Gwyneth Paltrow asked an intimacy coordinator to 'step a little bit back' while filming a sex scene. Is Hollywood shifting its stance on the issue?

Since the rise of the #MeToo movement in 2017, intimacy coordinators have become an increasingly common presence on film and television sets, ensuring actors and crew feel safe and supported during intimate scenes — but the role has also come with debate.

While actors like Ewan McGregor, Emma Stone, Jonathan Bailey and others have praised their inclusion on set, recent comments from others suggest that intimacy coordinators may not be a "one-size-fits-all" necessity.

Gwyneth Paltrow recently told Vanity Fair that she was unfamiliar with intimacy coordinators before filming sex scenes with Marty Supreme co-star Timothée Chalamet.

“There’s now something called an intimacy coordinator, which I did not know existed,” she said. When the coordinator on set asked if she was comfortable with a particular movement, she recalled thinking, “Girl, I’m from the era where you get naked, you get in bed, the camera’s on.”

Ultimately, Paltrow and Chalamet felt comfortable working with minimal oversight. “We said, ‘I think we’re good. You can step a little bit back,’” Paltrow explained, adding that while younger actors may benefit, she would find an intimacy coordinator’s detailed guidance stifling.

Mikey Madison, who won an Oscar this year for Anora, also chose to forgo an intimacy coordinator while shooting the film.

“It was a choice that I made,” Madison told Pamela Anderson for Variety‘s Actors on Actors series, saying that she and co-star Mark Eydelshteyn opted to keep the set small, adding, “We were able to streamline it, shoot it super quickly.”

Similarly, fellow Oscar-winner Kim Basinger dismissed the need for such oversight.

“I can’t imagine having somebody come up to me and say, ‘Do you mind if they put their hand here?’” she told Variety in February. “Either we work it out or we don’t. I don’t see all of this need for supervised visits.”

What intimacy coordinators do

Intimacy coordinators ensure that sex scenes are filmed safely, ethically and professionally. They work not only with actors but also with the entire crew.

“Intimacy coordinators are an important part of mitigating potentially harmful power dynamics on sets that have historically been used to coerce actors into actions they may not have wanted to perform,” Jessica Steinrock, CEO of Intimacy Directors and Coordinators (IDC), one of seven U.S.-based training programs accredited by SAG-AFTRA, told Yahoo Entertainment.

“They are there to ensure bodily autonomy and consent for everyone involved in the project,” she added.

Amanda Cutting, an intimacy coordinator with Principal Intimacy Professionals who's worked on shows like FX's Shōgun and ABC’s The Good Doctor, emphasized that the role goes beyond choreography.

“We provide options for storytelling that work within a performer’s boundaries while still achieving the director’s vision,” she said, further emphasizing the physical and logistical challenges they help manage on set.

“Can this action be repeated for four hours in a cool temperature?” Cutting asked. “An artist may be fine with the portrayal, but brands they have deals with might not be. Is what’s agreed upon by one performer also agreed upon by their scene partner? Does this look the same as the last episode?”

While often seen as a resource for actors, intimacy coordinators also support crew members who may feel uncomfortable with the content being filmed.

“Sometimes I see actors ask for an IC because they understand that while they are OK with the content, there are lots of people involved in the production who may not be, who are not being asked,” Robbie Taylor Hunt, an intimacy coordinator for Red, White & Royal Blue and Mary & George, told Yahoo Entertainment.

“I’ve been on set where the cast is fine, but a makeup artist comes up to me saying they feel overwhelmed by the intimate content,” he said. “I’ve even been there when a leading actor was comfortable with full nudity, but my role was entirely to liaise with assistant directors, costume standbys and the hair and makeup team to ensure their work environment remained professional and supported.”

Why would an actor choose to work with one?

Whether an actor chooses to work with an intimacy coordinator is ultimately up to them, said Hunt.

“This is a consent-based role, so it would be hypocritical for any intimacy coordinator to force an actor to work with them in a way that they don’t want to,” he explained. “As long as we can do the essentials of our job — namely, ensuring consent is maintained for those involved, including cast and crew — then we can adapt to the needs of the production.”

One reason actors may opt out, according to Cutting, is a misconception that working with an intimacy coordinator suggests a lack of skill or experience.

“There may be a presumption that working with an IC means you're not an adept performer. That’s not the case,” she said. “Knowing your boundaries and having an IC on set represents an intent to be professional in manner and act. You are considering the group’s needs.”

Some actors may also feel comfortable relying solely on their rapport with their scene partner. However, Cutting notes that this approach doesn’t always take into account “the other person’s needs at that moment or other details.”

Nicole Perry, a Miami-based intimacy coordinator who’s worked on shows like Dexter: Original Sin and First Wives Club, emphasized that every actor has a different process.

“Some actors are very confident in their physicality and how that relates to the character they are embodying,” she said, while others may “want choreography so they can be clear on the expectations of the scene and how their movement supports the story.”

For Steinrock, the question is not whether an actor would want to work with an intimacy coordinator — but how.

“Some actors may want to work very closely with the intimacy coordinator on setting specific choreography or boundaries depending on their needs,” she said. “Other actors may have fewer support requests, and then the intimacy coordinator may focus more of their efforts on communication flow across departments, support of the scene partner or support of the director as needed.”

Is the industry shifting?

Once a fledgling role, intimacy coordinators have become a standard aspect of filmmaking, thanks in large part to SAG-AFTRA’s 2023 contract rules requiring producers to “use best efforts” to hire intimacy coordinators for scenes involving nudity or simulated sex. The union recently took another step by unanimously voting to unionize intimacy coordinators.

Despite this progress, the role remains a topic of debate. While some actors opt to forgo intimacy coordinators altogether, Cutting has noticed a growing demand for their involvement as part of the pre-production phase rather than solely on set.

“It used to be a last-minute call/hire, often with a week's notice or less for scenes,” she said. “Now, productions want our involvement earlier as they see the value our prep and organization bring to the table.”

Perry, however, has yet to see a shift in hiring practices, though she believes there’s still work to be done in educating the industry on the role’s importance.

“Everyone deserves bodily autonomy and the right to be able to consent to what happens to them at work,” Perry said. “The whole project will be at its best if everyone involved is confident in their work.”

Cutting added that some productions are beginning to treat intimacy coordinators as standard crew members, similar to stunt coordinators.

“ICs should be the standard call for intimate scenes,” she said. “Often, the harm that can happen is mental, not always physical, although it can manifest physically later. Because the impact may not be immediate or visible to everyone, there’s often less priority placed on the role.”

On the whole, Steinrock said, intimacy coordination continues to get mostly favorable feedback.

“In the industry at large, it is not a particularly controversial topic, although news outlets are quick to highlight the controversy of singular interviews,” she said. “It's important to remember that intimacy coordinators are now utilized on nearly all major productions, with largely positive results.”