Omar Apollo Reveals Sex Scene With Daniel Craig in ‘Queer’

Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming film Queer is set to feature some intense and captivating scenes, including at least one steamy sex scene. In a recent Interview Magazine conversation with fellow Queer star Drew Starkey, Omar Apollo disclosed that he filmed a sex scene with Daniel Craig.

“I had to get on the soup diet. Luca did not tell me to lose weight, but when you’re about to have a sex scene with Daniel Craig, you’re like, ‘Oh, dude, I can’t be looking off,’” Apollo shared with Starkey. “I was at 200 pounds because I’m six-five.”

“It’s around where I should be, honestly. But I got down to 181 when the movie came. I lost 20 pounds because I read in the script that my character had a flat brown stomach,” he added. “I was like, ‘Damn, I’m actually not flat right now.’ I had to get it together, and I was on tour with SZA. Luckily, I didn’t have that many lines.”

Starkey described Apollo and Craig’s scene as “so good” and “very sensual,” while Apollo, 27, described Craig, 56, as “such a legend” and “super vulnerable.” He shared that the two were “drinking gin and tonics” before their sex scene, making the experience even more memorable.

“I had a really cool experience with him. He definitely has this presence to him that is felt from far away,” Apollo said. “I remember asking him, ‘How do you feel when the camera’s on?’ And he said, ‘To be honest, every time the camera’s on me, I’m terrified.’ I thought that was beautiful.”

“You have to be vulnerable. You have to be open to these emotions,” he added. “It was such an honest answer.” The pair also discussed how Starkey was preparing for his role in the film.

“Part of the allure of Allerton with Lee is not being able to nail him down and define him. That’s what makes him interesting to him. There’s a constant discussion about whether he’s queer or not,” Starkey explained. “Playing that ambiguity was the fun part.”

Queer is based on the 1985 novel by William Burroughs and is set to premiere at Venice International Film Festival this week. The film is set in Mexico City in the Forties and follows Lee (Craig) as he navigates life with American college students and works various part-time jobs following World War II. Lee eventually falls for a drug-addicted Navy serviceman, played by Starkey, who reciprocates Lee’s advances.

Apollo spoke to Variety in July about his acting debut, expressing a desire to improve his acting skills. “I feel like I need a little more training and studying when it comes to [acting and screenwriting],” he mentioned. “With music, I fixate on [a producer or artist] and go through their whole discography, so I plan to take a similar approach with film.”

He continued, “I’ve been doing music for almost 10 years, and only now am I feeling completely confident in my abilities. I have so many ideas that I would love to actualize in film one day, but I’m not rushing the process.”

In the Interview conversation, the God Said No singer shared that the cast had a lot of fun together beyond the film set. They attended a drag show, a rave, and celebrated Apollo’s birthday. “I had a lot of good birthdays and a lot of bad birthdays, but that was my best birthday, the most intense. I remember we walked in the rain at 5 a.m. with the homies… It was a good vibe,” Apollo reminisced.

Source: Interview Magazine, Variety