Actresses speak up after Sean Bean says intimacy coordinators hinder sex scenes
LOS ANGELES - British actor Sean Bean has come under fire for his recent remarks that having intimacy coordinators on set would "spoil the spontaneity" of sex scenes.
"I think the natural way lovers behave would be ruined by someone bringing it right down to a technical exercise," he told British newspaper The Times.
"It would inhibit me more because it's drawing attention to things."
Best known for his role as Ned Stark in Game Of Thrones (2011 to 2019), he is currently starring in the television adaptation of Snowpiercer (2020 to present).
Bean, 63, referenced a sex scene with Snowpiercer co-star Lena Hall in season 2 of the show, saying they were comfortable with not having an intimacy coordinator on set for it.
In response to his remarks, Hall, 42, tweeted on Tuesday (Aug 9): "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."
Other actresses have also spoken up, including West Side Story (2021) star Rachel Zegler, 21, who tweeted: "Intimacy coordinators establish an environment of safety for actors. I was extremely grateful for the one we had on West Side Story - they showed grace to a newcomer like myself and educated those around me who've had years of experience."
She added: "Spontaneity in intimate scenes can be unsafe. Wake up."
British actress Jameela Jamil, 36, who plays the villain in Marvel's upcoming series She-Hulk: Attorney At Law, referred to Bean's "technical exercise" remark in her tweet: "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…"
Ms Philippa Childs, head of British broadcast union Bectu, weighed in on the issue as well, saying that Bean's words were "disappointing".
She said Bean did not acknowledge "his position of privilege and the vulnerabilities and challenges many in the industry, particularly young and less experienced actors, may face as they engage in shooting intimate scenes".
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