Emma Thompson on sex scenes: ‘Can’t improvise’

British actress Emma Thompson praises the use of so-called intimacy coordinators on set as “the most fantastic benefit” for her work. On the topic of shooting sex scenes, the 63-year-old said in the “Fitzy and Wippa” podcast: “You can’t just improvise there.” During the shoot, the actors are surrounded by cameramen and “guys who lug things around,” the Oscar winner explained. “So it’s not a comfortable situation, period.”

Intimacy coordinators support directors and actors in the realization of intimate scenes to ensure that they take place in a safe setting. There may be colleagues who feel distracted by intimacy coordinators, Thompson said. But others say, “It made me feel good, it made me feel safe, it made me feel like I might do this work.”

The Brit, who was also accompanied by an intimacy coordinator when recording her new film “My Hours with Leo”, responded to the statement of her fellow actor Sean Bean (“Game of Thrones”). Bean said in a Sunday Times interview that the coordinators “ruined the spontaneity” of the shoot. Stars like Jameela Jamil and Rachel Zegler had already emphasized the importance of intimacy coordinators on social media.