Westworld Extras Have To Be Okay With Genital-to-Genital Touching

“The document that the background actors were given was created by an outside extras casting vendor”, said HBO today of a controversial day on the set ofWestworld that had over 55 extras in the buff and taking part in “graphic sexual situations” before the cameras.

HBO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“I did ask producers if there were any protections for the level of intimacy that is being required, and they could not give me any assurances that there would be”, Becherer said. Already, SAG-AFTRA, the union representing the actors, is sending a representative to be in attendance for the shoot, which it only does when it’s anxious about potential infractions.

After all the genital demands hit the fan, HBO started the finger pointing, and the company getting the blame is the networks extras agency Central Casting, which is responsible for putting together all of the non-major players for the show.

The upcoming sci-fi thriller’s background actors were asked to sign an explicitly detailed consent form agreeing to “simulate oral sex with hand-to-genital touching”, “have [their] genitals painted” and “pose on all fours while others who are fully nude ride on [their] back”, the casting form says.

Like all lists drafted by a lawyer, this one includes a catch-all phrase at the end, indicating that the actor may also be pressed into service to perform “other assorted acts the project may require”. The question of nudity on film or television has always been a concern for working actors, and the union continues to ensure performance requirements are met. But SAG-AFTRA officials want background performers on set to know that should they become uncomfortable, they can step away from any project. Nolan and Joy will executive produce with Abrams, Jerry Weintraub and Bryan Burk.

As the maker of Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Girls and True Detective HBO is known for pushing boundaries in storytelling but the leaked consent form, and the union’s anxious response, opened a window on how the industry works, and what viewers can expect when Westworld airs next year.

For those unfamiliar with the original 1973 Yul Brynner-James Brolin film, Westworld told the story of a future resort wherein guests pay to live out time period fantasies brought to life by sophisticated human-like androids, before the robots began malfunctioning and killing the resort’s crew.