Exclusive – Anne Boleyn’s Mark Stanley on the “visceral” BDSM sex scenes between Anne and Henry VIII
The Channel 5 thriller reimagines Anne Boleyn as dominant in the marital bedroom.
Mark Stanley, who plays Henry VIII in Channel 5's Anne Boleyn, has spoken about the "visceral sexual relationship" between his character and Anne Boleyn (played by Jodie Turner-Smith in the Anne Boleyn cast).
In the series,, Anne is portrayed as dominant in the marital bedroom (you can read our Anne Boleyn review for a spoiler-free breakdown of their on-screen relationship).
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Stanley confirmed that an intimacy coordinator was present on-set, adding that his focus was ensuring that Turner-Smith felt comfortable with him during scenes - especially since he was only cast a few weeks before production.
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"I think what [an intimacy coordinator does is]... to take away the uncomfortable moments of negotiating a scene, and it makes it much more like it's a choreographed moment. Obviously... it doesn't have to be strict dancing choreography, but it's just to make sure everybody feels comfortable. I've heard stories about people that have not felt comfortable, personally. And I know for Jodie as well, we've both had to do these sorts of things before. I've never personally had a problem with them [sex scenes] before, and I don't think Jodie has either," he says.
"It also helps that you're both very much ingrained in long-term relationships," he adds. "You're only respecting the person opposite you as much as you'd want your partners to be respected in similar circumstances. So I think we needed to find an instant chemistry between us. I think I was only cast a few weeks before the production went ahead, and Jodie needed to feel comfortable with me. That's for me the most important thing."
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Stanley adds that it was crucial that the pair "found this visceral sexual relationship... quite quickly," in order to portray Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn's marriage and "deep sexual desire for one another".
He says, "It was about making her [Jodie] feel comfortable really, making her feel free that she could try things with me and making sure that we found this visceral sexual relationship between the two characters quite quickly. And it was important. I think that they [Anne and Henry] had a deep sexual desire for one another.
“And I think that was probably made bigger by the fact that, you know – she was such an impressive person. And someone who really could dominate at times, which I think for him was a bit of a rarity. So we went down the route of her being really quite powerful in those [sexual] situations.”
An intimacy coordinator was also used for several other scenes in the three-part drama. Lola Petticrew, who plays Jane Seymour, recently spoke exclusively to RadioTimes.com, revealing that Anne Boleyn features a "talking point" kiss scene between Anne and Jane Seymour, both rivals for Henry VIII's affection.
Want more show content? Find out where Anne Boleyn was filmed, plus learn more about Madge Shelton and Anne Boleyn's brother George Boleyn, or read more about how Anne Boleyn died.
Anne Boleyn airs at 9pm on Channel 5. Check out what else is on with our TV Guide. Visit our Drama hub for all the latest news.
