Skip to main content

HBO responds to backlash about consent form for graphic Westworld sex scenes

west world production two month hiatus james marsden westworld
HBO
It’s no surprise that a show aiming to be “the most ambitious, subversive, f—ed-up television series” (according to Jonathan Nolan, Executive Producer of HBO’s Westworld) would need to have a very comprehensive consent form. Nonetheless, a document relating to nudity and sexual content uncovered by SAG-AFTRA recently raised a lot of eyebrows. The union posted a notice on its website telling those who signed the form that it was “unenforceable,” as well as announced plans to send a representative to the set Wednesday to answer any questions.

The consent form is enough to make most people blush. Along with warnings about full nudity, the document depicts very specific (not to mention graphic) scenes background actors could potentially be required to witness or partake in. According to the form, the project will include “language and sexual situations that some may consider personally objectionable or uncomfortable.” One of the milder examples given is the possibility of being requested to “contort to form a table-like shape while being fully nude.”

After the risqué form went public, HBO responded to clarify that the document did not come from the network, its parent company, or the show’s producers. “The document that the background actors were given was created by an outside extras casting vendor,” said HBO in a statement. “It was not requested, written or approved by HBO, Warner Bros. Television, or the producers, and contains situations that we do not require of any actor. We are rectifying immediately the discrepancies in this vendor’s document with our actual on-set practices, which provide a professional and comfortable working environment for all performers.”

Even with a new form, we don’t expect the show to be watered down any; this is the network behind Game of Thrones, after all. Westworld seems likely to include even racier scenes, given that the series focuses on a Wild West theme park where automatons carry out the wild and twisted fantasies of visitors. The show stars Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden, Thandie Newton, and more.

Westworld is an adaptation of a 1973 Michael Crichton film and is set to debut in 2016.

Stephanie Topacio Long
Stephanie Topacio Long is a writer and editor whose writing interests range from business to books. She also contributes to…
The best animated movies on Netflix right now
A cat points a bat at another cat in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

While Nimona has been the big Netflix original animated film of the summer, it's far from the only addition to the lineup. Netflix is making sure that animation fans are well served in August with the first two Despicable Me movies, Bee Movie, and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. However, Netflix's biggest recent addition is one of 2022's biggest animated hits: DreamWorks' Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Netflix's deals with Sony Pictures Animation, DreamWorks Animation, and Universal Pictures have given it a powerhouse library of animated films. And that's before we even get into Netflix's impressive originals like The Sea Beast. To help you keep track of what's new and what you can stream right now, we've updated our list of the best animated movies on Netflix.

Read more
From Barbarella to Howard the Duck: the 7 cheesiest sci-fi movies ever
Howard the Duck in "Howard the Duck."

The science-fiction genre has a vast smorgasbord of cheesy films stretching way back to the early days of cinema. Such pictures are known for their weird stories, unrealistic dialogue, low-budget productions, and exaggerated acting.

While many of these films have been panned by critics and audiences alike, some of them have garnered success for being "so bad, they're good." Whether or not they have been held up by a dedicated fan base, these seven movies stand out as the cream of the cheesy sci-fi crop.
Flash Gordon (1980)

Read more
10 best Batman stories ever, ranked
Batman Year One cover

Bounding from rooftop to rooftop, the Dark Knight never misses his mark. He operates like a well-oiled machine tracking bad guys, beating them to a bloody pulp, and throwing them in the slammer - or Arkham Asylum should they be anyone of Gotham's notable supervillains. As the brainchild of Bob Kane and Bill Finger, an artist and writer duo, Batman has been pounding the pavement of Gotham ever since his debut in Detective Comics in 1939. He's undergone a number of changes since his original conception ultimately becoming the brooding powerhouse we know today.

Most understand the basic tenants of Batman these days. His parents were murdered before his young eyes leading him down this path of personal vindication and pursuit of justice. Batman, in most iterations, never resorts to killing -- the one crime that separates his outlaw vigilante operations from the real criminals. Of course, it wasn't always that way. In Batman's earliest days, he had no qualms about ending the lives of baddies on the streets. Even now, some stories and films like Tim Burton's gothic take on the character depict him looking on with cold and uncaring glares as criminals meet their end. Regardless, Batman is mostly a well-established hero simply seeking justice and there are countless stories of the Caped Crusader. Let's take a look at the best among them.
10. Hush

Read more