Sex scenes rarely sound glamorous when actors talk about how they are produced, and Michael Angarano did not pretend otherwise — except when he shared an upbeat detail about filming them with Elle Fanning. While promoting his new Apple TV series “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” Angarano opened up about filming intimate scenes with Fanning. He said that they treated the prep like stunt work, which ultimately brought the two co-stars closer.
Michael Angarano opens up about having ‘stunt’ rehearsals with co-star Elle Fanning
Michael Angarano spoke with PEOPLE at the show’s New York City premiere on April 8, where he explained that the production approached the sex scenes — which he filmed with Elle Fanning — with an unusual label. In that, he explained, “We had rehearsals that were for our sex scenes — but they called it stunt rehearsals.” He told the outlet, “It was actually kind of fun thinking of it like stunt work.”
However, Angarano revealed, “You’re sore after,” adding that the process became a “bonding” experience for the two, while also describing filming the relationship itself as something he looked forward to, especially because he and Fanning already had a friendship. He said, “We’ve known each other as friends, and, you know … I was really excited to do it with her because it’s such a complicated relationship.”
Moreover, the actor pointed to what the series tries to do with messy characters, calling it “dimensional and heavy.” He explained, “I think the show does a really good job of this in general, where it presents very dysfunctional, flawed people, but doesn’t really judge them.”
The show, adapted from Rufi Thorpe’s bestselling novel, follows Fanning’s Margo, a young woman who gets pregnant after an affair with her married English professor, played by Angarano, and then struggles with money. The cast includes Michelle Pfeiffer and Nicole Kidman, and it was co-produced by Elle’s sister, Dakota Fanning.
