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Actors kiss as they work on the set of a TV drama in Kawasaki, Japan.
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Topline:
Intimacy coordinators have a growing presence on film and TV sets in Hollywood. When Hollywood finally resumes production, these relatively new positions could become a fixture on every set.
What they do: An intimacy coordinator is several things: a choreographer, an advocate for actors, and a liaison between actors and productions for scenes that involve nudity or sex scenes.
Why it matters: Five years ago, the #MeToo movement brought to light abuses, big and small, on Hollywood productions. Intimacy coordinators, in many ways, were an answer to these abuses. Many actors today consider them vital to the safety and integrity of their performance.
What's next: Throughout the ongoing Hollywood strikes, a committee of intimacy coordinators has been working with SAG-AFTRA on a contract clause that would clarify the role of intimacy coordinators on the set.
Intimacy coordinators could soon play a bigger role in Hollywood, one that many in the industry say is critical in creating a safe working environment.
While crumbling negotiations between writers, actors and major studios have brought the entertainment industry to a screeching halt, some interim agreements could improve the safety of actors and crew members when it comes to nudity, intimacy and simulated sex scenes.
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What exactly is an intimacy coordinator?
There have long been passionate sex scenes in Hollywood, and if you watch shows like Bridgerton, Outlander, or Normal People, it might seem as if scenes are getting even steamier. Many actors today consider intimacy coordinators vital to the safety and integrity of their performance.
India Amarteifio as Young Queen Charlotte, Corey Mylchreest as Young King George in episode 101 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
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An intimacy coordinator is several things: a choreographer, an advocate for the actors, and a liaison between actors and production for scenes that involve nudity, hyper-exposed work, simulated sex acts, and physical intimate contact in film and TV settings.
Marci Liroff, a Los Angeles-based intimacy coordinator and former casting director, says the primary role is to make sure actors feel safe.
"Many times on set, there is a power dynamic that exists, and it's very hard for an actor to say no when asked to do something," said Liroff, one of two intimacy coordinators who joined LAist's daily public affairs program AirTalk this week to discuss how industry negotiations could shape the future of the job.
Actors can be hardwired to say yes, especially early on in their careers, and may end up agreeing to things that make them feel deeply uncomfortable. Liroff said many actors have arrived on set in a robe to meet their scene partner for the first time.
"There was no discussion around consent, choreography, boundaries," she said.
That's changing.
People attend an intimacy workshop run by Intimacy Directors and Coordinators (IDC), to educate people in the entertainment industry, including directors, actors, and producers, on how to safely and effectively tell the story of intimacy in performance in New York City in October 2022.
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Mayra Amaya agrees. She's a filmmaker and trained actor who's in the process of becoming a certified intimacy coordinator. She recalls personal experiences that could have been improved with an intimacy coordinator on set.
"Oftentimes it'd be assumed that something as simple as a kiss was something I should say yes to," Amaya said. "I was in a show in high school where we did a curtain call, and our director thought it'd be adorable if the two love interests who never touched throughout the entire show would have that final kiss as part of the curtain call. And that was the expectation; I didn't have the opportunity to say no."
"Oftentimes it'd be assumed that something as simple as a kiss was something I should say yes to."
— Mayra Amaya, filmmaker, actor who's training to become an intimacy coordinator
While there are a lot of training programs, Amaya says it's not a requirement to be certified. But she says the training provides a good structure in understanding how to deconstruct consent and different power structures.
Liroff said that in addition, ICs can be trained in trauma response.
"An actor may get triggered by doing a scene, or the crew — scenes that are especially violent," Liroff said.
Since Hollywood sex abuse revelations ignited the #MeToo movement five years ago, demand for on-set "intimacy coordinators" has soared — but resistance, power imbalances, and a fear of saying "no" to sexual scenes are deeply rooted in show business, experts say.
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Timothy A. Clary
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AFP via Getty Images
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How will the Hollywood strikes impact their work?
For one, as is the case for most people in the industry, they aren't working right now.
SAG-AFTRA developed new guidelines in 2020 to make intimacy coordinators mandatory on sets. But even three years ago, intimacy coordinators were still nascent, and there weren't enough of them to cover all the scenes that required one.
Now, there's an over-saturation, and the conversation is back on the table.
A committee of intimacy coordinators, including Liroff, has been working with SAG-AFTRA during the strikes on clauses to include in their contract. They would help protect actors and make the role of an intimacy coordinator more clear.
One of the clauses would require productions to give actors more time when intimate scenes change.
"If they want to add something new to the scene," said Liroff, "it pushes the clock back another 48 hours."
SAG-AFTRA is also negotiating to add intimacy coordinators to the union.
And Liroff says she often gets calls from small student projects asking her to work on set — perhaps another sign that, not only are there more people working as intimacy coordinators, but awareness about the position, and demand for it, are growing.
