Sean Bean has faced backlash after comments that on-set intimacy coordinators can ‘spoil the spontaneity’ of sex scenes and restrict actors.
The Game Of Thrones actor said that the presence of intimacy coordinators, who have become more common on film and TV sets to help actors feel safe during vulnerable scenes, would inhibit him more and it is ‘drawing attention to things’.
‘Somebody saying, “Do this, put your hand there, while you touch his thing”…I think the natural way lovers behave would be ruined by someone bringing it right down to a technical exercise,’ he told The Times.
Sean also referenced actor Lena Hall, who filmed a nude scene with him in Snowpiercer, when the interviewer pointed out that intimacy coordinators had been introduced following the MeToo movement.
‘I suppose it depends on the actress,’ he said. ‘This one had a musical cabaret background, so she was up for anything.’
Lena took to Twitter to address the Ned Stark actor’s comments, saying that just because she is in theatre doesn’t mean she is ‘up for anything’.
‘Just because I am in theatre (not cabaret, but I do perform them every once in a while) does not mean that I am up for anything,’ she wrote.
‘Seriously does depend on the other actor, the scene we are about to do, the director, and whatever crew has to be in there to film it.
‘Sean is an awesome actor and made me feel not only comfortable but also like I had a true acting partner in those bizarre scenes.’
She went on to say the importance of intimacy coordinators, saying if she feels ‘weird, uncomfortable, or gross’ during a scene, she would want them there.
Actors Jameela Jamil and Rachel Zegler have also responded to Sean’s comments.
West Side Story star Rachel – who has commented in the past she was 17 when she filmed intimate scenes with her then-25-year-old co-star Ansel Elgort – tweeted: ‘Intimacy coordinators establish an environment of safety for actors.
‘I was extremely grateful for the one we had on WSS – they showed grace to a newcomer like myself + educated those around me who’ve had years of experience.
‘Spontaneity in intimate scenes can be unsafe. wake up.’
Jameela, who is set to play the villain in the new She-Hulk movie, posted: ‘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…’
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