Omar Apollo has a sex scene with Daniel Craig in Queer – plus he’s nude for most of his screen time
Omar Apollo (right) has a sex scene with Daniel Craig (left) in new film Queer. (Getty)
Singer Omar Apollo has revealed that he has a sex scene with James Bond icon Daniel Craig in Luca Guadagnino’s new film, Queer.
Queer, which premieres today (3 September) at the Venice Film Festival, stars Craig in the “performance of his career” as William Lee, an outcast American expat in Mexico City in the 1940s.
He’s there after fleeing a drugs bust in New Orleans, and is now spending his time flitting from bar to bar, when he comes across discharged Navy serviceman Eugene Allerton (played by Outer Banks star Drew Starkey).
William becomes infatuated with Eugene, despite the latter being supposedly straight. Yet Eugene ultimately relents to his obsession – leading to an abundance of steamy sex scenes.
Queer is based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by William S. Burroughs.
A first clip from the film, released today, shows Craig as William wandering into a bar steaming drunk, downing a shot, and spotting Eugene in the corner. He stands, curtseys, but is brutally ignored.
Grammy-nominated “3 Boys” singer Omar Apollo also stars in an as-yet untitled role, though it’s likely he’ll be playing one of William’s pre-Eugene conquests, as the star has confirmed her has a sex scene with Knives Out actor Craig.
Speaking with Starkey for Interview Magazine, Apollo revealed that he felt he had to go on a “soup diet” while filming to prepare for the intimate scenes.
“I had to get on the soup diet. Luca did not tell me to lose weight, but when you’re about to have a sex scene with Daniel Craig, you’re like, ‘Oh, dude, I can’t be looking off.’ I was at 200 pounds, because I’m six-five,” he said.
Starkey then confirmed that Apollo is “amazing” in Queer, as he looks like an “old-fashioned movie star”.
“I screamed when you came on screen,” the Love, Simon actor added.
New York Times film journalist Kyle Buchanan, who was at the screening, tweeted: “Omar Apollo has a sex scene with Daniel Craig in Queer – plus he’s nude for most of his screen time.”
The new film – which was originally three-hours long – is said to feature a number of “quite full-on” gay sex scenes.
Speaking to Variety, Starkey revealed that he and Craig were “game for anything” when it came to shooting the intimate moments.
“He’s an incredibly kind, goofy, beautiful person and very giving actor and a good friend. He’s all of it. I mean it was about the work and we just got into it really quickly. He never took anything too seriously,” he said.
“Obviously, you’re more precious with [the sex scenes] and you communicate more on the day about people’s comfort levels. But Daniel and I were just game for anything.
“We just were like, ‘Let’s go for it, let’s have fun’. So he was a great partner to have in that. I think him and I share that same mentality of just not giving a s**t.”
Both Starkey and Apollo have also revealed that they had to use ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) in order to add audio to the sex scenes.
“It’s always exertion and breaths and groans. Just you in a booth alone doing that, you feel like you’re in an insane asylum,” Starkey joked.
Queer premieres on 3 September at Venice Film Festival. A theatrical release date is yet to be announced, but the film has been acquired by A24 productions.
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