Emma Thompson slams 'utterly unbalanced' Hollywood sex scenes

Emma Thompson has called out the "utterly unbalanced" double standards in Hollywood sex scenes.

The British actress is gearing up to star in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, in which she plays a widowed teacher named Nancy who hires a young male sex worker to sleep with her.

During an appearance on the CultureBlast podcast, she questioned why it was so rare to see older actresses sharing sex scenes with younger actors and why older actors regularly have a love interest significantly younger than them.

"It's very interesting with this woman I'm about to play. This young man says, 'You're perfectly attractive, why can't you find another chap?' And she says, 'Because the only people willing to sleep with me are people my age, and I want to sleep with someone younger than me,'" the 61-year-old said.

"Now I've never heard a woman say that on screen. With men, it's completely acceptable. It's completely acceptable for George Clooney - who is delightful - to have someone who is 30 years younger than him. If I have someone playing opposite me in a romantic way, they have to exhume someone, because I'm 61 now. Do you see what I mean? It's completely and utterly unbalanced."

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is being directed by Australian filmmaker Sophie Hyde from a script by British comedian Katy Brand and is due to begin filming in London next year.

Thompson hopes that audiences won't be "averse" to seeing her between the sheets with a much younger man.

"If Leo Grande, the film that we make, speaks to people and people aren't averse to seeing someone who's 61 largely naked with a very much younger person, it's going to be very interesting. We've got to keep being brave about that," she added.