Jameela Jamil Reveals Her ‘No Intimate Scenes’ Clause in Acting Contracts
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Jameela Jamil recently opened up about what she will and won’t do in Hollywood. In the latest episode of David Tennant Does a Podcast With…, the actress candidly explained why she has a strict “no intimate scenes” rule in her acting contracts, despite once considering a completely different career path.
The Good Place star, 39, shared that after witnessing a love scene, she felt it didn’t reflect real life. In contrast, she joked that certain other forms of content could be considered more realistic. She admitted that watching such scenes makes her feel shy.
“I don’t really know why sex scenes are necessary in films. I miss the classic cinematic metaphors—the crashing waves or the cork popping from a champagne bottle. I loved those. We don’t need to see so much. It always feels a bit unnecessary, too personal, and overly intimate,” Jamil said.
She compared watching these scenes to being on public transport and seeing people kiss but not being able to look away. “It’s like, ‘Look away!’ And so I do. I feel like I’m intruding on their privacy,” she explained.
Jamil emphasized that she would never take part in such scenes on camera. “All my contracts include a no sex scene clause, very minimal kissing, and if there is any, it has to be comedic,” she stated. Due to this personal policy, she has dropped out of two projects that required her to engage in physically intimate scenes with a co-star.
“I just couldn’t take myself seriously in those situations. It’s too weird. It feels ridiculous. I could pretend to kill someone on screen. I could act in all sorts of extreme scenarios, like falling into a sinkhole. But that? I won’t do that,” she asserted.
When Tennant remarked that her past consideration of a different career path might not have suited her, Jamil humorously replied, “There’s a niche for everything.”
Later in the podcast, she jokingly added that she ultimately didn’t pursue that path because she lacked upper body strength. “It’s also about leg strength—I have no glutes,” she quipped.
Previously, in a May 2023 episode of the Podcrushed podcast, Jamil revealed that she had withdrawn from auditioning for You Season 4 because she didn’t want to film intimate scenes. Speaking to Penn Badgley, she said, “I was supposed to audition for the most recent season of your show, but my character was supposed to be quite sexy, and I pulled out of the audition because I’m so shy about anything remotely sexy. I just can’t.”
Despite the many opportunities in the entertainment industry, Jameela Jamil remains firm in her boundaries, ensuring that every role she takes aligns with her personal values and comfort level.