Daniel Craig brands Challengers threesome kiss 'the biggest c**k tease in movie history' as he says sex is the 'least interesting thing' in the scene

Daniel Craig has branded the threesome kiss in the film Challengers 'the biggest c**k tease in movie history' as he shared his thoughts in a candid new interview.

The actor, 56, had joined Challengers star Josh O'Connor, 34 - with whom he's set to appear alongside in upcoming movie Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery - for  Variety’s Actors on Actors issue in which they discuss their various roles.

The film star's have lots in common as they both star in Luca Guadagnino directed films, with Daniel taking the lead in Queer while Josh appears alongside Zendaya and Mike Feist in the 2024 romantic sports drama.

Challengers became a social media sensation for the electric sexual chemistry between the leads - particularly a kissing scene involving all three of them. 

But while the intimate moment got everyone talking, Daniel had very strong thoughts about the scene, telling Josh in their interview: 'The scene in the hotel room, where they don’t have sex with each other, is the biggest c**k tease in movie history.'

The movie starred Zendaya as Tashi, a former tennis star who had to leave the profession because she suffered an injury early in her career.

Mike plays her husband Art, whom she molds into a tennis star, while Josh plays her ex-boyfriend Patrick, another tennis player.

When Art and Patrick find themselves playing each other during the ATP Challenger Tour, a sizzling love triangle forms between them and Tashi.

The scene in question sees Art and Patrick attempt to seduce Tashi, however, she urges them to then explore their pent-up desire for one another.

Giving an insight into what it was like filming the racy scenes, Josh remarked: 'The reality is that those intimacy scenes are the least sexy scenes you can do. I feel far more vulnerable doing an emotional scene.'

With James Bond star Daniel then telling how 'sex is the least interesting thing' in the scene as he believes that what's going on in the characters' heads is more vital to the scene.

He continued: 'The only thing that’s going on is in the heads of these people; if you can’t see that, then the scene is just gratuitous. What are they doing there? What’s affecting them? All of these things. You owe it to a sex scene to have all those things in. Otherwise, it’s an excuse to get people naked.'

Former The Crown actor Josh agreed with his co-star, noting that the characters were in the scene to simply 'serve the story.'

Further exploring the onscreen moment, Daniel questioned Josh about whether he 'laughed' while filming the scenes with Zendaya and Mike, with Josh admitting that he and Mike got 'the giggles' as they wound up kissing each other after both locking lips with the actress. 

He recalled how after Zendaya 'backed out' of the kiss, he and Mike had a 'moment of kissing' before opening their eyes and realising 'it’s just us', which left them tickled. 

It comes after Josh previously revealed that he found it 'very strange' filming his racy sex scene with co-star Zendaya for their tennis film Challengers.

The Crown star sent fans into a frenzy back in April when he appeared in the steamy film, but in an interview for Vanity Fair's Hollywood issue in November, described the jaw-dropping moment as 'very choreographed and rehearsed.'

Joining his Zendaya in the star-studded cover shoot, Josh shared his experience filming sex scenes, in response to Paul Mescal's admission that he's found it easier to film sex scenes with another man.

He explained: 'A sex scene is a very strange thing. It’s the least sexy thing in the world. You can ask Mike Faist and Zendaya about that. 

'It might look sexy onscreen, but in reality, it’s the same as a fight sequence, a bit of action or stunt, or a dance. It’s a very choreographed, rehearsed thing, and you’re surrounded in a room full of people—someone’s holding a boom microphone and camera and lights. 

'I see what [Paul] means. On the other hand, being vulnerable and intimate with another actor is more revealing, and scarier, because you’re often having to reach for something inside you that sometimes is blocked away or hidden, whatever it is, and that can be intimidating. ' 

Meanwhile, Zendaya recently revealed the details behind her three-way kiss with her co-stars Josh and Mike. 

In an Actors On Actors interview with Nicole Kidman, Zendaya has lifted the curtain on the process of shooting the scene, via Variety. 

The subject came up when the actresses were talking about the difference between playing a scene spontaneously or acting according to a pre-decided plan.

'You can tell if someone’s thinking about what they’re going to say or what they’re going to do with their hand,' said Zendaya.

'I’ve caught myself doing that, when you dissociate mid-take. Or you start thinking: “Why did I just do that with my eye? That was a really weird choice,”' she dished.

She shared that she has been 'asked a lot about the three-way kiss scene' in Challengers - and revealed how she responds.

Zendaya tells inquirers: '"Really, it’s a four-, five-, six-, seven-, eight-, nine-way kiss,” because there’s so many people. There’s a camera coming at us at a certain time.'

She spilled: 'I know that when I go from Mike to Josh, when the camera comes in, I gotta move back. There’s so many things at play.'