Diana Quick struggled to remain in character while filming sex scenes with co-star Jeremy Irons in BRIDESHEAD REVISITED - because the actor was overly enthusiastic in his performance.
Quick burst into laughter while shooting her onscreen romp in a ship's cabin after the TV series' director asked Irons for a more passionate take.
The actress, 61, recalls, "I was rehearsing in my pants (underwear) and a little slip thing. Jeremy started to climb on top of me in great big Harris Tweed trousers. I said, 'You'll have to take those trousers off or I'll be scratched all over'.
"He very reluctantly agreed. The director said, 'Jeremy can you be a bit more ecstatic?' Then we started filming. I looked up to see Jeremy bashing his head against the headboard and bellowing - and I burst out laughing.
"I asked the director why he hadn't given us notes about playing it and he said, 'Well, I know what men do when they're making love and I'd better leave you to it'."
A big-screen adaptation of Brideshead Revisited - a huge hit when it aired on British TV screens in the early 1980s - is released this month (Oct08).