Chlöe Bailey Says Sex Scenes Are All About the “Choreography”

For Chlöe Bailey, filming a sex scene isn’t that different from filming a music video. Both, she says, require a lot of choreography. 

When dancing in a music video like “Have Mercy” (which is plenty sexy itself), Bailey has to concentrate on the angles of her body, syncing up with the other dancers, and staying in frame. 

“The same goes for an intimate scene,” she says, discussing her upcoming erotic thriller Strung. “We had to choreograph it with the intimacy coordinator, and that breaks the ice and makes it less awkward. It’s not just two beings fondling each other; we’re actually doing choreography as if we were doing a salsa, just with minimal clothing or the illusion of minimal clothing.” 

In Strung, which started streaming on Peacock on June 26, Bailey plays Laila, a talented violinist hired by a wealthy family as a music tutor for their daughter Zuri (newcomer Romy Woods). It’s only upon moving into the family’s mansion that she realizes Zuri’s married step-father, Marcus (Lucien Laviscount), is her sexy one-night fling from a few days before. What comes next is a twisty, lusty, bloody romp following Laila as she slowly uncovers the many secrets her employers are hiding. 

Strung, which also stars Coco Jones, Anna Diop, and the legendary Lynn Whitfield, is the latest item on Bailey’s long and diverse resume that includes films like The Exorcism and Last Holiday, TV shows like Swarm and Grown-ish, and music released both by herself and alongside her sister Halle Bailey. 

Before the release of Strung, Bailey sat down with Playboy to discuss not only her steamy on-screen chemistry with Laviscount, but also wrestling Whitfield to the floor, her new mixtape with Timbaland, and if Chlöe x Halle will be reuniting anytime soon. 

Hollywood used to make so many erotic thrillers, and they don’t anymore. What made you want to sign on to this project when you read the script? 

I love the director, Malcolm D. Lee. He has created classics like The Best Man and Girls Trip, and I was really excited to get my hands dirty as we figured out this thriller world together. I also loved the musical component. I was able to share my love for music through Laila without people seeing Chlöe Bailey, the singer. Of course, I love all of the twists and turns. I’m one of those people who yells at the television. I’m happy we successfully made a movie where I can do that.

How did your career as a musician impact your portrayal of Laila?

If I didn’t know music the way that I do, I don’t think I would have been able to pull off the difficult pieces Laila plays. I had about a week and a half to learn the Mendelssohn on the violin, and yes, I played in fifth and sixth grade, but I hadn’t picked it up since. I remembered the basics, but I really have to shout out my violin tutor.

You grew up in the industry as an actor and musician with a lot of great mentors helping you. Strung is Romy Woods’ first big acting role. What was it like taking her under your wings in a bit of a role reversal? 

I was so proud of her, and you can tell she genuinely loves what she does. Because my sister and I got started very young, anytime I see a child star, I’m like, “Are they doing it for themselves or for external validation?” You could tell Romy loves what she’s doing. She didn’t play any musical instruments before this. She learned the piano, and she’s still playing today. Her mind was absorbing everything. I was nervous with my violin playing, and she had to learn these difficult piano pieces on her own at 10.

Beyoncé was famously a mentor for you and your sister. Did any of those memories come back to you while you were sitting at the piano with Romy?

Not for this one, but there’s definitely similar energy in the love and the honesty that connection has. 

Some of the most fun scenes in the movie are you sparring with Lynn Whitfield. She’s such a legend. What was it like acting with her?

It was surreal, like, that’s THE Lynn Whitfield. She is the original scream queen, icon, legend. The Thin Line Between Love and Hate. She is so present. She puts her heart and soul into a look. I learned so much from her, and the stunts were just the icing on the cake. It showed me we both are adrenaline junkies.

She hits you in the head with a violin. She slaps you. You wrestle on the floor. What was it like filming those scenes?

It was exhilarating. It was a little scary at first, and I told her, “I don’t want to hurt you,” because I had to football hit her. She’s like, “Girl, you can knock me out. I got this.” Then I did, and she goes, “Oh yeah, you right. That’s heavy,” but she was taking it, and we would just laugh. When we were on the floor, she had these on six-inch stilettos, and she had to kick me away from her. A couple times, the heel caught my thigh. We were in each other’s faces, fighting for the gun. After they said “cut,” we were giggling and high-fiving each other, because it was real girl power in that moment.

I love your scenes with Coco Jones, who plays your best friend. You’ve known each other so long. What was it like reuniting with her? 

That’s my girl. I’ve known Coco since I was 12, when she was Roxie in Let It Shine, and my sister and I were choir girls. She was there for a week in Cape Town, knocked all her scenes out. One night, Coco and I went out on the town to different lounges and hopped around. I was so happy we got her to be Laila’s best friend. It didn’t even feel like we were acting when we had our scenes together. Every line she has in the film, I was just giggling up a storm.

Since this is Playboy, I have to ask you about your steamy scenes with Lucien Laviscount. 

[Laughs] Why not!

When you got the script and saw those scenes. What were your initial reactions? Were you excited? Nervous? 

I’m reading the script as a fan and thinking of it outside of Chlöe Bailey. For me, I’m like, “Okay, I can get that done,” but I definitely have do’s and don’ts. I don’t show my boobs. I don’t show my ass crack. I really loved that with the intimacy coordinator, we had our red and green zones for where we can and cannot be touched. The acting, the movement, and the chemistry definitely make it feel more alive and real than it actually is. In reality, I had a full panty and bandeau on, and it was just very comfortable. Lucien made me feel very comfortable, which I was grateful for.

Between your music, music videos, fashion choices, and now this film, you’re someone who has embraced and feels empowered in your sensuality. Has that been a conscious choice you’ve made throughout your career? 

Knowing I will be 28 on July 1 of this year, I celebrate my body and myself for all that I am, and I definitely don’t have any regrets. Through “Have Mercy” and all my eras as a solo artist, I felt liberated to take ownership of my body. No one could tell me what to do with my body; no one could tell me what to say about my body, and I was really proud of the ownership I took. Now, being a little older, I still want to be sexy. I definitely want to show my figure, popping out here and there with the cute bathing suit on the beach, but I have nieces and nephews who look up to me, and I want them to be proud of me.

How does that impact your music? 

I want them to be able to listen to my music without having it completely censored or the clean version. With this mixtape I worked on with Timbaland, fans will hear, yes, there are sexy records, but I’m finding different ways to say the same thing. It could still be sexy, just not as in-your-face as it was with Trouble in Paradise or In Pieces. That’s something I’ve taken from the greats. Bob Marley. Toni Braxton. Michael Jackson. Janet Jackson. They would talk about topics that would be seen as too much or too sexual, but write them in such a beautiful, poetic way. That’s where my skills as a songwriter come into play. It’s been fun finding different ways to say something.

Strung is coming out just a few days after Resurrection, your mixtape with Timbaland. How does it feel to have two very different projects entering the world at the same time? 

It’s such a blessing, because when you’re behind the scenes, working really hard on things and staying quiet, you’re like, “When are people going to see what I’m working so hard on?” I hope people enjoy Resurrection. I created it with the legend Timbaland. That is so cool! Nothing will take my joy from that. I have a brand new original song in Strung called “Worry About You.” I really felt it was important to have a song in the film, and I wrote and produced it myself. I had a beautiful string player play on the record, and it symbolizes not losing yourself. Yes, worry about the ones you love, but also worry about yourself. Don’t get lost in the sauce, as Laila did.

There’s so much vulnerability in songwriting, but also a lot of vulnerability in acting. How do those two experiences compare? 

With the behind-the-scenes work of music, writing your lyrics is the space where you’re most vulnerable and raw. After that, when it’s turned in, for the packaging, the photos, and the performances, you want to look polished. You don’t want too many imperfections. You don’t want your voice to crack.

With acting, because we are imitating life through art, we have to portray these characters as real people. We are flawed, so it takes away from the film when you’re too done up and too perfect. When you allow yourself to get lost in that rawness, that’s where the beauty is. It’s nice being able to dip back and forth between music and acting, and allowing myself to be comfortable in “This has to be close to perfect,” and in being imperfect.

This year, your sister Halle was in You, Me & Tuscany. Do you talk about roles together and watch each other’s movies? 

We do. Halle hasn’t seen this one yet, but I think she’ll be gagged. I didn’t give her any spoilers because I want her genuine reaction. For You, Me & Tuscany, on the day it released, we all went out to the movies to watch it with her. I’m just so proud of her and what we’re doing individually. When the perfect timing comes, we’ll come back together and be even better, because we have improved ourselves as individual women.

Speaking of the future, what’s coming next for Chlöe Bailey after Strung and Resurrection? 

I never stop working on music. I was working on my third solo album, and I’m grateful that the creation of this mixtape of Timbaland happened, because it opened up my mind and horizons. Now I’m just working on the mixes, listening with Timbaland’s ear and the notes he told me. I have a couple of new tools in my toolbox thanks to him. The sky is the limit. We’ll see where I’m meant to go next, but I’ll just keep working hard and putting my best foot forward.