When it comes to acting, sex scenes are an inevitable part of the profession. But depending on how they’re handled by the directors and actors, it can be awkward for one or both parties. So to mediate the directing and acting of sex scenes, we have intimacy coordinator.
Now keep in mind this a fairly new profession, which first appeared behind-the-scenes of HBO’s The Deuce following the #MeToo movement. But since then, the Screen Actors Guild has required all future television shows and movies to have intimacy coordinators on hand. Thus, we have several examples of this change below.
The Deuce (2017-2019)
Before there were intimacy coordinators, directors would handle the sex scenes in movies and TV shows with a few production members including one or two assistants. Yet this didn’t always guarantee safety for the actress, as proven by the infamous (simulated) rape scene from Last Tango in Paris.
Then after the #MeToo movement, there was a strong desire to ensure nothing like this would happen again. Now the story goes that actress Emily Meade felt uncomfortable while filming The Deuce series, which is about 1970s prostitution and pornography. So a stuntwoman named Alicia Rodis was brought in to serve as the first official intimacy coordinator.
Sex Education (2019-)
For many years, educating kids on sex has been a controversial topic for a variety of reasons which includes religion and politics. But this information is especially pertinent for teens, who are just starting to explore their sexual preferences and experience bodily changes.
So Netflix decided to make a smart comedy about this ongoing issue with Sex Education, which premiered last year and currently has two seasons. Set in Britain, it’s about a young boy who’s talked into doing sex therapy for his classmates. In addition, two intimacy coordinators of both genders were hired for several episodes in both seasons: Ita O’Brien and David Thackeray.
Euphoria (2019-)
During the same year that Netflix’s Sex Education premiered, HBO released its own teen show called Euphoria. Based on an Israeli show that came out in the early 2010s, it deals with different characters who are dealing with sex and drug-related issues.
But what makes Euphoria different from Sex Education is the tone, which is more serious than comedic. With that said, it also hired two intimacy coordinators for the series except that they were both women instead of from opposite genders. This included Amanda Blumenthal, who helped Alicia Rodis co-found the Intimacy Professionals Association, and Mia Schachter.
The Affair (2014-2019)
Not to be confused with the two movies of the same name, The Affair was a television series that debuted in 2014 on Showtime and ran for a total of five seasons. As the title implies, the show is about an extramarital relationship though it’s from the perspective of multiple characters.
On top of that, there is more than one affair in the series. As a result, sex-related scenes come with the territory of the show’s premise. Though an intimacy coordinator didn’t become part of The Affair’s production team until the final season, which aired last year. The intimacy coordinator hired was Blumenthal.
Sorry For Your Loss (2018-2019)
Even though Elizabeth Olsen is widely known for her role as the Scarlet Witch in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, she’s also appeared in television. Particularly, Sorry for Your Loss which she was also an executive producer for.
Available on Facebook Watch for two seasons, it tells the story of a young woman who’s dealing with the death of her husband and how this affects her relationships with others. So naturally this leads to intimate moments, yet Blumenthal wasn’t brought on as an intimacy coordinator until the last season. And even then, it was for only three episodes near the end of the show in 2019.
Deadwood: The Movie (2019)
Much like El Camino, Deadwood: The Movie was released last year to serve as a conclusion of sorts for the show it’s based on. Originally running on HBO during the mid-2000s for three seasons, Deadwood was about the titular town in South Dakota during the 1870s.
There were many characters who inhabited it, both fictional and real, as the show dealt with many storylines involving them. Unfortunately, Deadwood got unexpectedly cancelled without an official reason given. Yet there are some who speculate that it had to do with creative differences. Nevertheless, Rodis was hired to be the movie’s intimacy coordinator.
Watchmen (2019-)
Even though Zack Snyder’s Watchmen film from 2009 was fairly successful financially, it divided critics and audiences alike for its depiction of the original comic series by Alan Moore. By comparison, the 2019 Watchmen television series on HBO has fared much better.
Of course, one of the big differences between the movie and the TV series is that the latter isn’t a direct adaptation of the comics. Instead, it’s a sequel/reboot which introduces original characters while bringing in some familiar ones like Doctor Manhattan. On top of that, Rodis was the show’s intimacy coordinator for the first few episodes.
High Maintenance (2016-)
While High Maintenance technically got its start on Vimeo in 2012, it premiered on HBO in 2016 and currently has four seasons past its original six season Vimeo run. Plot-wise, the show is about a guy who delivers weed to various clients in Brooklyn, New York City.
This in turn makes the show’s title a pun since it refers to the state a person is in when they ingest weed. Although what’s more interesting is that Rodis was hired as an intimacy coordinator for a handful of episodes that came out this year. Because while sex isn’t always involved, there are plenty of intimate moments in the series.
Insecure (2016-)
In the history of television, or any kind of entertainment medium in general, the representation of African-Americans has changed. While earlier shows didn’t quite "get it," others such as the 2016 series Insecure have and gained critical acclaim.
Based on the YouTube series The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl, Insecure’s premise is about two best friends in their late 20s trying to navigate through life and relationships in Los Angeles, California. Much like HBO’s High Maintenance, one intimacy coordinator was hired to work on the current season of Insecure and not the prior ones. The only difference is that the intimacy coordinator was Schachter instead of Rodis.
Carnival Row (2019-)
With Game of Thrones’ overall success, more big-budget fantasy television shows have been released across various platforms. This includes Amazon Prime’s Carnival Row, which came out in 2019. Set in a world reminiscent of the Victorian era, a bunch of mythical creatures from a foreign land have become refugees following a war with the humans.
Now living on the titular Carnival Row, they experience bigotry while a human police detective crosses paths with a fairy woman he loved. Despite being given a mixed reception, the show apparently did well enough to be renewed for a second season with Blumenthal serving as its intimacy coordinator.