Sex scene secrets of the stars

On screen it looks so perfect, but when it comes to movie sex even Hollywood stars need a trick or two up their sleeves or down their shorts.

Most celebs will tell you that love scenes are awkward, boring and about as sexy as damp longjohns. No wonder today's top stars have developed their own special tricks and techniques to spice up their on-screen sex and get them through those bare naked nightmares. Georgina Bearns throws back the covers on the world of the sex scene, its juicy secrets and the stars' tricks of the trade.

Kate Winslet

Trick of the trade: pretend it's Leo
It seems Brit beauty Kate has never got over her Titanic tussle with Leonardo DiCaprio, and why should she when the memory of that steamy moment is so handy for her other love scenes. Kate began pining for Leo when she needed a hunky guy for a love scene in Iris, and couldn't find anyone she liked as much as him. She finally found a man willing to help her out in her topless love scene, shut her eyes and thought of her time on Titanic. 'You couldn't see his face so it didn't really matter what he looked like,' says Winslet. 'So I just made out that it was me and Leo all over again. It really helps get through those scenes.'

Angelina Jolie

Trick of the trade: do it with a friend
Tomb Raider star Angelina has as much movie sex as she has real sex - well, almost. Not surprisingly she has few qualms about baring all for film but she finds the best results are achieved among friends. Her favourite pretend romp is the one she shared with old pal Ethan Hawke in Taking Lives. 'It was funny doing it with him because we're such good friends,' says Angelina. 'The first few times he backed me against the wall we just burst out laughing. When it's a friend it makes it more comfortable.'

Charlize Theron

Trick of the trade: laughter
Charlize got through her romantic scenes with Christina Ricci in Monster by laughing all the way to the Oscars. 'I'd love to see out-takes from it because Christina and I laughed way too much,' says the South African stunner. 'We drove the sound guy bananas by giggling into his mike. It was the first time that I had ever kissed a woman in a film, and it was OK kissing Christina except for the dental implants I had to wear and which sometimes came loose. But the laughing got us through it.'

Naomi Watts

Trick of the trade: fart machine
Aussie beauty Naomi has found the perfect way to break the ice, as well as wind, during her on screen romps. The 25-year-old actress has never been shy of doing the deed on film and even starred in a girl-on-girl scene in Mulholland Drive. It was her latest romp with Hollywood hunk Mark Ruffalo against a tree in We Don't Live Here Anymore that revealed her windy secret. 'We were up against the tree, completely naked, trying to act this scene in front of all the crew and cameras,' recalls Ruffalo. 'And then Naomi, to ease the tension, had a fart machine going. You're about to do a scene, and all of a sudden it's like, 'Prrpt, prrt-prrrpt, prrt-prrrpt'. Instant defuse.'

Halle Berry

Trick of the trade: pretend it's not you
Halle's steamy clinch in Monster's Ball, the film for which she won an Oscar, is said to be one of the sexiest in movie history - it even turns on the star herself. Halle's trick is to look at her more intimate scenes as if she has nothing to do with them, that way she gets to enjoy them with the rest of us. 'When I first watched the scene I thought, 'Wow, look at her',' says the Catwoman beauty. 'I never really connect with myself in those scenes, and I think that's how I am able to look at them.'

Salma Hayek

Trick of the trade: don't show the family
Salma found her first movie love scenes in Desperado almost impossible to get through because she kept thinking about her family seeing her nude. Salma remembers, 'I nearly got fired. I cried throughout the love scene. That's why you never see long pieces. It's little pieces cut together. I didn't want to be naked in front of a camera. The whole time, I'm thinking of my father and my brother.'

Madonna

Trick of the trade: lie back and think of...anything
The queen of pop has shocked more than a few times on the big screen over the years but even she has a trick up her sleeve to get through those difficult intimate scenes. 'Those scenes are always very awkward and not any fun,' says Madge. 'It's strange to suddenly find yourself in intimate situations with someone you don't know. You just have to treat those scenes like any other and just concentrate on the acting - nothing else.'