Starz’s upcoming fantasy series “American Gods” is going to feature many things – theological warfare, questioning of the nature of spirituality and belief, a wonderful cast… and a lot of erections.
Speaking with the Nerd World Report (via io9, showrunner Bryan Fuller shared some details about how they went about filming the apparent plentiful moments of male excitement in the series which is based on Neil Gaiman’s most sexually graphic work to date. Fuller says a lot of work goes into making sure the male actors are up to the task – even if it means a little digital enhancement:
“We have so many visual effects that involve digital erections, we have conversations, ‘Well, should we get [a] dildo and strap it onto the actors, is that going to be more cost effective? Or is it easier just to give them digital erections?'”
Male nudity isn’t a taboo on premium cable and Starz has no issue with graphic content or displaying male genitalia as seen in “Black Sails,” “Da Vinci’s Demons” and the like. A male erection though remains something of a taboo, even on premium cable, and it sounds like these won’t be on full display but rather suggested at.
And it’s not going to be all male nudity either, there’s plenty of female nudity in the series including the famous scene from the books involving Bilquis’ vagina. It’s a scene which was previously considered un-filmable, but Fuller says they’ve already finished shooting it and “it’s in the first episode.”
“American Gods” debuts on Starz in early 2017.
