Harry Melling on Pillion – the horniest movie of 2025 – and “running away” from Harry Potter

On those sex scenes, you’ll have to forgive some more functional questions. Like, what’s the deal: do you use prosthetics?

Actually, for the wrestling scene, there was a prosthetic involved in that.

So they were fake erections?

Yes. I feel like I shouldn’t, y’know…

Ruin the movie magic!

Certainly for Alex. But yes, they were fake… I think, for me, there was only one prosthetic. Actually, there were two, but that got cut. There was a moment where Colin’s walking around with an erection.

Again, this is a slightly absurd line of questioning, but when you’re actually having to handle the prosthetics — do you just kind of get in there and do it?

It’s not even a thing. It’s so funny, because people are obviously great, and they look after you — with the wrestling singlet with the bum out, after everyone has said cut, the shorts would come in, and I’d be like, “Yes, thank you guys.” After doing that for a few hours, I’m like, “Listen, we all know.” You just get on with it. Even with the erections, it’s like, “This is it, guys! This is probably what it looks like in real life.” For me, I’ve never been prudish in that way. Which is why I’m doing this movie. [Laughs.]

You had an intimacy coordinator. Did you find that useful?

I think what [the intimacy coordinator] Robbie did so well was he knew that Alex felt quite free with it, and we were up for it. Obviously, he looked after us, and checked in with us, all of that work that intimacy coordinators do… It is complicated, because I’m sure some actors won’t be so comfortable doing stuff that other actors are. And Robbie was so brilliant at reading the room, understanding what we needed — and it pretty much was just working out the choreography, in terms of selling certain moments, where the orgasms happen, where the camera is gonna be.

It was the first time you’ve used an intimacy coordinator. It’s become a much more popular concept in recent years.

In fact, the two jobs I’ve done since have both had intimacy coordinators in them.

So you’d say that across those three experiences, you found it helpful each time?

I really did. I must admit, it’s quite funny when you do a film like Pillion, and then you’re dealing with intimacy coordinators on other movies. [Laughs.] You’ve kinda gotta preface like, “I’ve done this movie, and it’s big on the ‘ol intimacy.” When you’ve gone in-depth into how much semen is gonna be on your face… You’ve done it all.

I’ve heard so many people describe Pillion as a kind of Richard Curtis rom-com, but I’m not sure I buy that. Where do you land in terms of its genre?

I must admit, when I read it, I never saw it as a romantic comedy. It just didn’t even pass my brain to consider it in that way, and I never thought about it going into it.

I think what the film does well, and why people maybe think it might be [a rom-com], is the film feels both very familiar and unfamiliar. I’m sure to lots of people, the kink world would be something that they wouldn’t have great access to, or knowledge of. But Harry Lighton has put in the structure that does feel somewhat familiar, and there are moments that are very relatable. Of course, when you get the day off scene, that is very much leaning into Richard Curtis… But just because there’s one moment doesn’t mean the whole film is a Richard Curtis movie. And that’s no shame on Richard Curtis, either.