Intimacy coordinators say their role is misunderstood amid heated debate

Intimacy coordinator Adelaide Waldrop says the job is frequently misunderstood and provokes seedy or joking responses when she mentions it in social settings, calling the role “a hot button topic”. She has even contemplated lying about her profession to avoid those reactions. The position has become more prominent since #MeToo: some actors have praised intimacy coordinators for protecting cast and providing creative input, while others have voiced resistance.

The Guardian notes Michelle Williams, Alexander Skarsgård and Emma Stone among those who have spoken positively, and reports that Mikey Madison, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lawrence have made public comments against or ambivalent about the practice. Florence Pugh said intimacy coordination is “still figuring itself out”, and the piece records that the role existed earlier, citing sex educator Susie Bright’s choreography on the 1996 film Bound.

In the US intimacy coordinators are unionised with SAG-AFTRA and the UK has a Bectu registry, with requirements that include extensive training and paid credits on at least five productions. Waldrop and other coordinators describe practical duties that include breaking down intimate scenes, holding confidential discussions with cast and crew, conducting risk assessments, overseeing closed sets and providing modesty garments and physical barriers — the article mentions ideally at least three for simulated penetration.

Key Topics

Culture, Intimacy Coordinator, Adelaide Waldrop, Metoo Movement, Sag-aftra, Bectu