Napoleon’s Awkward Sex Scenes Addressed By Joséphine Actor

Napoleon star Vanessa Kirby addresses the movie’s awkward sex scenes and how she handled them. Kirby stars opposite Joaquin Phoenix’s Napoleon Bonaparte as Empress Joséphine in Ridley Scott’s Napoleon. The epic historical drama delves into Bonaparte’s rise and fall from power and his relationship with Joséphine. Their relationship has always been intriguing, given that Joséphine was a widowed mother of two children who was six years Bonaparte’s senior when they married. Bonaparte’s alleged infatuation with Joséphine and their extramarital affairs intrigued Scott, though the awkwardness and humor he imbued in their love scenes might surprise audiences.

In an interview with the Irish Independent, Kirby opened up about the awkward scenes and how she and Phoenix approached them in Napoleon. Kirby confirms that the humor in these Napoleon scenes was intentional, explaining that she and Phoenix felt that Bonaparte and Joséphine had an “unconventional” and “strange relationship.” Hence, the sex scenes would reflect the oddity of the pairing, so much so that Kirby and Phoenix had to laugh between takes. Check out Kirby’s statement below:

Yeah, I think we wanted them to be funny. Joaquin and I were saying right from the beginning, look this will be unconventional, it’s a very unusual, strange relationship, and so we didn’t want it to be your typical period drama, or anything reflective of the historical period because it wasn’t, it didn’t feel like that. So even in the sex scenes, I remember, every time we did it, we played it a different way, and a lot of the time Joaquin and I would have to laugh in between takes.

Why Was Joséphine & Napoleon’s Relationship Considered Unconventional?

Kirby acknowledged that Joséphine’s and Bonaparte’s relationship is meant to be depicted as unconventional, but Napoleon may exaggerate the unusual nature of their relationship a bit. It hones in on how Bonaparte had such a major ego and was the Emperor of the French, yet he was so unguarded and easily swayed by Joséphine. The epic movie also suggests that their relationship was quite turbulent and toxic, causing much heartbreak for both partners. However, their bond was so strong it persisted despite divorce.

While Napoleon‘s depiction of the pair’s awkward sexual relations isn’t based on historical fact, the pair did have an unusual relationship. Bonaparte’s family saw marrying a widower older than him as scandalous. Additionally, a bit of toxicity may have been present from the beginning due to Bonaparte seemingly caring more for Joséphine than she did for him. When Bonaparte and Joséphine met, she was known for having many affairs with powerful men to secure her future. While Bonaparte’s numerous love letters demonstrate he was infatuated with her, it took some time before she reciprocated his feelings.

The toxicity only grew during their relationship as both partook in extramarital affairs, and things deteriorated further when they could not conceive a child of their own. Eventually, Bonaparte divorced Joséphine to marry Marie Louise of Austria to ensure he had an heir. It is believed that Bonaparte still harbored feelings for Joséphine after their divorce, which may be why they maintained a friendship afterward. Perhaps their relationship wasn’t actually as unconventional as Napoleon depicts. However, it was seen as unusual at the time for a woman to demonstrate such power and independence and command respect from one of France’s most powerful men.