Scarlett Johansson recently disclosed that Joaquin Phoenix felt extremely uneasy while she was simulating orgasms for the film Her, to the extent that he had to abruptly leave the set.

Released in 2014, Her revolves around Theodore Twombly (played by Phoenix), a man who forms a deep connection with Samantha (portrayed by Johansson), an AI virtual assistant embodied by a female voice.

In a recent episode of Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, the 37-year-old actress discussed a particular scene in the movie where her character had to mimic experiencing an orgasm.

Johansson mentioned to Shepard that Phoenix struggled with discomfort during the filming, leading him to exit the set momentarily.

Attempting to capture the scene in one take, Phoenix found it challenging, as Johansson recalled, “I was fine.

Joaquin was not – he was so upset about it.

He left the studio, and now I’m in this box by myself, and I’m like, ‘I can’t do it alone.

I need him to come back.’ He needed a break; he took a break, and he came back in.”

She humorously added, “You don’t want to hear your voice ever.

You definitely don’t want to hear what you sound like having an orgasm.

Ew.

It’s so gross.

It was so bizarre.”

Furthermore, Johansson delved into her past experiences of feeling “hypersexualised” earlier in her acting career.

Reflecting on being objectified within the industry, the Marvel star expressed how she felt pigeonholed and overlooked for roles she genuinely desired.

Recalling those times, she admitted, “But I remember thinking to myself, I was like, ‘I think people think I’m, like, 40 years old.’ It somehow stopped being something that was desirable and something that I was fighting against.”

Touching upon the progress made through movements like #MeToo, Johansson acknowledged the improvements in working conditions for young female actors but emphasized that more efforts are necessary to bring about significant change.

Concluding her thoughts, she remarked, “I’ve come to this realisation that it’s important to understand progress and change when it’s really meaningful – it takes two steps forward and two steps back, and then it gets better and then it gets worse.”