Florence Pugh spoke out about what she described as “weird” experiences with intimacy coordinators on set.
The 29-year-old actress has filmed several love scenes over the years, including with Harry Styles in Don’t Worry Darling, Andrew Garfield in We Live in Time, and Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer.
Though she didn’t name any specific films, Florence recalled a few moments when she was asked to do things she wasn’t comfortable with.
Highlights
- Florence Pugh discussed the role of intimacy coordinators, revealing an “awkward” experience on set.
- Intimacy coordinators were introduced after the #MeToo movement to choreograph intimate scenes and ensure the safety of actors.
- The actress filmed steamy scenes for Don’t Worry Darling, We Live in Time, and Oppenheimer.
Florence Pugh shared a “weird” experience working with an intimacy coordinator
Image credits: The Louis Theroux Podcast
“I did a lot of my s*x scenes before that was even a job. I am quite confident, quite happy in my skin, and I’ve always been able to make sure that I’m heard,” she said on The Louis Theroux Podcast.
“That being said … there are plenty of things I remember that were completely inappropriate – to be asked to do that, to be directed in that way.”
Image credits: The Louis Theroux Podcast
The Thunderbolts star said she’s had both positive and negative experiences with intimacy coordinators, and that her perspective on the profession recently changed after working with a “fantastic” expert.
“However, that being said, I’ve also had a sh*t example where someone just made it so weird and so awkward and really wasn’t helpful—kind of just wanting to be a part of the set in a way that wasn’t helpful,” she recalled.
The British actress is best known for Midsommar, Little Women, and Oppenheimer
Image credits: The Louis Theroux Podcast
Intimacy coordinators were introduced after the #MeToo movement to ensure the safety and comfort of actors when shooting simulated s*x scenes. Their job is to choreograph the scene in detail so that no one crosses boundaries or does anything without consent.
They also ensure that performers and other production personnel adhere to proper safety protocols, as per the Screen Actors Guild.
Florence described intimacy coordination as a job that’s “still figuring itself out.” She said it was after working with truly great coordinators that she realized how much they can improve the storytelling of a film.
Image credits: A24
“Finding the story of what it is, what kind of s*x is it, how do you touch each other, how long have you been having s*x for. All of these things really matter when you are trying to build a relationship.
“I’d never thought of it like that before, because s*x scenes are so awkward for everybody on set.”
Florence said intimacy coordination is a job that’s “still figuring itself out”
Image credits: Mubi
The Lady Macbeth actress explained that, instead of viewing love scenes as awkward, coordinators have helped her “understand the dance of intimacy," with their guidance enriching the characters’ story.
Her comments come after co-star Andrew Garfield revealed that he and Florence took their intimate scene in the drama We Live In Time “further” than the directors had planned.
Image credits: Apple TV+
Andrew explained that he and Florence did not hear the directors yell “Cut” while filming the scene.
“We were getting into it, as it were, and we go a little bit further than we meant,” the actor said last year. “Just because we never heard ‘Cut,’ and it was feeling safe.”
Image credits: Neon
Florence joins a growing list of celebrities who have recently commented on the role of intimacy coordinators on set.
Jennifer Lawrence revealed that she declined to use a coordinator for her love scenes in Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love because her co-star Robert Pattinson is “not pervy” and she felt “safe” with him.
Florence is the latest actress to have spoken about the profession, introduced after the #MeToo movement
Image credits: A24
“There was never any weird, like, ‘Does he think I like him?’” Jennifer explained.
“If there was a little bit of that I would probably have an intimacy coordinator. A lot of male actors get offended if you don’t want to f**k them, and then the punishment starts. He was not like that.”
Similarly, Jennifer Aniston said she rejected the services of an intimacy coordinator when working with Jon Hamm on scenes for The Morning Show.
“Jon was such a gentleman, always – I mean every move, every cut, ‘You OK?’” she recalled. “It was also very choreographed.”
Image credits: Frank Sun/Wikimedia
The Friends actress praised the professionalism of director Mimi Leder, adding that intimate scenes are “awkward enough” already, and that both she and Jon are “seasoned.”
Meanwhile, Mikey Madison, who won the Best Actress Oscar for her lead role in Anora, said she and co-star Mark Eydelshteyn agreed to film without an intimacy coordinator, deciding that “it would be best to just keep it small.”
“My character is a s*x worker, and I had seen Sean’s films and know his dedication to authenticity. I was ready for it. As an actress, I approached it as a job,” she explained.
Stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston sparked controversy with their statements about intimacy coordinators
Gwyneth Paltrow shared that she was unsatisfied with the input of intimacy coordinators on steamy scenes she filmed with Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme, saying she felt “as an artist, very stifled.”
The actresses’ remarks sparked backlash, with some people arguing that intimacy coordinators should not be optional, regardless of how experienced the actors are.
Critics stressed that the coordinators’ role is to ensure the safety of both performers, so it should not be up to the actors to decide whether to use them, since one may feel pressured by the other to say no.
Former Channel 4 drama head Caroline Hollick was among those who criticized Gwyneth for her "irresponsible" comments.
“As a powerful woman in Hollywood acting with a man much younger than her, well I’m sure [Chalamet] is chill, but I thought it was quite an irresponsible thing to say,” she said, as per The Guardian.
People reacted to Florence Pugh’s remarks about working with intimacy coordinators
