In what he described as one of the most “annoying” scenes of his career, Charles Melton pushed through nine hours strapped into a prosthetic penis – all while filming an intense, emotionally charged sex scene opposite Oscar winner Natalie Portman.
Known for his breakout role as Reggie Mantle on Riverdale, Charles Melton, 34, got his start with smaller appearances on shows like Glee and American Horror Story.
But it was his quiet, unsettling performance in 2023’s May December – alongside Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, two Academy Award-winning actors – that pushed him into more serious dramatic territory and revealed just how much he was willing to give for a role.
May December premiered on Netflix in December 2023 and quickly attracted attention due to its provocative storyline.
Inspired by real-life story
According to NPR, the narrative draws inspiration from the infamous Mary Kay Letourneau case – a real-life scandal that dominated American tabloid headlines and helped shape the sensationalist media culture of the 1990s.
Letourneau, a schoolteacher from Washington state, was convicted of raping her sixth-grade student Vili Fualaau, whom she first became obsessed with when he was in her grade 2 class.
Their relationship, which began when Fualaau was just 12 years old, led to two children – both born by the time he turned 15 – and a marriage that lasted 14 years after Letourneau’s release from prison.
Letourneau was 58 when she died of cancer in 2020, less than one year after separating from Fualaau.
‘Arrested development’
The film follows Elizabeth Berry, played by Portman, an actor shadowing Gracie Atherton-Yoo (portrayed by Moore) for an upcoming role.
Melton plays Joe Yoo, a 36-year-old husband and father of three, whose life remains shaped by his disturbing past – he was just 13 when he began a relationship with Gracie, played by Julianne Moore, a woman in her 30s at the time and now his wife.
“There’s this arrested development that Joe has, this kind of internal tragedy from his adolescence being taken from him,” Melton told People. “[He has] the immense responsibility of being a father, while simultaneously experiencing the probing of tabloid culture. He had to survive and create this adaptive adult child in order to navigate his life.”
Prosthetic penis
In one of the last scenes of May December, a pivotal scene shows Melton’s character, Joe, cheating on Gracie by engaging in a sexual encounter with Portman’s character.
Their encounter erupts into a brief but charged sex scene on the floor, ending with a bold, unmistakable silhouette of Joe’s exposed penis, that was actually a prosthetic.
In an interview with Variety, Melton described the process behind filming that moment as “annoying.”
“It was very professional. The whole thing,” Melton told the outlet. “Natalie, [director] Todd [Haynes], and I met to discuss the scene, walking through it and ensuring everybody was comfortable. There were a few conversations about the prosthetic, regarding what was realistic and what wasn’t.”
He continued, “And I had to wear that prosthetic for nine hours that day. I didn’t have anything to drink that morning or the night before. That was an annoying process but still very respectful.”
Screen time with ‘two masters’
Melton, who earned a Golden Globe nod for his performance, added that the emotional and physical demands of the role were heightened by the caliber of talent involved.
“They just elevate everything around them. The way they work, their technicality, they’re masters of their craft,” Melton gushed over Moore and Portman in his interview with People.
But Haynes praised Melton, saying he matched his co-stars with ease: “On top of his sensitivity and intuition and instincts, he is an incredibly skilled actor from a technical standpoint,” Haynes told the publication. “The physicality that he brings to the role of Joe is really not something that a novice or just somebody who’s just following their instincts would necessarily know how to do.”
Melton’s portrayal of Joe – a man struggling with his past and present – marked a sharp departure from his previous teen drama fame and demonstrated a depth and vulnerability that critics have praised.
Have you seen May December? Please let us know what you think of Melton’s performance!
READ MORE
- Natalie Portman finally breaks silence about her feelings on husband Benjamin Millepied’s affair
- Why Julianne Moore, 60, refuses to age gracefully
