The rise of intimacy coordinators ultimately appears to be a good thing, even if their prominence may largely be the result of Hollywood damage control in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Additionally, it seems beneficial when actors speak highly of the work being done by intimacy coordinators to help normalize them on sets. For example, when promoting “Challengers,” Zendaya had this to say to Elle, “We had an intimacy coordinator which was fantastic and very helpful, because it was important that we felt safe.”
However, other actors adhere more into Michael Douglas’ viewpoint. Michael Caine express his confusion at the profession to The Daily Mail, saying, “Seriously? What are they? We never had that in my day.” Jennifer Aniston didn’t want an intimacy coordinator while filming a steamy scene for “The Morning Show,” insisting she felt perfectly comfortable without one.
Perhaps Michael Douglas never had an issue with sex scenes before the advent of intimacy coordinators, but that doesn’t mean they’re superfluous on sets. Douglas has a position of privilege to feel relatively safe filming sex scenes, but maybe a younger performer with less Hollywood capital wouldn’t feel as though they could speak up if asked to do something they weren’t comfortable with. Intimacy coordinators help facilitate fruitful exchanges to ensure everyone knows what’s happening and is comfortable before, during, and after cameras roll. As newer generations of actors get used to intimacy coordinators always being around, the position is bound to become more widely accepted by all.
