Maggie Gyllenhaal insisted on that very 'real feminine orgasm' on 'The Deuce'

The HBO series starring James Franco and Gyllenhaal tells the story of the porn industry in the 1970s.
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Source: Getty Images)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Source: Getty Images)

'The Deuce' is among HBO's most popular shows of current times. Giving viewers a peep into the porn industry in the 1970s, 'The Deuce' depicts quite a bit of sex scenes that are more business than pleasure, along with a fair share of fake female orgasms.  

However, the show's star and one of the producers, Maggie Gyllenhaal, refused to let the show be just about fake sex. She, in fact, insisted that it feature a "genuine" female orgasm, so that the difference between them and the fake ones can be highlighted on the show.  

In her hugely successful show, “there’s lots of prostitution, lots of transactional sex, there’s lots of fake orgasms,” Maggie admitted during the Drama Actresses Roundtable organized by The Hollywood Reporter.  

The brilliant actress also describes a conversation she had with the show's creator David Simon, wherein she explained to him, "I think you need to see a real feminine orgasm in order to show the contrast and to show that these are performative because you also see a lot of performative orgasms on TV that are supposed to be real anyway so can we get down to the real because it will illuminate the misogyny and the performance.” 

Her words thankfully, were taken very seriously by David, who wrote a scene that required Maggie's character Candy to have a realistic orgasm, which was "very quiet" and "super internal." She reveals that she knew it had to be the "realest orgasm ever." 

"I was like 'This orgasm needs to be the realest orgasm ever. This needs to be one that takes 30 seconds, that’s very quiet, that’s super internal, that’s just about her,'" she reveals her thought process, adding that that particular scene was more vulnerable than any other orgasm on screen, which are all performances.  

Maggie's efforts have definitely paid off, and the said scene on 'The Deuce' has depicted a side of female sexuality we do not often get to see on screen.  
 

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

ABC’s 2026 schedule moved 'High Potential' while renewing all scripted shows and adding 'The Rookie: North.'
2 hours ago
Diane Sawyer’s ABC special explores Richard Simmons' mysterious disappearance, planned comeback, and hidden final years.
6 hours ago
Bernthal penned the script for 'The Punisher: One Last Kill' himself, working alongside Reinaldo Marcus Green, who also directed the special.
7 hours ago
'NCIS' Season 23 finale revisits a deadly bombing as Kayla Vance returns and McGee bonds with his newly revealed son, Mateo.
8 hours ago
'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' has been a staple of late-night television on CBS since September 2015.
11 hours ago
Prime Video dropped an explosive promo of 'The Boys' Season 5 Episode 7 ahead of its May 13 premiere
15 hours ago
Season 2 was titled 'Jury Duty Presents Company Retreat,' and it followed Anthony Norman, who was hired as a temp
15 hours ago
The gritty spy thriller premiered in 2022, was one of Prime Video's bona fide hits, and will return this fall.
16 hours ago
The standalone special closes out the second season of 'Daredevil: Born Again,' which aired its finale last week on May 5
16 hours ago
The show ends with Calvin and Tina bidding an emotional farewell to the Johnsons
17 hours ago