On a sticky midweek afternoon in central London, Matthew Goode is in repose:
Matthew Goode on sex scenes, Weinstein, and Richard Maddenās Bodyguard nudity
by Guy Kelly
On a sticky midweek afternoon in central London, Matthew Goode is in repose: lolling on a hotel sofa, sipping a latte, and happily ruminating on the anatomy of the Bodyguardās Richard Madden. I didnāt even ask.
āHeās dealing with that thing,ā Goode says, airily referring to the fate that has befallen several male stars of Sunday night dramas, from Poldarkās Aiden Turner to Tom Hiddleston in The Night Manager, in which a glimpse of naked flesh makes more headlines than the rest of their performance. āHe doesnāt want to be objectified. And I know thatās been happening to women for centuries, but I think he feels pretty uncomfortable that his bottom is now all over the internetā¦ā He shrugs. āBut then it is a great-looking bottom.ā
Goode, perhaps, has a vested interest: he and Madden have been friends since they worked together on the television adaptation of Sebastian Faulksās Birdsong in 2012. A few days prior to our meeting, he was one of 6.7m people who saw more of Madden than theyād expected during the yearās most-watched sex scene.
He is delighted to stitch his friend up further. āāDid you know, in Cinderella [Madden was Prince Charming in the 2015 Disney version] I think Rich may haveā¦ now, how does one put thisā¦ I think his āproportionsā in the nether regions were such that they had to be covered up, CGI-d out, because it was Disney and he had tights on.ā A wicked grin flashes across Goodeās face. āLetās put that out there.ā
Matthew Goode photographed in London earlier this month CREDIT: CLARA MOLDEN/TELEGRAPH
Goode has been in his fair share of big-budget TV dramas over the years ā from Downton Abbey to playing Lord Snowdon in The Crown ā but heās glad to have turned 40 this year without ever becoming the national lust object some of his industry friends have. Especially as a married father of three.
āIām old and settled and itās not great for my wife [interior designer Sophie Dymoke] to see sex scenes,ā he says. āIāve always got the old sock on, but theyāre still awkward, and you just want them to be over as quickly as possible, especially if youāve only just met the other person. Honestly, I could do with no more sex scenes for the rest of my life.ā
Itās not that Goode has no female fans ā far from it. An American woman recently wished to show her appreciation for his career by offering to purchase his shopping at the supermarket checkout (āUtterly weird. I had to fight her off, she was going for the card readerā), but there are degrees of hassle.
āMy mate Jamie Dornan [Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades of Grey series] doesnāt even like going out shopping. Now thereās a man who has a problem with female attention. It must be harrowing,ā he says. āNo one pays attention to me, I can just put on a silly hat and be gone.ā
As Henry Talbot in Downton Abbey CREDIT: NICK BRIGGS
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