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Here is an explanation of that headline, which has been circulating for years and is often taken out of context.
The quote originates from a 2003 interview with Angelina Jolie, promoting their film “Man on Fire” (which was actually released in 2004).
The “sex scene” in question is not a literal, physical intimate scene. Instead, Jolie was describing a powerfully intense and emotionally charged non-sexual scene between their characters.
The Context:
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The Movie: Man on Fire, a thriller where Denzel Washington plays a bodyguard (Creasy) hired to protect a young girl (Dakota Fanning). Jolie plays the girl’s mother, Lisa.
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The Scene: Jolie is referring to a specific moment where her character, Lisa, begs a drunken and reluctant Creasy to take the job protecting her daughter. The scene is raw, vulnerable, and filled with a desperate, unspoken connection.
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The Quote: Jolie described the emotional charge of filming that scene with Washington. She used a metaphor to convey its intensity, saying it felt like the “best sex I ever had.”
She was emphasizing the unique and powerful creative and emotional connection she shared with Washington as actors in that moment. It was about the authenticity and vulnerability they achieved, not about a physical act.
In her own words (from the 2003 press junket):
“It was the best sex I ever had… We did a scene together, and it was like… it was just one of those scenes where you just feel really connected and it was very intense. And we finished and I said, ‘That was like the best sex I ever had.'”
Summary:
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It’s a metaphor, not a literal description.
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It refers to the emotional intensity of acting alongside Washington in a dramatic scene.
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The quote is nearly 20 years old but continues to be recirculated, often with the movie and context stripped away to create a more sensational headline.
It remains a famous example of an actor praising a co-star by highlighting the profound, almost intimate, connection that can happen in a powerful acting partnership.
