Before “Planet Sex” was pitched to her, Cara Delevingne wanted to find a project that would allow her to learn more about human sexuality. However, she never expected to have to bring a camera to the hospital to have her blood drawn after an orgasmic episode or to attend a seminar on the proper way to perform a masturbation.
To which point the Hulu documentary series “Planet Sex” led her. The idea of bringing up this topic has always intrigued me. I didn’t know how or what it would take,” the model and actor says. She said, “It wasn’t even a yes” when she was first asked if she was interested in appearing on the show. As soon as the idea was conceived, the question “When are we doing this?” arose.
On the other hand, “Planet Sex” isn’t just about things that happen in the bedroom. Delevingne also explored what it means for people to publicly embrace their identities through each episode, which explores a different question related to sexual orientation and gender identity. Therefore, she attends her first Pride festival and plays with her more masculine side by trying out drag in this season.
Delevingne spoke with Variety about baring it all, protecting her privacy, and everything that goes down in between episodes of “Planet Sex,” which is now available in its entirety in time for Valentine’s Day.
The series shows that you’re often taken aback by the experiences you’re having, such as the masturbation workshop. How much time did you put into organising each excursion?
I had a hand in a lot of the preparations, but I purposefully kept some elements a secret. Honestly, I didn’t care about the specifics. Tell us about the crowd size, location, and atmosphere. There were some things that had to be taken seriously. None of my responses were acted.
Despite being widely hailed as a prominent queer celebrity, you admit in the first episode that you’ve never been to Pride and that your queer identity has caused you a great deal of shame. Originally, what prompted this shift, and where did it come from?
I wasn’t feeling that when I talked about it on the show, but I know I went through that. I believe that all queer people have experienced feelings of shame or, at the very least, confusion about who they are and a sense that they don’t fit in. As far back as I can remember, that has been my stance. I was trying to recapture that sensation. The experience of filming the show brought back many memories of how pervasive it was throughout my formative years and into my twenties.
Being on the show has given me so many more opportunities. To put it another way, I’ve always been queer, but I’ve always presented as very straight. Despite my best intentions, I wasn’t engaging sufficiently with locals. Being an advocate is one thing, but being a part of the community and loving and celebrating your own queerness is another. It was like doing it for the first time, and it felt fantastic. Seeing other people be happy and confident in their own skin has been a huge source of motivation for me. I pray that readers understand that from what I’ve written. Pride in one’s identity, in whatever form that may take, is central to the queer experience.
While you’re a pretty open book for the most part, there are a few key points where you choose to hold back information. Skirt Club is a sex party for queer women, but the camera never follows you as you make a vaginal mould with artist sculptor Rokudenashiko.
Have you ever thought about telling anyone about it? What was it like to finally reject them?
There was bound to be a lot of “Oh, she’s just showing her vagina!” titillation with the vagina model in particular. It’s a mould, though. Thus, there were going to be some things I didn’t want anyone to know. Making vaginal art is a purely introspective process. The item is currently located in my home. What a lovely thing to say. Simply put, I adore it and am overjoyed by its success. However, at that precise time, it was strange. Plus, I wanted to take that trip for my own benefit. I want people to know that while I am happy to share my thoughts and feelings on many topics, this was primarily a personal experience for me.
We also left the Skirt Club. It was all a big hoax, after all. However, they left out a lot of the most powerful scenes. There was a lot of trauma that came up with people, especially women, even in the masturbation seminar and the lesbian Skirt Club place (which was not lesbian, technically). Lots of pain and suffering, which I could relate to as well. I thought it was useful to be able to discuss the many topics that were brought up afterward. Women often struggle to bring up traumatic experiences in settings where the atmosphere is supposed to be light and flirtatious.
Was there anything else going on that you wanted to include but couldn’t?
We once visited a man who created a musical instrument that he claimed could induce an orgasmic response in a female listener. A lie and a failure, but still an unforgettable adventure. A white, cisgender man boasting about his ability to woo women by playing an instrument. Ridiculous!
I wanted to accomplish more, to be perfectly honest. I considered attending a conversion camp to demonstrate its nature, preferably under the guise of a sincere desire to convert. It was in my nature to seek out more challenging activities. I wanted to experience more intense things, even if doing so wasn’t necessarily good for me. However, COVID also imposed a number of limitations on our travel plans, which varied widely between destinations. Several things were halted as a result of that.
Do you plan on continuing your interest in that? I was wondering if “Planet Sex” would return for another season.
Oh, 100%. Season 1 focused largely on women, but men are welcome and can gain insight into the orgasm gap and other issues by watching. However, there are many other topics I’d like to discuss in future seasons.