Acting in a sex scene in a film is not always as easy as it may seem. Despite their on-screen steaminess, those intimate scenes can be far from enjoyable to shoot.

Jake Gyllenhaal has spoken about his experience working with Anne Hathaway on one such scene for the 2010 film, “Love and Other Drugs”.

In a recent interview with HollywoodLife, Gyllenhaal opened up about the challenges of filming a sex scene with Hathaway.

He emphasized the importance of making the actress feel comfortable, especially since sex scenes often require significant physical contact and are usually shot in front of a largely male crew.

Gyllenhaal said, “It’s a naturally awkward thing to be having fake cinematic sex with anyone. With an actress, in particular, I always feel like it’s my responsibility to protect her and make sure she feels comfortable.”

He went on to describe how he tried to make Hathaway feel at ease during the shoot, saying, “I would always ask her, ‘Where do you want me to go? What do you want me to do? What makes you feel comfortable?’ Anne would always reply, ‘You do your thing and I’ll do mine. I’m fine on my own!’”

This wasn’t the first time Gyllenhaal and Hathaway had acted together in a sexually charged scene.

They previously worked on the 2005 film “Brokeback Mountain”, where they filmed their first sex scene.

Reflecting on the experience, Gyllenhaal said, “I had to resist it in the last movie, but this time I could go for it!”

Gyllenhaal also spoke about the different types of love explored in “Love and Other Drugs”, which was directed, produced and co-written by Edward Zwick.

He said, “There are all different types of love in this movie – romantic, familial, and friendship. I think what I learned most of all is that in order to have a great creative process, particularly in a love story, you have to fall in love with everyone involved.”

“I certainly did with Ed [Zwick] and Anne. What we shared as a result is really special.”