Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Nicholas Galitzine may have told his parents that he has a lot of sex scenes in “Mary & George” with both women and men, but that didn’t keep things from getting awkward when his mom and dad were by his side at the series’ London premiere. “I was kind of in hysterics because there is nothing more uncomfortable than watching your son bed a number of characters even within the first few episodes,” the British actor, 29, tells me during a wide-ranging conversation on this week’s “Just for Variety” podcast. “Mary & George” chronicles the real-life story of Mary Villiers (Julianne Moore), a woman in 17th century England who was so hungry for power that she successfully pushed her son George (Galitzine) into becoming lovers with King James (Tony Curran).

Created by D.C. Moore, the eight-episode series is based on the non-fiction book “The King’s Assassin: The Fatal Affair of George Villiers and James” and premieres on Starz on April 5.

Galitzine believes the sex on the show is “really integral to the plot and not just salacious.” While he also feels a genuine love developed between George and the king, “George’s appetite couldn’t be satiated.” For the record, Galitzine says he doesn’t follow the news and gossip about today’s royal family. “I think that’s kind of symptomatic of my generation growing up in the U.K.,” he says.

Although he does concede, “They’re certainly entertaining.” Next month, Galitzine headlines Michael Showalter’s “The Idea of You” with Anne Hathaway.

Nicholas Galitzine on ‘Mary & George’ Sex Scenes, Tom Cruise’s Influence on ‘The Idea of You’ and His Disastrous ‘Dunkirk’ Audition

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