New "Profession" in Hollywood is "Intimacy Coordinators," Overseeing Nude Scenes

**Findcandor** · April 24th, 2024, 04:33 PM

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Seems a new "profession" in Hollywood, that of "Intimacy Coordinators," got started around 2019. This guide put out by the acting union (SAG-AFTRA) defines the term as "an advocate, a liaison between actors and production, and a movement coach and/or choreographer in regards to nudity and simulated sex and other intimate and hyper-exposed scenes."

I have never heard of this expression, but a 2021 article in Backstage (from which the photo below was lifted) started off with, "Intimacy coordinators have become so common on film and television sets that 'Saturday Night Live' even had a skit about it."

This 2021 article in Variety hints at how the new field has become big enough to have a registry of such "specialists." Evidently, it's a product of the #MeToo movement, and a way to combat sexual harassment, and to make sure actors feel safe.

The "Intimacy Coordinator" comes in whenever there are scenes involving nudity or simulated sex. For the last few decades, since female nudity in films and TV shows is already largely downplayed (the details frequently lost in shadows or quick cuts; productions often substitute with male nudity, in an attempt to show how "daring" they can be — while disregarding how no one wants to see naked men), the first thought that entered my mind is, great! Another attempt to further minimize the showing of female flesh, and/or raw sexuality.

Indeed, there have been instances where a male actor has taken advantage of the situation, or a director springs the nudity idea on an unsuspecting actress and she feels pressured to comply, but how often do such incidents occur? I believe most sets are civilized to the point of bending over backwards to make sure the actress is comfortable. Shouldn't people be expected to be mature enough to handle such scenes responsibly without some interloper on the sidelines anxious to prove how necessary "intimacy coordination" is?

This 2019 article that appeared in Cosmopolitan (where the above image came from) put it this way: “When you’re doing any stunt on-set, there’s a stunt coordinator... When there’s an animal, there’s an animal handler. And yet, when we’re doing sex scenes, there’s no protection in place. In my head, I was like, there should be some sort of liaison to oversee this.” (Hoo-boy.)

An actor was quoted as opining what this amounts to is a “'censorship of creativity' and suggested actors and directors arrive at solutions on their own." In defense of this new "profession": "We’re not there to police... We are another presence in the room to help coordinate the conversations.” Quite the contrary, I can imagine how this third wheel may watch the proceedings while eagerly awaiting an opportunity to pipe in, "You can't do that."

This 2023 New York Times article focuses on the CEO of a company that handles these "professionals," and "she makes sure that the actors are safe throughout the process, and that the scene looks believable." (Double hoo-boy.) This woman started out in improvisational comedy, and in an attempt to justify her new role, explains, "In the improv world, I was picked up a lot or kissed or grabbed, or jokes were made about me that I didn’t consent to.”

We are living in such terribly sensitive, and sometimes ridiculous, times.

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April 24th, 2024, 04:33 PM	#1
Findcandor Vintage Member Join Date: Jun 2018 Posts: 749 Thanks: 570 Thanked 13,030 Times in 747 Posts	New "Profession" in Hollywood is "Intimacy Coordinators," Overseeing Nude Scenes . Seems a new "profession" in Hollywood, that of "Intimacy Coordinators," got started around 2019. This guide put out by the acting union (SAG-AFTRA) defines the term as "an advocate, a liaison between actors and production, and a movement coach and/or choreographer in regards to nudity and simulated sex and other intimate and hyper-exposed scenes." I have never heard of this expression, but a 2021 article in Backstage (from which the photo below was lifted) started off with, "Intimacy coordinators have become so common on film and television sets that 'Saturday Night Live' even had a skit about it." This 2021 article in Variety hints at how the new field has become big enough to have a registry of such "specialists." Evidently, it's a product of the #MeToo movement, and a way to combat sexual harassment, and to make sure actors feel safe. The "Intimacy Coordinator" comes in whenever there are scenes involving nudity or simulated sex. For the last few decades, since female nudity in films and TV shows is already largely downplayed (the details frequently lost in shadows or quick cuts; productions often substitute with male nudity, in an attempt to show how "daring" they can be — while disregarding how no one wants to see naked men), the first thought that entered my mind is, great! Another attempt to further minimize the showing of female flesh, and/or raw sexuality. Indeed, there have been instances where a male actor has taken advantage of the situation, or a director springs the nudity idea on an unsuspecting actress and she feels pressured to comply, but how often do such incidents occur? I believe most sets are civilized to the point of bending over backwards to make sure the actress is comfortable. Shouldn't people be expected to be mature enough to handle such scenes responsibly without some interloper on the sidelines anxious to prove how necessary "intimacy coordination" is? This 2019 article that appeared in Cosmopolitan (where the above image came from) put it this way: “When you’re doing any stunt on-set, there’s a stunt coordinator... When there’s an animal, there’s an animal handler. And yet, when we’re doing sex scenes, there’s no protection in place. In my head, I was like, there should be some sort of liaison to oversee this.” (Hoo-boy.) An actor was quoted as opining what this amounts to is a “'censorship of creativity' and suggested actors and directors arrive at solutions on their own." In defense of this new "profession": "We’re not there to police... We are another presence in the room to help coordinate the conversations.” Quite the contrary, I can imagine how this third wheel may watch the proceedings while eagerly awaiting an opportunity to pipe in, "You can't do that." This 2023 New York Times article focuses on the CEO of a company that handles these "professionals," and "she makes sure that the actors are safe throughout the process, and that the scene looks believable." (Double hoo-boy.) This woman started out in improvisational comedy, and in an attempt to justify her new role, explains, "In the improv world, I was picked up a lot or kissed or grabbed, or jokes were made about me that I didn’t consent to.” We are living in such terribly sensitive, and sometimes ridiculous, times. .