We’re used to seeing Cara Delevingne in front of the camera, but even so, those tuning in to her new BBC Documentary may be surprised at just how comfortable she is.
Viewers will watch Delevingne making art from her vagina, hitting up a women-only sex club, taking a masturbation masterclass, and visiting an ethical porn set, all in the name of understanding our deepest desires.
In the six-part series, titled Planet Sex, she also “donates” her orgasm to science, which involves masturbating at a German lab so technicians can record and analyse her response. Did she have any reservations about masturbating on cue?
“No, I find that easier than getting emotional. I find that way easier than getting vulnerable, because that is science and I’m excited by that,” she says, ahead of the show airing.
“I’m like a little kid when it comes to science exploration. And this is for the show, and this will help people. Having an orgasm for my job, that’s easy. Being vulnerable and opening up, that’s way harder.”
The documentary marks the presenting debut for the model and actor, and she’s well aware that some of the scenes may raise eyebrows.
“I think men might find it hard to hear about the orgasm gap,” she says of the first episode, which explores why men and women aren’t experiencing – and enjoying – sex equally.
“I think that families will find some of it difficult depending on their political or religious standpoints. But you know what? One person in a family watching this might have a hidden secret, whether it’s someone’s sexuality or a husband or wife married for 50 years and the husband has been having an affair the whole time. So it might make people think.”
To address the taboos around female sexuality that exist across the world, owners of a sexual wellness brand in Lebanon discuss how these taboos hold women back.
In Japan, where there is strict government censorship about female genitalia, Delevingne meets a radical artist challenging this as they create ‘vagina art’ together. In New York, she dives into a female masturbation class and attends a women-only sex party in Los Angeles.
There’s a whole episode dedicated to sexuality, which she reveals was important to her on a personal level, because it’s an attempt to better understand her own queer identity.
“In the past it has been such a black and white topic where people would – and still do – say, ‘I’m 100% gay’, or ‘I’m 100% straight’, without trying the other side. I just don’t think you can ever say you’re 100% anything unless you try both sides. Because you never know! Who the hell knows what’s going to happen? To decide that means that there’s some fear behind it,” she says.
“I had a conversation with someone the other day, he was like, “I’m 100% straight” and I was like, “Okay, but if you had to sleep with a man, who?” and he said ‘Brad Pitt’ so fast. I was like, ‘How the hell did you come up with that name so fast if you’ve never thought about it?’
“So that kind of thing is really important. And again, it’s changed so much. Every time I meet young people they’ll be like, ‘Well, I’m bi [sexual] until I find out I’m not’. That’s kind of the base level now, in my opinion.”
Above all, she wanted to make a series that’s educational and judgement-free.
“I mean, look, I have a certain taste level, I have opinions on whether I like certain music or stuff like that, but within people – who they are, who is their inner-most self, or what they decide to do in their free time – I don’t think there’s any point in judging people,” she says.
“What right do I have to judge people? I’m no better than anyone else.”
Planet Sex is on BBC Three from Thursday at 10pm and on BBC iPlayer