In a recent interview with Radio Times, Michael Douglasprominent actor in films such as Low instincts and Fatal Attractionshared her perspective on how the treatment of sex scenes in film and television has evolved in recent years.
At 79 years old, Douglas mentioned that the incorporation of “intimacy coordinators” on film sets is “interesting,” a role that has become more common to ensure safety and respect between performers during these sequences. “It feels like the executives are taking control away from the filmmakers, but there were some terrible missteps and bullying“, he said in relation to the complaints made within the framework of the #MeToo movement.
The star compared the sex scenes to martial arts sequences, as both are “choreographed” and practiced over and over again by the actors. “In my experience, As a man you take the responsibility of making sure the woman feels comfortable, you talk about it. You say, ‘Okay, I’ll touch you here if it’s okay,’” she explained.
Although he admits that “there were surely people who exceeded their limits,” he also recalled that, in the past, the industry handled these situations internally; those who acted inappropriately would “get a reputation” and avoid being cast or given a similar role in other projects.
“But I talked to the women, [porque] I did some of those [películas con escenas de sexo] and now we joke about what it would have been like to have an intimacy coordinator working with us,” he added.
Michael Douglas is known in Hollywood for co-starring in successful R18+ films with actresses such as Demi Moore and Sharon Stone. Given his career, he describes himself as a “sex scene expert” and is proud of the iconic status achieved by the women he worked with in the films.
“I guess the secret is the rehearsal. You do a fight scene, you have to develop the choreography. When you do that you say, ‘Okay, I throw a punch, boom, you come back and you come back, you throw, boom.’ You start very slowly and then you go up at a faster pace,” she detailed during his participation in the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
“OK the same; and especially if you’re doing a love scene, it’s important to the lady that you don’t take advantage. You tell them beforehand when you’re starting: ‘Okay, put your hand here and then we’re going to kiss, and then we’re going to go down,’” she concluded.
The role of an intimacy coordinator in productions has become very relevant in recent years. Amanda Blumenthalwho had this position in the series Euphoria of HBO, said her approach is to respect and protect the personal boundaries of the actors and actresses with whom she works.
As she explained to AFP, the process begins with open and direct communication: “If an actress tells me that she doesn’t want to show her breasts, I make sure that the way the scene is choreographed prevents it.” In the case of men, on one occasion, an interpreter told him that he did not want his member to be shown on screen, so a fake prosthesis was used.
“One of the most important roles we have is communication, since a lot of the damage that has been done just comes from people who don’t want to talk about these things,” added Claire Warden, another specialist in the field.
The work of the coordinators became crucial in a context where the entertainment industry was rocked by sexual harassment and assault scandals, followed by a global campaign towards greater respect and safety in the work environment symbolized by the #MeToo and Time’s movements. Up.
