Dominic West reveals truth behind Hollywood sex scenes

Actor Dominic West. Photo / Getty Images

Dominic West has likened sex scenes to "giving birth".

The 47-year-old actor has had to strip off a lot of times as of late for his part in 'The Affair' and insists getting intimate on screen is not sexy in the slightest.

He said: "I have to wear a sock over my bits for a start. An actor-y sock thing. There was one that was like a jockstrap, but all of them are ridiculous. A lot of the time the girl is wearing stick-on patches on her nipples which are also ridiculous. You look like sexless dolls. It's farcical.

"In your supposed moment of passion you have a guy with a boom going, 'Could you just move slightly to your left, mate?' Then you've got some other poor sod putting make-up on your bum.

"It's not [sexy], it's very agricultural. It's like giving birth. Or like a vet delivering a new calf. Sort of. I mean, it can be sexy sometimes ... at all the wrong moments."

However, that hasn't stopped the actor from getting hot under the collar from time to time.

Asked if he ever got a physical reaction to the scene, he confessed: "Yes, of course! You're covered up so it can't go anywhere. It's tied down so to speak.

"Also I think actresses don't mind when it happens - in fact they quite like it. Everyone likes to be thought of as attractive."

Dominic also revealed he and his Affair co-star Ruth Wilson would even have "battles" to decide who would be going on top in each of the sex scenes.

He told the new issue of ES magazine: "We had to do so many bonking scenes in 'The Affair' that there was always a battle between us over who was going to go on top.

"If you're on the bottom, you don't have to take your clothes off or show anything. And Ruth always bloody won."

-Bang! Showbiz