Intimacy coordinators are a new kind of job that spawned after the #MeToo Movement, and their main function is to make sure that every actor is comfortable when doing intimate scenes (i.e., sex scenes) that involve simulated sex or nudity.
While many have attested to how they can make performers feel safe, there are some more old school actresses—like one Gwyneth Paltrow—that prefers not to have them fussing about during a scene.
A Bygone Era
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Paltrow talks about her recent work on Marty Supreme in which she had her first encounter with an intimacy coordinator. She says, “There’s now something called an intimacy coordinator, which I did not know existed… I was like, ‘Girl, I’m from the era where you get naked, you get in bed, the camera’s on.’ ”
Paltrow apparently had several sex scenes with Timothee Chalamet (Wonka) in her upcoming movie, and she had apparently asked the IC to stand back as they were making her feel ‘stifled.’ She says:
“We said, ‘I think we’re good. You can step a little bit back,’… I don’t know how it is for kids who are starting out, but…if someone is like, ‘Okay, and then he’s going to put his hand here’” (Paltrow places her hand on her shoulder)I would feel, as an artist, very stifled by that.”
When it comes to having to share a sex scene with someone significantly younger than her, Paltrow just shrugged it off and said, “I was like, ‘Okay, great. I’m 109 years old. You’re 14.’ ”
“It was a Choice That I Made”
Paltrow isn’t the only actress to make headlines when she shared her thoughts on there being an intimacy coordinator.
Most recently, Anora star (and Best Actress Oscar winner) Mikey Madison revealed that they also didn’t use an intimacy coordinator for her scenes in Anora. For context, Madison plays a sex worker Ani, in the film, and she is naked and sexualized for a big chunk of the movie.
“It was a choice that I made,” said Madison, and she says that the director and the producers, “decided that it would be best just to keep it small. We were able to streamline it, shoot it super quickly.”
With so many provocative scenes in Anora, one could imagine that having an intimacy coordinator for each scene would have probably doubled the amount of time they had to shoot it.
If anything, Anora director Sean Baker isn’t against intimacy coordinators and says that it’s mostly a choice by the actors. He explains:
“I think with intimacy coordination, it’s a case-by-case basis, film-by film-basis. If an actor requests one, 100%. But I have directed approximately 10 sex scenes throughout my career, and I’m very comfortable doing so. It is our No. 1 priority to keep our actors safe, protected, comfortable and involved in the process.”
So far, a lot of people have been talking about how much of a blessing having an intimacy coordinator is, but only recently have there been actors coming out talking about how it could stifle their performance. With some productions requiring the IC, maybe Baker’s idea of a compromise should be considered.