Whether it be Bridgerton, Poldark, Tell Me Lies, Normal People or Rivals on screen sex is always what leaves a lasting impression on us viewers. It’s the one thing we are always left thinking about once the closing credits have come, beyond the plot and beyond any character development.
But do we stop for a minute to think about what it means for the actors? Are they comfortable? Are their boundaries ever crossed to satisfy our telly desires?
Now there are many arguments about how Actors are paid too well to moan about boundaries you know money talks and all that. However, they are people, often with real life partners, families and limitations so how are these navigated on screen, especially in the post #MeToo climate.
When speaking to Slate Magazine, Intimacy Coordinator Marcus Watson says that ‘Consent is fully retractable’ on set but that it is very dependent on who is in the room and the context of a situation, such as who is in the room and the feeling of the actor on that day.
Watson goes on to talk about how often actors sleep on an idea and feel different about intimate scenes from day to day. Essentially, it’s about understanding how different days, people on set and general feelings in the moment can shift how actors feel about filming intimate moments.
Redrafting ideas and sexual choreography on screen is also an important part of the process. Especially when aids such as modesty garments and prosthetics are being used. For instance, many actor’s may have difficulty physically moving with modesty garments, so a scene has to be redrafted and crafted again. This will happen as many times as necessary until the actors involved are comfortable.
It is also fundamental that the intimacy coordinator’s are involved from the first script read-through, so that they can discuss what parts of their body they are happy with showing and so they can liaise with the costume departments, set designers and medics from the get go.
Finally, aftercare! In the post #MeToo movement world, looking after actors post sex scenes is just as important as taking care of them during and before filming. The clean up act is vital. Speaking to GQ magazine, intimacy coordinator Ita O’Brien states that sometimes she’ll do a ‘physical release with actors, like a shakedown or the act of taking your character costume off and putting your own clothes on’.
In the post #MeToo movement world, looking after actors post sex scenes is just as important as taking care of them during and before filming.
The people who see the sex scene are limited to just the director, editors and actors right up until official broadcast with the actor’s getting ‘copy approval’ if you like of the scene before it is shown to a wider audience- like us, to gawp at!
