Omar Apollo Shares Preparation for Queer Sex Scene with Daniel Craig

Omar Apollo is poised to make a significant impact with his highly anticipated big-screen debut in Luca Guadagnino’s Queer. As the Venice Film Festival premiere approaches, Apollo has unveiled the lengths he went to for a particularly intimate scene with Daniel Craig, whom he complimented as a “vulnerable” scene partner.

Apollo shared that he underwent a rigorous preparation process, including adopting a soup diet. He candidly admitted, “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.’” At 6’5” and originally weighing 200 pounds, Apollo decided to slim down to 181 pounds to match his character’s description of having a flat stomach, especially since he read in the script that his character should have a flat brown stomach. He balanced this intensive regime with being on tour with SZA, which he noted luckily didn’t involve too many lines.

Apollo also opened up about how his nerves were calmed by his co-star Drew Starkey. He recalled an endearing moment before his pivotal scene, saying, “I don’t know if I could say this, but we were drinking gin and tonics before our scene. It was a vibe.”

Discussing his conversation with Craig, Apollo was struck by the actor’s candidness. “I asked 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.” It was an eye-opening conversation, filled with vulnerability and authenticity.

The Venice Film Festival saw Craig, Apollo, and Starkey attending the premiere with Luca Guadagnino, where they received an overwhelming 11-minute, 44-second ovation. A24 has already secured the U.S. rights to the film, indicating significant anticipation and interest.

During a press conference, Craig elaborated on the challenges of filming sex scenes, acknowledging the lack of real intimacy due to the multitude of people present on a movie set. He noted, “We just wanted to make it as touching and as real and as natural as we possibly could.” Craig expressed his appreciation for Starkey, calling him a “wonderful, fantastic, beautiful actor” and shared that they endeavored to make the experience fun.

Based on William S. Burroughs’ 1985 novel, Queer follows the character Lee (Daniel Craig) as he flees a drug bust in New Orleans and heads to 1940s Mexico City. There, he becomes enamored with Allerton (Drew Starkey), a discharged American Navy serviceman and drug user. The movie boasts a stellar cast including Jason Schwartzman, Lesley Manville, Henry Zaga, Drew Droege, and Ariel Schulman.