by Mychal ThompsonBuzzFeedBuzzFeed Staff You know actor and filmmaker Olivia Wilde. Arturo Holmes / Getty Images She famously directed Don't Worry Darling (2022) - a movie that lives rent-free in my brain - where Harry Styles and Florence Pugh had sex everywhere from the dining room table to his boss's bedroom nightstand. Warner Bros. Well, on Friday, Olivia was asked why Gen Z wants to see less sex in movies and TV, based on a recent UCLA study, and she had a pretty fair response. Crave / HBO According to the Teens & Screens report, "47.5% of respondents ages 13-24 feel most TV shows and movie plots don't need sexual content; 51.5% want to see more focus on friendships and platonic relationships." Variety asked Olivia during a Jan. 23 red carpet interview what she thinks Gen Z doesn't understand about sex before the premiere of Greg Araki's erotic thriller, I Want Your Sex, and here's what she said: Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images "I think Gen Z is pretty smart," Olivia said. "I'd never dare to say they don't understand anything. I think they understand a lot more than the rest of us." Gilbert Carrasquillo / Getty Images Admitting she's not entirely sure of the theory's genesis, she noted, "It's interesting. I think that the way sex has been portrayed in film for a long time hasn't been particularly realistic." Dave Benett / Getty Images "I think there's been this kind of movement toward authenticity, which is really good, so I choose to interpret that statistic maybe as Gen Z saying, 'We don't want to see inauthenticity anymore. We want to see real relationships. We want to have something that feels more genuine,'" Olivia said. Isaiah Trickey / Getty Images Several fans expressed their support and praised Olivia's response to a "question that always causes annoying discourse."took a question that always causes annoying discourse on here and provided a new angle look how she ate that! https://t.co/hTvklatg78- oh brother!!!! (@symphonay) January 24, 2026 Variety, @symphonay / Via Twitter: @symphonay But, of course, Olivia's comments ignited a debate about the actual reason Gen Z doesn't want to see sex in movies and television. "All these people who say the younger gen doesn't enjoy/understand sex... it just makes it clear they don't enjoy/understand a thing abou the young generation," one person wrote. @joethevirtuous / x.com "They say they want less but in reality they want less meaningless sex out in just for the shock factor. Hence why HR is doing what it's doing because the sex and sexual content is real and makes sense for the story," someone else wrote. @Tayhatesevery1 / x.com To that end, another person added that Gen Z's aversion to sex in pop culture is "because producers are lazy and lack talent and creativity. They add sex scenes and gore just to shock the porn-brained audience enough to keep watching. Some of us want good stories, not cheap shock. And I have yet to see one movie where a sex scene was necessary." @PaulaGhete / x.com This person said, "i kinda disagree with this answer because i think intimacy and authenticity without a gotcha comedic bandaid is what makes gen z hate sex scenes. they can't deal with feeling uncomfortable and the more intimate it is, the more uncomfortable they get." @femalevillian / x.com "You know what I realized when watching this? Gen-Z doesn't NEED sex in movies," another person said. "There's sex everywhere. You can dead watch porn in passing now. Older generations' relationship with sex in media is different because we didn't actually have Gen-Z's level of access to seeing it." @sagebeatlove_ / x.com Lastly, this person said, "i see her point, but i don't think that's it. they're prudes! they don't want sex in movies because they don't think it adds to the plot, which is a hilariously retrograde view from the youth." @stuckinrevmode / x.com Olivia is starring in I Want Your Sex alongside Cooper Hoffman as a "sexually assured artist," per Variety. Speaking of the film, Olivia said, "It's an incredible irrelevant take on this part of the sexual revolution of a young person." Isaiah Trickey / Getty Images "The whole idea is to try things, live your life, experiment... sex is used as the metaphor for something applicable to everybody's experience," she continued. "You're going to go through life, and you should be open to what it allows you to experience." Lacey Terrell / (C) Elevation Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection What do you think is the reason why Gen Z wants to see less sex in TV shows and movies? Share your thoughts in the comments. Boggo's house needs a makeover. Sprint for coins and gems and turn her space into the ultimate stress free chill zone. Download The Land of Boggs: Decor Dash now.

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