How much less of Alexander Skarsgård will we see in an R-rated Pillion?

Harry Lighton’s beloved BDSM biker romance, Pillion, just arrived on video-on-demand platforms this week, and like its pulse-quickening press tour, it’s already causing a stir. But rather than the muscles emanating from star Alexander Skarsgård’s physique-flattering ensembles, this time the chatter concerns how much of the actor’s prosthetically enhanced lower region is on display in the version that’s now available for purchase.

In addition to a fresh approach to the May-December romance trope, Lighton’s film, which was released in theaters in February, won over fans with its cinematic yet realistic approach to intimacy. Throughout the film, Skarsgård’s alluring-but-guarded gay biker, Ray, and his submissive-in-training, played by Harry Melling, find themselves in various moan-inducing positions. But there’s also plenty of love and longing, especially after Melling’s Colin gets his first look at a stripped-down, girthy Ray.

Yet, industry experts have been warning for some time that Pillion, which carried a Not Rated designation when it appeared in theaters, could lose some of its steam on its journey to streaming. And this week, indie film distributor Jasper Basch flagged that indeed the title had been sanitized in order to secure a streamer-friendly R rating from the Motion Picture Association.

Without providing specifics, Basch wrote in an X post cited by The Hollywood Reporter for its coverage of the VOD release, “PSA: The ‘Pillion’ you get at home will be an edited down version of the ‘Pillion’ you saw in theaters, which presumably would have been rated NC-17. The home video movie ‘Pillion’ just got its R rating, after edits, and is officially now the only version titled ‘Pillion.’”

Looking into the matter further, THR reported that, in order to get the R rating — “for sexual content, graphic nudity, and language” — the film had to cut down the amount of sexual content in a scene where Colin gives Ray oral in an alleyway, a wrestling match where the statuesque biker dominates his sub on the mat, and a cheeky, lakeside picnic orgy. However, sources for the article described the edits to the scenes’ visuals and audio as “light.”

While the toned-down R-rated version now exists as an alternative to the Not Rated original, that doesn’t necessarily mean that platforms will use it, counter to what Basch wrote on X. Thanks to a multi-year deal between A24 and the streaming platform, HBO Max will soon carry the film as the exclusive streamer, and it will have the option to air both versions if it sees fit. But according to THR, all other platforms, including those currently charging to rent the film, should be offering the original version. So it seems that viewers aren’t likely to be robbed of their chance to thirst over Skarsgård’s impressively endowed Ray from the comfort and privacy of their couch — or wherever else they choose to enjoy an erotic night in.