Sex is no stranger to the stage or screen. Intimate moments between couples, teenagers gently sharing their first kiss: to neglect these moments in storytelling would be to overlook a major part of what makes up the rich tapestry of life. But what happens to the actors that bring those moments to life? In movie studios, if it takes part in a closed set, with chaperones and consent given at every turn, those scenes can simply be part of the filmmaking process. The same goes for theatre: if the actors are comfortable with one another and there is a safe space created between actors, directors and the audience in the room, intimate scenes can merely be part of the story being told. So often, however, that isn't the case. With the rise of the #MeToo movement and the growing conversations around sexual misconduct and problematic power dynamics between men and women, directors and actors, studios and individuals, we are hearing more about the intimate scenes that have been poorly managed. The fallout can be devastating.
In the last few years, a new field in the industry has emerged to facilitate better – consensual – intimate scenes. The term ‘intimacy coordinator’ first started being talked about widely around 2019, when Ita O'Brien was credited in the Netflix series Sex Education as its intimacy coordinator, working with actors to choreograph and rehearse their intimate scenes, agreeing on the physicality involved and ensuring the actors are comfortable throughout. O'Brien had got the call up from Netflix after having worked as a movement teacher at drama schools and theatres, creating a piece of work called Does My Sex Offend You?, for which she drew up guidelines in keeping actors safe during intimate scenes. This was presented to the UK's Time's Up committee, and subsequently endorsed by the Women in Film and TV organisation. She has gone on to work on projects including BBC's Normal People, Channel 4's It's a Sin, BBC's I May Destroy You, The Rape of Lucretia at the Royal Opera House and Spring Awakening at the Almeida Theatre.
Supply and demand
Although O'Brien pioneered the role, the demand for intimacy coordinators has now far exceeded what she is able to offer as an individual practitioner. O'Brien founded Intimacy on Set, a company offering a range of trained professional intimacy practitioners for the industry – all working to a set of bespoke guidelines developed by O'Brien herself. These guidelines include: establishing agreement and consent by the actor given each and every time they work with intimacy; having no initial auditions or screen tests including sex scenes or nudity; and the inclusion of intimacy and sexual content in the project's risk assessment, ensuring that wardrobe (with appropriate genitalia coverings) has been put in place and the names of crew required for a closed set.
© Nina Photography
Movement practitioner Ita O'Brien
Even with O'Brien's company, the supply of intimacy practitioners is far outstripped by the demand. That's why earlier this year, Intimacy on Set announced that it had teamed up with Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts to deliver the world's first university-validated Intimacy Practice MFA. ‘Intimacy practice is a young profession, and whilst awareness of its existence has grown considerably in the last few years, deep understanding of good practice is missing,’ O'Brien said when the course was first announced. ‘To ensure we develop a profession which can proudly grow with excellence we need to be able to train talented individuals who can navigate the both physical and emotional journey that each actor will go on, and can responsibly and safely deliver the intimate content as envisioned by the director, the storytelling and each character.’ The course was designed to prepare students to enter the industry as intimacy coordinators for film and visual media; intimacy directors for theatre and live performance; and intimacy pedagogues for teaching in education and wider professions.
Course cancelled
This Masters degree was expected to launch this academic year (2023/24), but just before this magazine was sent to press, Variety broke the news that the course had been cancelled due to ‘various logistical challenges’. In its statement to Variety, Mountview confirmed the programme's cancellation, noting that no students had been officially offered a place on the course, despite its scheduled start just two months later. It is not yet clear whether the two-year course will be held in a future year.
Whether Mountview takes up the mantle or not is yet to be decided. Either way, it's clear that the growing industry demand for intimacy practitioners calls for the next generation to provide these skills. Hopefully this increasingly crucial position in the industry will continue to be valued on sets both on stage and screen.