Actor Franz Rogowski on ‘Passages’: The sex scenes were not difficult, once you get intimate with someone

Franz Rogowski's Tomas in Passages is a man who derails his marriage by having an affair. He found the sex scenes easier than the dancing, and the most challenging part was understanding Tomas' motivations. Sachs created a collaborative, empathetic set, and the costumes added to the characters. Passages is a story of Tomas, Martin and Adele, driven by the need for love. Streams on MUBI from Oct 6, 2023.

Ira Sachs’ latest dissertation on love, sex, and self-destruction, Passages — the Sundance and Berlinale darling — was in the news for its NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association, for the graphic sex scenes.

However, actor Franz Rogowski, playing the role of Tomas who derails his 15-year-old marriage to British artist Martin (Ben Whishaw) by having an affair with a teacher Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos), says sex scenes are not the most difficult.

Speaking on a video call from London on what he describes as a sunny day, the 37-year-old actor says, “You want something fake to be believable. Sex scenes are easier, because once you get intimate with someone, your neural network, senses and biological system reacts intuitively. You can rely on your body much more than if it were a line. If you have to say, ‘My mother died last year,’ it is a constructed reality that has to be translated into your body.”

The most challenging part of playing Tomas, according to Franz, was not the sex or the fact that Tomas is not very likeable, but the dancing! “I found the dancing in the beginning, in the club and later in the café, terrifying. People think I am a dancer because I used to work as a performer and choreographer for eight years. But I’m actually the guy who leaves the party in 10 minutes!”

Sachs apparently wrote Tomas for Franz. “I didn’t know that. It would have been intimidating if I had. I watched his movies as I wasn’t familiar with his body of work; I love his films, they are personal and objective at the same time.”

Sachs, Franz says loves every aspect of the filmmaking process. “He loves editing, camera and actors… It is not as if one aspect, like the actor or the camera, is in the foreground, with the others trying to serve and support. The different layers co-exist in a unique, human way.”

Describing Sachs as collaborative, empathetic and compassionate, Franz says, “He wants you to feel seen and he does see you. The fact that he chose you means that you don’t have to become something, or be more than you are. You just have to bring yourself on set, be curious and explore.”