With a rise in spicy and steamy scenes being shown in different shows and movies today, there’s been a buildup of concern for the safety and comfort of the actors involved in these projects. Before, there used to be minimal guidelines for what can and can’t happen, leaving actors unable to defend themselves while in a vulnerable position. Now, with the requirements and the use of intimacy coordinators, actors are able to express their concerns and are protected from doing something they might be uncomfortable doing.
But before we go into how intimacy coordinators have helped, you may find yourself asking: what does an intimacy coordinator do, exactly? According to the Screen Actor’s Guild, an intimacy coordinator is someone who “is an advocate, a liaison between actors and production, and a movement coach and/or choreographer in regard to nudity and simulated sex and other intimate and hyper-exposed scenes.” Similar to a union rep, these professionals act as a means of communication between the production team and the actors involved, stating boundaries, giving advice on how to work around an actor’s boundaries, and how to keep everyone involved protected and safe from predatory practices.
One example of an intimacy coordinator is Jessica Steinrock, who posts videos on social media sites like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube where she discusses many aspects of her job, as well as guessing how spicy scenes were recorded. She talks about modesty garments and how they are used for the actors’ protection, how she communicates boundaries to the production team, and how she talks with the actors to understand their needs. She also reviews different shows and movies and how the spicy scenes could have been shot. She explains how different camera angles can capture the required shots and how to best protect the actors during them.
Now that we know what an intimacy coordinator does, how does one become an intimacy coordinator? The SAG-AFTRA guidelines require coursework on a variety of different topics such as gender/sexual identity training, the proper use of modesty garments, consent training, anti-harassment training, and anti-racist training programs, to name a few. They also require a state and federal background check before you can work as an intimacy coordinator. To find out more, you can go to the SAG-AFTRA page and learn about the next steps you can take toward becoming one.
However, some actors are not a fan of the inclusion of intimacy coordinators on set. Ellen Pompeo, the former lead of Grey’s Anatomy, spoke to Katherine Heigl with Variety about intimacy coordinators in June 2023 and how they “create a whole other slew of problems…but the intention is good.” She mentions how it’s weird at times when working with the intimacy coordinators, unaware of how they are trained and what it takes to become one. Even Heigl was dismissing the work that they do, claiming she “knows how to make out on camera,” without considering that what she’s doing could make her scene partner uncomfortable.
Another actor who has publicly spoken out about their opinion on intimacy coordinators is Michael Caine, who spoke with IndieWire and questioned the validity of intimacy coordinators because he didn’t have any as an up-and-coming actor. While it’s natural to question the things we may not have experienced ourselves, making a public statement that could besmirch the public’s ideas on something you are unaware of doesn’t help intimacy coordinators in any way. If there’s a good service being offered that’s there for the benefit of every actor involved that you may not have had, why belittle the people whose job it is to protect others (and you) from being preyed upon by shady directors who may try to take advantage of actors on set?
While intimacy coordination is a relatively new specialty within the film industry, the improvements intimacy coordinators have provided are astronomical and help maintain boundaries and consent for everyone involved in any scenes where one could be seen as vulnerable.
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