The recent revelation that swoon-worthy Bridgerton actor Jonathan Bailey (accidentally) wore a modesty thong out to the pub after a day of filming in the buff had us thinking:
Are modesty thongs the unsung heroes of the entertainment industry?
For those who are unaware, the modesty thong—sometimes referred to as a modesty pouch, or patch—is a crucial piece of modern movie magic. The barely-there undergarments are frequently used on sets when actors are filming nude scenes, a solution for those who are, well, modest and prefer to not let it all hang out.
Since consent is king (not to mention the increased need for on-set intimacy coordinators), these skin-colored pieces help keep everything in check. Sure, cheeks may be bared, but modesty thongs ensure everyone on set is feeling happy, safe, and respected.
In other words: All hail the modesty thong! We love you, we see you, and we appreciate the work you do!
Even still, no one ever said modesty thongs were necessarily fun to wear—or even comfortable, for that matter. Over the years, a handful of actors have bravely opened about their experiences working in the skimpy apparel, and we’ve gone ahead and assembled a selection of our favorite quotes and soundbites below.
Bridgerton‘s Jonathan Bailey: Chafed At The Pub
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, the gorgeous, gay star of Bridgerton opened up about filming the regency drama’s more intimate scenes. As season two protagonist Anthony Bridgerton, Bailey recalled feeling a “bit embarrassed” when shooting his big bathtub scene, the one that likely prompted more screenshots that any other from the series.
“There was actually a camera in the water between my legs looking back at me,” he shared. “So it was almost like a water birth. And I remember afterwards, I was so appalled at myself over the day that we had experienced and so confused, because you can’t really explain it to anyone.”
Bailey then revealed that, after a long, anxiety-ridden day of filming in the nude, he decided to blow off some steam at the pub, grabbing some pints with his mates—only, he forgot to change out of his modesty thong:
“When I got up to get the second round, I was like, ‘I’m chafing a bit,’” Bailey recalled. “And I realized I still had my modesty thong on, because I was so traumatized and I ran so quickly from set that I hadn’t even taken off my little pouch. I still have it to this day.”
Normal People‘s Paul Mescal: Fake Sweat “Farts”
When the Sally Rooney adaptation Normal People launched on Hulu in spring 2020, it immediately turned newcomer stars Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones into sex symbols. The romantic drama doesn’t skimp on bare bodies and intimate lovemaking scenes, so it proved quite an introduction for audiences to every inch of these on-the-rise actors.
Naturally, modesty thongs were involved. As reported by The Sun, Mescal told Hulu that the garments made the experience of filming the sex scenes anything but sexy. “The modesty pouch is categorically unsexy,” he shared. “Filming those scenes is probably the least sexy thing you’ll ever do in your life, so it is amazing that they turned out so brilliantly, because at the time, they are quite unsexy.”
It also doesn’t help that the actors were covered in what is basically fake sweat—a gel called Egyptian Magic—which proved to make things even more awkward: “We had to switch positions and our bodies were in close contact. When we separated it made a really loud fart noise.”
But, hey, there’s nothing wrong with farting; all normal people do it!
Outlander‘s Sam Heughan: Not So Modest
Another series that doesn’t shy away from showing some skin is Starz’s Outlander, the time-traveling bodice-ripper that recently aired its sixth season, sexy as ever.
Hunky Scottish actor Sam Heughan—who plays Highland warrior Jamie Fraser on the show—was more than comfortable dishing on modesty thongs when he sat next to Rita Wilson and country star Luke Bryan on James Corden’s Late Late Show in 2016.
Corden got right to the point, asking Heughan if he has to “wear one of those modesty pouches, like a c-ck sock—like a bag for the crown jewels.” The actor, seemingly ready for the probing question, quickly quipped, “I just happen to have one on now. Obviously it’s a very large modesty pouch.”
Despite the winking brag, Heughan was much more humble when discussing what happened when he had to use the loo while wearing the thong: “Once I went to the restroom and unfortunately was trying to tie it back on again and I dropped it in the urinal,” he admits. “I had to tell our AD [assistant director] who then broadcast it on the PA system to everyone. So everyone knew I’d dropped my modesty pouch in the urinal and I stank of urine.”
Dakota Johnson: Fifty Shades‘ Sticky Patches
But the guys don’t get to have all the fun! Fifty Shades trilogy star Dakota Johnson is more than familiar with modesty patches and pouches after filming three whole movies filled with consensual BDSM kink play.
As she revealed to Marie Claire a few years back, it’s not like these undergarments just naturally stay on your body. Often times, a little extra work is involved, usually with the help of some skin-safe superglue.
“I had these sort of strapless thongs that had glue on them. It’s not glue, but it’s sticky,” Johnson shared. “They’re, like, basically if it were a nipple pastie, but underwear. But it’s only sticky at the top, it’s not sticky the whole way. It would also come off because the adhesive would wear out, so then they would superglue it to my body so that it wouldn’t fall off. And I would wear two of them.”
Thankfully, the glued on pouches aren’t too uncomfortable, and they don’t leave much of a mark—they just really take you out of the heat of the moment. “It’s not painful, I mean, it’s barely anything,” she admits. “But I guess you have some sense of being covered. It’s fucking bizarre.”
Jake Gyllenhaal: The Pillow Technique
It appears the history of modesty thongs on set is a relatively short one (that’s another article for another day). In the not too distant past, actors were left much more exposed, meaning they needed to improvise if they wanted to maintain some form of modesty.
During a conversation with Howard Stern on the radio host’s Sirius XM show, the forever handsome Jake Gyllenhall reflected on filming love scenes for 2002’s indie dramedy The Good Girl with Jennifer Aniston, where it sounds like there was nary a modesty pouch, patch, or thong in sight.
“I do remember a pillow,” Gyllenhaal said to Stern. “Yeah, the pillow technique was used. That was just preemptive, and used—generally, always—when actually in a horizontal place in that movie.”
Barely into his twenties at the time, the actor—who admitted to having a crush on Aniston back in the day—said the pillow came at her request: “I think that was actually a Jennifer suggestion,” Gyllenhaal laughed. “I think she was actually very kind to suggest it before we began… She was like, ‘I’m putting a pillow here.’ That was it, that was all she said.”
So take that as a reminder: Next time you’re in a bind with no modesty thong around, a pillow should do the trick! Or, hey, even a Santa hat will do!
Jaquelope
The entire point of a modesty pouch is that we *don’t* see it, otherwise it would dispel the illusion. If everyone wasn’t so still stuck in Victorian Era “morality”, then they wouldn’t even be necessary.
Strange that the place where the Victorian Era began is no longer so hung up on nudity in film and TV.
Beanie16
There are probably a few good reasons for the modesty pouch but in this day and age especially when there is no problem showing a woman’s breasts and a woman in a thong is on every commercial during the summer but showing a man’s dick is still taboo. And even if it’s at an actor’s request, Aniston and the pillow, come on this is 2023 you’re an actor and so is he. I saw the movie Jeffrey with a friend that was an actor and another friend after the movie my actor friend was talking about how of course the role should have been played by a straight man ect when I had a random thought “I wonder thought if say during the filming of a hot and steamy kiss or sex scene, I wonder do any of ever them think ‘Hmm this isn’t too bad, his ass feels pretty nice in my hands.’ You know I wonder if it’s ever made any if them question their sexuality?” To which my 1-800-DENTIST commercially trained actor huffed and said, which should be true Jen was “They are trained actors. It means nothing to them” I don’t know because even if I were an actor I am 100% sure that the “EEEWWW YUCK” running through my mind pretty much answered any questions I might have previously had….okay let’s make that 98% because Janelle Monet and Samir’s Wiley, lesbians of course, are too hot to not think’hmmm’. Lolol HAPPY NEW YEAR PEOPLE! And remember to always say I love you to everyone you love.
bachy
From the article: “It also doesn’t help that the actors were covered in what is basically fake sweat—a gel called Egyptian Magic—which proved to make things even more awkward: “We had to switch positions and our bodies were in close contact. When we separated it made a really loud fart noise.””
Isn’t that product name – “Egyptian” Magic – racist? Sounds as though it were given the name because Egyptians are perceived to be particularly sweaty and farty!
As a self-appointed leader of the New Inquisition, I strive for dominance via strict surveillance of the zeitgeist and immediate punishment of transgressors.
storm45701
It’s made with ingredients that the ancient Egyptians used for clearer complexions and a base for makeup — beeswax, olive oils, and cone propolis. I know you’re joking about the supposed racism of the brand, but the product name is quite accurate.
bachy
@storm45701: Please don’t dissipate my superiority with your facts!
THAT Steve
Articles like these, the Reddit ones, and the schadenfreude about MAGA politicos are why I come to this site.
SDR94103
Jake Gyllenhaal. ever since he laughed at being in the movie Brokeback Mountain, I’ve never been a fan. On the other hand Heath Ledger was incredibly grateful to have been in that film.
bachy
Bet Jake didn’t use no “pillow” for those scenes, hmmmm?
Beanie16
That’s interesting because if you read about Jakes childhood his godfathers were a gay couple. This is from a recent Howard Stern interview
“Early on, there were people going, ‘what are you doing?'”
Luckily for all of us, Gyllenhaal brushed those comments off. “What am I doing? This is the most beautiful story I’ve ever read. With Ang Lee? One of the best…”
In his head, queer relationships were normal, which he credits to being around LGBTQ+ family members in his upbringing.
“I grew up with my godfathers [who] were a gay couple. Maybe I grew up in a space where I took that for granted.”
Stern also asked if the movie could be made with straight actors
“Probably the answer is no,” reflected Gyllenhaal, “but when I look at it now as a way in which it paved an opportunity in a time when there was no real chance… first of all, that two straight actors are going to play roles like that openly. The amount of flack we got for that was crazy. For a year after that, the amount of conversations about what my sexuality was, I was like alright guys, and girls.. chill out.”
What he was saying in IMHO is that no it couldn’t made with straight actors now but back then who would have gone to see it? How many out gay actors were there, and before you defend gay actors have you tried watching an American made gay movies lately? There are a few amazing shows and the odd movie but even with a few name supporting actors the production, the acting, the scripts everything SUCKS Trump dick. Compared to European film most American movies look like high school productions. So at least this beautiful story was told and it was told perfectly in every aspect when looking at a movie.
So if Jake laughed I seriously doubt it had anything negative about BBM.
Neoprene
“…(not to mention the increased need for on-set intimacy coordinators)…”, aka morbidly obese women who identify as non-binary and can’t get laid so they settle for policing others and a little voyeurism.
LunaSol2010
Jake actually had a butt double. I knew that standing for closeups. Very similar body types!
The True Blood cast was pre modesty pouch. One Vampire especially refused any coverage. Average sized just liked feeling his European naturalist roots from northern Europe. I was on set one day. Closed. Sex in the Fantasia Nightclub. The one time their human gets it on with Eric. She orgasms In 5 strokes. Most hysterical crew and cast impossible to not laugh setting. There Eric merely had his pants unzipped no show jewels. But I laughed for 2 hours after that morning shoot!
griffinsinns
Was the actor Alex Skarsgard? And you saw him naked?
uberhund
Replying to the reply here: I think Skarsgard was visibly nude in the actual series: if not he has definitely been nude and shown everything in other series, so this is not such salacious gossip as you might imagine: you can google him and see everything if you wish! Very unselfconscious man and an excellent actor – one of the standout performances in this drama, easily upstaging the actor playing Bill.
ptb2016
Re Beani’s comments about them being just actor, any years ago I worked with Ursula Andress a huge star then, made famous by walking up a beach in Dr. No the first James Bond movie, She’s a lovely lady and we got on like a house on fire. One day she told me how annoyed she was with George Peppard who she starred with in The Blue Max. “We were in bed together naked for an entire day and he never once got an erection. I felt really insulted!” she told me! Then laughed as I did. I told her I wouldn’t get hard in bed naked next to him, but if I were straight I certainly would have next to her! She hugged me and said thank you.
frapachino
“Since consent is king (not to mention the increased need for on-set intimacy coordinators)” oh brother!