Timothy Dalton thinks sex scenes and nudity are ''not necessary'' in films.

The former James Bond star has seen some of his female co-stars get ''upset'' when they're asked to disrobe for a scene and he thinks audiences should just go and watch porn if they're looking to see sex on screen as it can detract away from ''serious'' work.

Speaking to The Independent, he said: ''I know the girls don't like it, when they're asked to take their clothes off or do nude shots. They do it, but they don't like it. They're always upset.

''Well ... that's a generalisation. But many times, I have seen women upset.

''I will also say I didn't like it either. Most of the time it's not necessary.

''There's plenty of porn online. I think if people want to see naked bodies they can go online and find it. Those of us trying to make good, serious work ... why do we need to offer people gratuitous sex? It's not necessary.

''It's silly to put people in situations where they are embarrassed or where they're worried about what their kids or husbands are going to think about them.

''The work is not meant to make actors unhappy. It's meant to be good for the audience and good for us.''

The 74-year-old actor can currently be seen playing Niles Caulder in 'Doom Patrol', and while he initially got ''really p***ed off'' about having to sign legal documents covering how far he and his co-star Pisay Pao would do ''physically'', he's grown to realise things are ''better'' on set these days because of the precautions.

He said: ''When I was with Pisay Pao, who plays Niles's daughter's mother, we had meetings and legal contracts about what we should and shouldn't do, what we didn't want to do physically. I got really p***** off with it all.''

Explaining he initially felt they didn't need contracts ''because I was determined to make sure she was OK and I was OK'', he added: ''And actually I was wrong to be irritated. Because it was in our favour. Anything we said we didn't want to do - about sex and love and bodies - wasn't done. It's better these days.''