An intimacy coordinator has spilled the tea about about what goes on when actors film sex scenes AKA my personal version of hell.
David Thackeray, who works with HBO, BBC, Apple TV, Netflix and Warner Bros (i.e. all the big boys) told Insider about what happens when actors get ~aroused~ (ahem) during sex scenes.
Thackeray’s worked on a load of big productions according to his LinkedIn including Sex Education and It’s A Sin.
Thackeray said that it’s normal for actors to feel the call of the horn while filming sex scenes because they’re “going through the physical and the mind”.
The job of the intimacy coordinator is to keep things proffesh when that does happen.
“Just making it really clear that’s normal and that the worst thing you can do is carry on,” he said.
“So we call that a time-out. Give them five minutes then I come in and check in.
“Then we come back into it when they’re ready.”
I honestly cannot think of anything worse than having to be intimate with someone onscreen for my job. Shoutout to intimacy coordinators for making that experience less hellish and ultimately more safe for everyone involved.
David Thackeray said that intimacy coordinators should also let actors know that it’s common for people to ~get aroused~ during sex scenes.
“The worst thing we can do is gawk or make it a massive deal. I will say for the crew as well, making sure they’re aware of what scene is being shot, what nudity is gonna be seen,” he said.
“You don’t want them to be surprised.”
There you have it. The mystery of what happens if an actor pops an unfortunate boner is answered.
But the job of an intimacy coordinator doesn’t just start in the moment. When Normal People first came out, there was a load of chat about how well the sex scenes were handled.
The show’s intimacy coordinator Ita O’Brien the show’s intimacy coordinator, told Vanity Fair about helping make actors feel safe and empowered.
“I always say my work on-set is the tip of the iceberg. What keeps everybody safe is that preparation; it’s the meat of the work,” she said.
“We agree on touch, we’re checking out the actor’s personal body: ‘What’s in play for you today? What’s not in play?’
“I truly believe that when the work is put in place—when the actor’s personal body is taken care of—they know that they’re autonomous, they’re empowered, they’re listened to, their “no” is invited.
“This allows them to be free as the actor so that what you’re watching is the characters’ submission and the characters’ awkwardness.”
So a huge thank you to intimacy coordinators for giving us the sexy scenes we crave since Tumblr ended #porn and also making sure the actors are comfortable and safe while doing them.
