Published: April 27, 2021 | Last Updated: June 25, 2024
Definition: An intimacy coordinator is a professional who ensures the safety and comfort of actors during scenes involving nudity, intimacy, or simulated sex. They collaborate with directors and actors to choreograph such scenes, establish consent, and maintain a respectful environment, promoting clear communication and safeguarding emotional and physical boundaries on set.
For the longest time, directors and inexperienced production teams were responsible for actors’ comfort in sex scenes. As we recognized with the rise of social movements and exposure to foul play, this is not ideal.
Sex scenes require and deserve as much attention to safety, detail, and understanding as any film and television production element. The real question is, who is making sure the actors are comfortable?
Enter intimacy coordinators, a professional equipped to understand what’s best for actors and productions in intimate scenes from the touch of a hand or passionate simulated sex.
What is an intimacy coordinator?
According to Careers. Broadway, a resource for information and opportunities in the Broadway industry, an intimacy coordinator is a “trained professional who advocates for what is best for the scene and what is best for the ACTORS in the case of an intimate scene.”
The intimacy coordinator works with choreography, communication, establishing boundaries and sensitivity levels, and collaboration with the production.
These professionals have similar training and backgrounds as directors, stunt choreographers, theater performers, and dancers. However, they should not be confused with intimate choreographers who focus primarily on movement and placement.
Following numerous experiences of embarrassment, harassment, and assault, a change in the industry was necessary. Following the #MeToo movement and sexual abuse allegations, intimacy coordinators became essential in production.
Why are coordinators necessary on set?
In the 1972 Bernardo Bertolucci film Last Tango in Paris, an explicit sex scene involving the actors Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider begs why intimacy coordinators are necessary.
According to a 2018 Vox article, Schneider’s experience filming the scene was humiliating and damaging to her career.
Her negative experience was challenged by critics and the director until a 2013 interview with Bertolucci surfaced.
He admitted that he “wanted her reaction as a girl, not as an actress” and ultimately “wanted her to react humiliated.”
Without an intimacy coordinator, productions have the potential for scandal and speculation.
The controversy over Last Tango in Paris reveals what can go wrong in productions without intimacy coordinators.
#MeToo Movement
Originally coined by the sexual harassment survivor and activist Tarana Burke, the movement took hold of Hollywood when actress Alyssa Milano appropriated it to allegations against big-time Hollywood execs.
Widespread media coverage and response from prominent actresses like Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, and Uma Thurman raised safety questions on film and TV sets.
An immediate solution called for the presence of intimacy coordinators for scenes that involve any simulated sex, sexual content, or nudity.
Check out this CBC News special on “making actors feel safe performing intimate scenes on set.”
Taking the responsibility out of the directors’ hands increases the safety of all the individuals involved. The coordinators work with closed sets, costuming, and pre-production to plan and monitor actors’ exposure and concerns in compliance with their nudity riders.
What is a nudity rider?
The entertainment-industry labor union, SAG-AFTRA, established the requirement of a nudity rider for roles that include “nudity, partial nudity or simulated sexual acts.”
The nudity rider is part of a contract negotiated between the actors and their representatives, and the production stated what the actor would and wouldn’t do on screen.
Intimacy coordinators ensure that productions follow everything within the contracts and riders.
SAG AFTRA Guidelines
The entertainment industry labor union established expectations for intimacy coordinators on set, as required by a nudity rider.
The Standards and Protocols for the Use of Intimacy Coordinators “allow productions to run more efficiently, provide a safety net for performers, and establish specialized support that empowers both cast and crew.”
Quality Over Quantity
An established intimacy coordinator role is relatively new. Unfortunately, this means there are only a limited number of good coordinators. If the wrong, inexperienced coordinator winds up on set, it can be a nightmare.
An example of this nightmare scenario occurred on the Hulu original series The Great with showrunner Tony McNamara. McNamara told The Hollywood Reporter, “it’s such a new role that they’re sort of making it up,” based on his experience with a coordinator and actor Nicholas Hoult.
Instead of minding boundaries and expectations, the coordinator stepped in and mimicked gorillas having sex to drive an unnecessary point.
Alicia Rodis, a pioneer of the intimacy coordinator role in the United States, says, “The greatest threat to this new role is people who may have the best of intentions but are attempting to break in without the proper training.”
Placing someone in a role without the right experience is dangerous for the actors, productions, and the reputation of the intimacy coordinator industry.
Watch this SNL parody of what could happen if the wrong coordinator ends up on the set of the hit sexually charged Netflix show Bridgerton.
Speaking of Bridgerton…
We could not talk about intimacy coordinators without discussing the hit Netflix series Bridgerton.
The Shonda Rhimes production is a Regency-era London period drama created by Chris Van Dusen based on the sexual Julia Quinn novels.
What you see on screen is nothing close to what happens behind the scenes. What happens is like an “intimacy circus.”
Get the behind-the-scenes information on how all the sexy scenes went down from Bridgerton intimacy coordinator Lizzy Talbot. She speaks to Access Hollywood and details what it’s like to be a coordinator on a hit television show.
Meet The Coordinators
HBO became one of the first networks to hire an intimacy coordinator officially. The coordinator was Alicia Rodis on the second season of The Deuce.
Eventually, other major networks like Netflix, Starz, Amazon, and Hulu joined, increasing the number of productions crediting intimacy coordinators.
Around 60 industry-trained coordinators are based in Los Angeles, New York, and the United Kingdom.
But who are these professionals? Here are a few:
Yarit Dor
The Nevers, Carnival Row (S2), Bridgerton, Starstruck, The Wheel of Time, Adult Material
Dor is a seasoned intimacy coordinator. She originated the intimacy director role in London’s West End and worked as a tutor for the Movement Directors Association, Rose Bruford College, East 15 Acting School, and Shakespeare’s Globe.
She has taught at film schools, including the National Film & TV School, the London Film School, Raindance, and the London School of Commerce.
Alicia Rodis
The Deuce (Season 2, Season 3), Watchmen, High Maintenance (S4), The Undoing, Lovecraft Country, Plot Against America, I Know This Much is True
Rodis is considered a pioneer of the intimacy coordinator role in the United States. She serves as the coordinator for HBO studios and oversees the policy, protocol, training, and vetting of all coordinators on HBO sets. She has a professional background in acting, fight choreography, and stunt performance.
CBS Sunday Morning interview with Alicia Rodis on How intimacy coordinators oversee romantic movie, TV scenes
She is the co-founder of Intimacy Directors International (IDI) and an executive member of Intimacy Directors and Coordinators (IDC), which specializes in training performers and industry professionals.
Ita O’Brien
Normal People, I May Destroy You, Sex Education, Brave New World, It’s a Sin, Industry, Watchmen, The Great
O’Brien is one of the most prominent intimacy coordinators on the scene. Her professional expertise became significant in recent years, and after the height of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, she introduced the “Intimacy On Set Guidelines.” She’s worked with major networks, including Amazon, BBC, Warner Bros., HBO, and Netflix.
O’Brien is an intimacy veteran, developing safe practices for actors in scenes involving sexual content since 2014. She is the founder of Intimacy on Set.
Amanda Blumenthal
Euphoria, The Affair, Carnival Row, How to Get Away with Murder (S6), Sorry For Your Loss (S2), Everything’s Gonna Be Ok (S1), The L Word: Generation Q (S1)
Blumenthal is very active in the intimacy coordinator community. She founded the Intimacy Professionals Association, which trains and connects productions with certified coordinators. She consulted and trained large companies like Sony and Netflix.
Mia Schacter
Insecure, Twenties, Euphoria, Perry Mason, Love Victor
Schachter is an educator, writer, speaker, podcaster, and certified Intimacy Coordinator for film and television. They spent a decade working in theater and visual art and returned to Los Angeles following 2018.
In addition to production work, they offer self-paced, DIY learning resources, record or live classes, and consulting for corporations, scripts, and individuals.
Lack of Diversity
Hollywood has a problem with diversity. The low representation of female directors or professionals of color has sparked numerous social movements, callouts, and media coverage.
If you didn’t notice, just from the small handful of popular coordinators, there’s a lack of diversity and numbers.
An example of this problem occurred when Mia Schacter witnessed a white woman director ask two black actors to run his fingers through the other’s hair. The awkward moment led Schacter to seek out additional help from sex educator Cameron Glover.
Glover developed a six-week program on black sexuality that addressed the blindspots of diversity in intimacy training.
So you want to become an Intimacy Coordinator?
Intimacy Coordinators are a reasonably new profession.
To build reputation and numbers, the seasoned professionals created several programs, workshops, and courses dedicated to training more coordinators for those looking for careers in the field.
If you want to learn more about becoming an intimacy coordinator, here are several resources from the professionals mentioned.
Each resource provides certification and courses for people interested in training to become an intimacy coordinator.
Intimacy Directors & Coordinators: Pathway to Certification
Intimacy on Set: Training and Accreditation as an Intimacy Coordinator
Intimacy Professionals Association: Intimacy Coordinator Training Programs
Let’s talk about finances.
The intimacy coordinator position is new, and solid information regarding how much coordinators make or their rates are limited.
According to a posting on media-match.com, a day rate for an intimacy coordinator is $500.
The accurate salary of the intimacy coordinator isn’t publicly available. Many coordinators have a background in stunt coordination, so I included the minimum SAG-AFTRA rates of stunt coordinators to estimate payments and rates of intimacy coordinators.
July ‘16 – ‘17 | July ‘17 – ‘18 | July ‘18 – ‘19 | July ‘19 – July ‘20 |
$933 | $956 | $985 | $1015 |
Conclusion
When in doubt, get a professional opinion.
Intimacy Coordinators are a new and necessary profession, bridging the gap between uncomfortable moments, sexual harassment, and inexperienced directors.
The few minutes of simulated sex can take hours or days to film and, if produced incorrectly, can ruin careers forever.
Intimacy coordinators are qualified to establish boundaries and protect actors, directors, and everyone involved in intimate scenes.
As the world reconciled with its ignorant past, it’s up to Hollywood to continue its progression by recognizing the importance of diversity in talent and expertise on set in all positions, especially if they’re sexual.