Inside Jeff Goldblum's Steamy 2-Day Intimate Scene With Emma Thompson That Left Them 'Nervous' for Weeks
Emma Thompson co-starred with Jeff Goldblum in 'The Tall Guy.'
Oct. 21 2026, Published 4:40 p.m. ET
Emma Thompson's first on-screen love scene was with Jeff Goldblum – and filming it lasted a whole two days!
Ahead of the Jurassic Park star's 74th birthday, RadarOnline.com revisits the "demanding" intimate scene shot early in both of their storied acting careers.
2 Days of Being 'Nude on Set'
Emma Thompson described the comical intimate scene in a 2018 podcast appearance.
Thompson began acting in the late 1970s, but her feature film debut wasn't until 1989, when she starred in Mel Smith's rom-com The Tall Guy.
The movie follows an American actor (Goldblum) who is based in London and how his life changes after starting to date a nurse (Thompson) who he meets at the hospital.
Back in 2018, Thompson reflected on what it was like to film the steamy-yet-comedic intimate scene during an appearance on the My Dad Wrote a P-rno podcast.
"Because it was a comedy s-- scene, we were sh-gging on the piano, we were sh-gging in the breakfast things," she said. "There was shots of my a---- with bits of toast stuck to it. Two f---ing days of being nude on set."
'We Were Both So Nervous'
Emma Thompson joked she and Jeff Goldblum had 'indigestion' before filming the scene.
A few years later, she described the memory as "two delightful days nude with Jeff Goldblum" in a 2022 sit-down with Vanity Fair.
"We were both so nervous," she recalled. "We both had indigestion, I think for two weeks beforehand. But once we got into it, we just had the best time."
In the end, filming the scene helped teach her a valuable lesson: "As long as you are calm, everyone else is calm."
Jeff Goldblum Praises Emma Thompson
Jeff Goldblum said he had 'affection' for his role in 'The Tall Guy.'
Goldblum also opened up on what it was like shooting the memorable scene – although not in as much detail.
"I have a lot of affection for that movie," he shared with The Guardian in 2023. "The (intimate) scene was very choreographed. It was the great Emma Thompson’s first movie."
"She is a person who inspires such respect," he continued. "She’s so gracious, elegant, brilliant and kind that we were able to do that demanding scene without injury, hurt feelings or psychic injuries."
Emma Thompson Shot Steamy Scenes in her 60s
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Emma Thompson starred in 'Good Luck to You, Leo Grande' in 2022.
Thompson's acting career has continued to flourish for decades, but her days of shooting intimate scenes weren't left in the '80s and '90s.
In 2022, she co-starred with Daryl McCormack in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, a comedy about a retired teacher who decides to hire a young s-x worker. She was in her early 60s at the time.
"It’s very challenging to be nude at 62," she admitted while speaking at Sundance Cinema Cafe. "She stands in front of a mirror alone, and she drops her robe."
"I don’t think I could’ve done it before the age that I am," she continued. "And yet, of course, the age that I am makes it extremely challenging because we aren’t used to seeing untreated bodies on the screen."
