Charles Melton Details Wearing Prosthetic For 9 Hours For 'May December' Sex Scene

One scene in the Netflix drama features the actor's character, Joe Yoo, having a brief sexual encounter with Natalie Portman's Elizabeth Berry in a hotel room, with the moment revealing a clear shot of Joe's penis.

In an interview with Variety, Melton, 32, revealed he wore the prosthetic penis for "nine hours" on the day the scene was shot, describing the process as "annoying," yet "still very respectful."

"It was very professional," he recalled. "The whole thing. Natalie, Todd, and I met to discuss the scene, walking through it and ensuring everybody was comfortable. There were a few conversations about the prosthetic, regarding what was realistic and what wasn't."

"And I had to wear that prosthetic for nine hours that day," he added. "I didn't have anything to drink that morning or the night before. That was an annoying process but still very respectful."

The logline for the Netflix film reads: "Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckles under the pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their past."

Melton plays the husband to Julianne Moore's Gracie, while Portman stars as the actress researching to portray Gracie for a film. In May December, which drew inspiration from the real-life Mary Kay Letourneau scandal, Moore's Gracie met her eventual husband, Joe, when she was 36 and he was 13.

During his conversation with Variety, Melton opened up about how he approached the role of Joe, who he described as an "adult child," including the physicality of the character.

"There’s so much pathos, so much going on," he said. "There's this kind of repressed feeling. How they talk, it's all right in the throat. For [playing] Joe, these words are forming for the first time. It’s like seeing somebody at a party hunched over, protected, and not trying to take up too much space. Joe doesn’t even know he's doing it. It's part of his adult child that has translated into the physicality of his movement which he's not even aware. It’s just him existing."

Meanwhile, in a recent interview, the Riverdale alum revealed that he gained 40 pounds for the role.

"It was more of a collective discussion with Todd and me," he told Entertainment Tonight. We talked about what Joe would feel like, not so much as look like. Looking at the facts of him being this suburban father with three kids and being a loving husband. He doesn't really have too much time to spend on himself."

As for how he achieved the transformation, Melton said, "I just ate a bunch of Five Guys and pizza and ice cream and Capri Suns and Gushers. I can keep on going. And I really enjoyed myself."

Melton's performance in May December has been met with widespread praise and critical acclaim, with the actor already receiving Oscar buzz for the Best Supporting Actor category. Melton has already won awards at the New York Film Critics Circle and the Gotham Independent Film Awards.

May December is available to stream on Netflix.