Actress defends filming real-life sex scenes for controversial film after people shouted abuse at her

Ever watched a sex scene in a film and thought, ‘this looks a bit too real’?

Well, it’s not unheard of in the film industry for some sex scenes to feature actual intercourse.

Real-life sex scenes are, on the whole, quite rare - but one actress has stunned fans after opening up about her experience.

American actress Margo Stilley, perhaps best known for her roles in The Host and How To Lose Friends and Alienate People, filmed real-life sex scenes during her first ever time on screen.

9 Songs, a British romantic drama film released in 2004 and directed by Michael Winterbottom, instantly raised eyebrows due to the abundance of erotic scenes, with some questioning why the British Board of Film Classification allowed it to be released uncut.

Starring Margo alongside Kieran O'Brien, the entire film revolves around the relationship between the two characters and the bands the two see while embarking on a passionate love affair.

While it was largely panned by critics, some loved it - with Derek Malcolm noting in The Guardian at the time that the film felt ‘like a love story’, despite many seeing it as a ‘porn movie’.

Margo Stilley in 9 Songs (StudioCanal UK/Revolution Films)

So, how does Margo feel about laying it all bare at just 21 years old, being brand new to the film industry?

In an interview with the Irish Examiner in 2008, she said: “People were really angry with me.

“When I did press conferences people would shout abuse at me."

She pointed out that she was labelled with misogynistic slurs, while her male co-star Kieran received no such criticism.

She went on to stress: “People ask me if I felt that Michael Winterbottom took advantage of me because I hadn't acted before, but they forget that I developed the character.

Margo grew up in the American South (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

“I am not at all like my character Lisa, and I was genuinely shocked by the reaction to the film and, particularly, to my role in it."

She also defended the film from those who labelled it porn, saying: “It was a film about love and sex. It wasn't porn. I mean, I had sex with my boyfriend last night and that wasn't porn. It was just hot sex!

"9 Songs was a real film about love and sex, and I wanted to do that film and I am proud of it."

Margo also explained that she thrust herself into the world of modelling and turned her back on her strict upbringing in the American South - the ‘Bible belt’ town of Hubert, North Carolina.

She recalled: “I had to go to church at least twice a week.

"We were told sex was bad and sex was wrong, and if you had sex outside marriage you'd die and stuff. I found it all very depressing."

Margo Stilley with 9 Songs co-star Kieran O'Brien and director Michael Winterbottom (Carlo Allegri/Getty Images)

After studying at university in North Carolina, Margo ached for more.

She took her financial grant and boarded a plane to Milan, and embarked on a career as a model.

She was cast in an advert - which then led to being cast in 9 Songs.

As for people who may think her nudity and intimacy on screen would have had a negative impact on her career - that’s not the case.

“I honestly can say it hasn't affected my career. I don't get seen only for roles as women who have sex a lot,” she said.

Margo starred opposite Simon Pegg in How To Lose Friends and Alienate People, and worked alongside Cillian Murphy in Hippie Hippie Shake.

"I am not naked in any of them!" she joked.