Laura Dern has admitted she felt ‘so lucky’ to be able to perform a racy sex scene with younger costar Liam Hemsworth in their new movie Lonely Planet.
The romantic drama, which landed on Netflix on October 11, sees Dern’s character Katherine Loewe, a successful and respected writer, travel to a Moroccan resort to finish her latest literary novel – which is where she meets Hemsworth’s character Owen Brophy.
Owen becomes enamored with Katherine, despite being at the retreat with his girlfriend Lily Kemp (played by Diana Silvers), and the pair grow close as they start spending more time with one another.
In one particular racy scene, the pair have sex up against a wall and Dern, 57, has revealed there was ‘definitely an intimacy coordinator’ on set and said she felt so comfortable with her 34-year-old Australian costar.
Describing Hemsworth as ‘literally the safest person I could ever talk through everything in my life with,’ Dern explained: ‘By the time we were doing those scenes, there was nothing we couldn’t talk about together and work out creatively, professionally, all of that.
Laura Dern has admitted she felt ‘so lucky’ to be able to perform a sex scene with her younger costar Liam Hemsworth in their new movie Lonely Planet
The actors had an intimacy coordinator on set for their racy love-making scene in the Netflix movie
‘But we also had a lot of support, we had much, much discussion,’ the mother-of-two added during an interview with People.
Hemsworth also felt just as comfortable with his costar and said: ‘There were times when we were shooting in the Marrakesh markets where we couldn’t even see the camera… we were completely immersed in it.
‘The whole experience of filming was that it just felt like we were hanging out and it was getting captured at the same time,’ he admitted.
‘[We] didn’t know each other beforehand,’ the 6ft3in Australian heartthrob revealed.
‘It was weird. It felt like we’d known each other for a long time, and there was this instant trust there, and connection.
‘And as we worked together, that just grew and evolved.
‘We had such a great time doing this project together. And it was a really unexpected, wonderful surprise to work with someone that I was already such a big fan of and is obviously an amazing, brilliant actress.’
Dern previously said of the film’s narrative: ‘I love that the story focuses on connection and intimacy and feeling truly seen.
Laura said she felt very comfortable with Liam when the time came for them to undress
Laura plays Katherine Loewe, a successful and respected writer, who meets Liam’s character Owen Brophy at a Moroccan retreat
‘It’s a romance of self-discovery as much as it is deeply knowing another person.’
Hemsworth added: ‘The story is not just about the romance between two people; it’s about personal growth, self-discovery and the complexities of relationships.
‘The characters are relatable, flawed and navigating the beauty and challenges of love in a setting that’s visually stunning and culturally rich.’
He also noted that the Netflix romance ‘reminded me why I love making films,’ explaining, ‘It’s not just for the work itself, but for the bonds you form with people you share that journey with.’
Lonely Planet is available to stream on Netflix now.
