In a recent interview with The Times of London Sunday Magazine, Game of Thrones actor Sean Bean criticized intimacy coordinators on set, saying they “spoil the spontaneity” of filming intimate scenes. Following this, many actresses spoke out against his comments and highlighted why intimacy coordinators are important.
West Side Story actress Rachel Zegler posted to Twitter on Monday (August 8th), “intimacy coordinators establish an environment of safety for actors. i was extremely grateful for the one we had on WSS— they showed grace to a newcomer like myself + educated those around me who’ve had years of experience. spontaneity in intimate scenes can be unsafe. wake up.”
The Good Place star Jameela Jamil wrote, “It should only be technical. It’s like a stunt. Our job as actors is to make it not look technical. Nobody wants an impromptu grope…”
In the interview, Bean also referenced a scene he filmed in Snowpiercer with Lena Hall. When the interviewer suggested that intimacy coordinators were a response to the #MeToo movement, Bean responded, “I suppose it depends on the actress. This one Hall had a musical cabaret background, so she was up for anything.”
Hall addressed the comments with a lengthy Twitter thread. “Just because I am in theater (not cabaret, but I do perform them every once in a while) does not mean that I am up for anything.” However, she also shared that she had a good experience with Bean. “Sean is an awesome actor and made me feel not only comfortable but also like I had a true acting partner in those bizarre scenes. It was us against the world and we were gonna tell that story,” she wrote.
The Becks actress added, “I do feel that intimacy coordinators are a welcome addition to the set and think they could also help with the trauma experienced in other scenes. Sometimes you need em sometimes you don't but every single person and scene and experience is different.”