Danny Boyle Reveals Shocking Practice Behind ’28 Years Later’s’ Nude Scenes

Danny Boyle, director of 28 Years Later, shared a surprising challenge he faced during filming. Speaking with PEOPLE at the movie’s London premiere on June 18, Boyle revealed that filming scenes with nudity became tricky because of child protection laws.

The movie is set 28 years after the Rage virus outbreak, showing a world where survivors and infected roam. Naturally, Boyle expected the infected characters to appear without clothes since, “if you’ve been infected for a long time, the clothes would just disintegrate with the way that you behave.”

But the presence of 14-year-old Alfie Williams, who plays Spike, forced the crew to change their approach.

Boyle explained, “Because there was a 12-year-old boy on set, you’re not allowed for anybody to be naked, not really naked, so they look naked, but it’s all prosthetics.” He described this discovery as a “nightmare” since they were unaware of the rule beforehand.

The director added that an intimacy coordinator informed him that having real nudity on set with a minor would break the Child Sex Offenses Act. “So it’s like, ‘Oh my God,’ so we had to make everybody prosthetic genitals,” he said.

Besides Boyle, the film also marks the return of cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle and executive producer Cillian Murphy, who starred in the original 28 Days Later film.

28 Years Later follows a small family living in isolation on an island. The family, played by Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Alfie Williams, must leave their safe home and return to the dangerous mainland to find supplies.

There, they encounter threats from infected creatures and other survivors, including characters portrayed by Ralph Fiennes and Jack O’Connell.

The film has a large and diverse cast, with actors like Edvin Ryding, Chi Lewis-Parry, Emma Laird, and Erin Kellyman filling key roles. Jack O’Connell plays the leader of a strange cult. While the infected remain a constant danger, the story also explores how people have changed after living in a fractured world for so long.

Since its release on June 20, 2025, 28 Years Later has earned $60 million worldwide, matching its budget. Critics have mostly praised the film, with an 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 76 out of 100 on Metacritic.

Some reviewers called it one of Danny Boyle’s best recent works, while others found it uneven and noted that the tone shifted awkwardly at times. Still, many agree the movie takes bold risks and features strong performances.

Sony has confirmed that 28 Years Later was filmed together with its sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, which is scheduled for release in January 2026.