Men Star On Filming Bizarre Birth Scene In Alex Garland's New Horror

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Rory Kinnear, who stars as multiple characters in Alex Garland’s new horror film Men, describes the process of giving birth to himself multiple times. Garland, who made his name writing the screenplays for 28 Days Later and Sunshine, was first announced to be making Men in collaboration with A24 in 2021, and had shot the film by the end of May. It would see a reunion between the director and the hit indie studio, as Garland had previously worked with A24 on 2014’s acclaimed Ex Machina.

Starring alongside Kinnear is Jessie Buckley playing the character Harper, a young woman who goes on holiday after losing her husband. Kinnear plays multiple characters in Men, ranging from a vicar to the tenant that leases Harper her holiday home. The film required both extensive use of Kinnear’s acting chops and some bravery in front of the camera as he had to do some full-frontal nudity, although he has said that movie magic was definitely employed.

Related: All 3 Alex Garland Films Ranked From Worst To Best

Nudity wasn’t the only thing required of Kinnear however, as he also had the interesting task of giving birth to himself multiple times, which he describes in an interview with Metro. Kinnear states that it must be a “terrifying experience” for anyone who gets on the subway with him after seeing the film, as it is a traumatic scene. He also describes it as a sticky experience, stating that the warming foil given to actors after nude scenes stuck to him as a result of the prosthetics and props used in the sequence, saying that “various lumps” came away with it. It was also quite realistic for him and, despite the use of “models to represent various apertures that I would emerge from” it still felt like he was “doing it for real.”