed to learn how to belt prior to filming. “I was like, what does that even mean? I didn’t even know how one gets to be able to sing loud.”
After training with a vocal coach, and practicing with Lady Gaga songs such as “Shallow,” and putting in work day after day, Keough finally got it down. She could confidently belt, which you can hear in the 10 original songs showcased in the series. Suffice it to say, those new skills were not put to use in the “awkward” sex scene with her real-life husband.
Daisy Jones & The Six is currently available to stream on Prime Video. You can check out our review of the show here.