Sex scene secrets: is Bridgerton’s intimacy coordinator bringing back the passion?

Intimacy coordinators are a role of the future. A fairly new role used to effectively coordinate sexual, erotic and scenes which include any sort of nudity whilst keeping the audience engaged and the actors safe.

It is an understanding that intimacy coordinators are now used in sex scenes across the industry, but they’re not only used here. Intimacy coordinators are used whenever a character appears in a state of undress or implied undress, such as when a character is giving birth or, like in Bridgerton (2020), when they appear in corsets. But what do they really do? A big misconception here is that they direct the scene, but this isn’t true at all, the director still has their job. The role of the intimacy coordinator is to facilitate cohesive movement, liaise with actors to ensure everyone is as comfortable as possible and to focus purely on the passion and intimacy of the scene.

So how does having an intimacy coordinator increase the onscreen passion? Well, firstly, it’s a relief to know our actors are finally getting the respect and consent they deserve; you only have to look at early seasons of shows like Grey’s Anatomy (2005) to understand no one was advocating for the actors in these situations. But the intimacy coordinator allows room for more revealing and dynamic scenes, which otherwise wouldn’t be possible.

Bridgerton’s intimacy coordinator is Lizzy Talbot, founder and Director of Intimacy for Stage and Screen, one of the first companies advocating for safe and consenting intimacy on the stage and screen. Talbot has brought different props to the set of Bridgerton to facilitate this, such as modesty garments, a Pilates ball, and a folded memory foam pillow. These props might seem worlds away from the steaminess Bridgerton is known for, and in some cases are continuously made fun of by the media (looking at the Pete Davidson and Mikey Day’s SNL (1975) sketch poking fun at Bridgerton’s intimacy coordinator and the props) but, they’re the gateway to creating the erotic chemistry that fans love.

Talbot works closely with actors ensuring that everyone feels safe and comfortable when portraying these delicate scenes. Talbot’s work on Bridgerton extends further than simply coordinating eye-catching sex scenes, her work involves exploring the small touches and lingering looks, which build up to the passionate romances Bridgerton is popular for.