From ‘Spartacus’ to ‘Saltburn’: Get squeaky clean with these 9 homoerotic bathtub scenes
Rub a dub dub two guys in a tub!
Saltburn might have sparked a new interest in sexy bathtub scenes, but it is far from the first movie where two men share a soak. From Spartacus to The Talented Mr. Ripley, men having been washing each other’s backs throughout Hollywood history.
Prepare to get squeaky clean as we dive into some of the sexiest and most homoerotic bathtub scenes from film history. Bring an extra loofah because even though your body might leave squeaky clean, your mind will be filthier than ever.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Spartacus
Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 historical epic originally featured an infamous scene between a rich Roman named Marcus Licinius Crassus (Laurence Olivier) and a slave, Antoninus (Tony Curtis). As Antoninus bathes Marcus, the two discuss eating “oysters and snails,” and it becomes clear that when Marcus says he enjoys both, he is talking about being attracted to both men and women. The sexually-charged scene was removed from the film and wasn’t added back in until the extended original version was re-released in 1991.
Available for digital rental or purchase.
The The Talented Mr. Ripley
The Talented Mr. Ripley bathtub scene is the Saltburn equivalent for millennials. In Anthony Minghella’s 1999 classic, Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) and Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) come home after a night out at a local Italian jazz club. The two spend some quiet quality time together, growing closer until the evening finally ends with them playing a game of chess while Dickie takes a bath. Tom works up the courage to ask if he can join Dickie in the tub, but when Dickie turns him down, Tom tries to cover up his embarrassment by saying, “I didn’t mean with you in it.” Even though the scene (sadly) doesn’t end with the two sharing a bath, it was a defining moment for a generation of gay men.
Streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime.
Brideshead Revisited
If there’s one thing British people like doing it’s apparently playing chess in the bathtub. First Jude Law does it in The Talented Mr. Ripley, then Matthew Goode and Ben Whishaw play a game in Brideshead Revisited. The 2008 film adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s classic novel, stars Matthew Goode as Charles Ryder, a young man who befriends Sebastian Flyte, played by Ben Whishaw, and over a summer stay at Sebastian’s family’s palatial estate, their friendship turns into something more. Sounds very Saltburn, no? Don’t worry, the Brideshead Revisited bathtub scene is much more reserved. In the movie, a montage shows the two men growing closer, with one scene featuring them playing chess while Sebastian is taking a bath. The two later share a kiss as their affection for each other continues to bubble up like a hot bath.
Available for digital rental or purchase.
Behind the Candelabra
The 2013 HBO film directed by Steven Soderbergh tells the real-life relationship between the flamboyant pianist, Liberace (Michael Douglas) and his much-younger boyfriend, Scott Thorson (Matt Damon). The movie features plenty of sunbathing by the poolside, and even a couple hot tub and bathtub scenes, showing off Damon’s muscles in one of his sexiest onscreen roles. No wonder Liberace wanted to tickle his ivory keys.
Streaming on Max.
God’s Own Country
The “British Brokeback Mountain” features plenty of scenes of farmer Johnny (Josh O’Connell) and Romanian migrant worker Gheorghe (Alec Secǎreanu) rolling in the hay. After spending a day in the damp and cold English weather, what better to warm up than with a nice bath, which the two men do in one scene, having a couple of beers and sharing a cigarette. Sounds like a lovely way to end the day.
Available for digital rental or purchase.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
In the second Knives Out film, Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is confirmed queer, when audiences are introduced to his husband, Philip, played by Hugh Grant. Early on in the sequel we see Craig shirtless in a bathtub, playing a video game over zoom with legends Angela Lansbury, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Natasha Lyonne, and Stephen Sondheim. It might not be the sexiest or most homoerotic scene on the list, but it’s definitely the gayest/campiest.
Streaming on Netflix.
Strange Way of Life
In Pedro Almodóvar’s 2023 western short, Pedro Pascal plays Silva, a cowboy who rides his horse across the desert to visit his old friend, Sheriff Jake (Ethan Hawke). The two reunite and have dinner later that evening, where it is revealed the two were more than friends back in the day. After what appears to be a passionate evening between the men, Silva wakes up half naked in Jake’s bed. While searching for his underwear, Silva is surprised by Jake who has been quietly taking a bath. Hawke might be the one soaking, but it’s pantless Pescal who steals the sudsy scene.
Available for digital purchase.
Saltburn
After Oliver (Barry Keoghan) becomes infatuated with his schoolmate Felix (Jacob Elordi), he spies on him one night while Felix pleasures himself in the bath. After Felix finishes, and drains the bath, Oliver sneaks in to slurp up the last remaining drops of the cloudy water.
The infamous scene spawned a million memes, as well as merch such as candles that supposedly smell like Jacob Elordi’s bath water, a bath bomb from Lush called a Saltbomb. Alamo Drafthouse even gave out plastic bathtubs to drink out of during screenings of the movie. Viewers clutched their pearls at multiple scenes throughout Emerald Fennell’s twisted tale, but the bathtub scene might be the most memorable.
Streaming on Prime Video, and available for digital purchase.
All of Us Strangers
Andrew Haigh’s 2023 supernatural cryfest features a scene where Adam (Andrew Scott) arrives back to his flat after being caught in the rain. Harry (Paul Mescal) comes by, and convinces Adam to run a bath. While he soaks in the tub, Harry gets handsy below the water, asking Adam if he’s into penetrative sex, with the two ending up in Adam’s bed. This might be the sexiest scene with a ghost since… well, Ghost.
Streaming on Hulu.
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