On August 8, Variety reported that in an interview with UK’s Times Magazine, actor Sean Bean misplaced his foot when discussing the implementation of having intimacy coordinators onset during a production. When the gracious interviewer offered Bean a different perspective on the importance of having said coordinators, the actor proceeded to further demonstrate a complete lack of social awareness. Following this debacle, a number of people within the industry made clear their support of intimacy coordinators, including, most recently, multiple Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson during an interview for her film Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.
Game of Thrones alum Bean is under public scrutiny for a number of flippant remarks made during the Times Magazine interview. Beginning with his one-sided comment that having an intimacy coordinator would “spoil the spontaneity” of shooting a sex scene in film or television, the actor’s blithe comment exhibits a frame of mind that is rapidly becoming defunct. While Bean, and others, may feel his views are justified because, according to him, having an intimacy coordinator would “…inhibit [him] more because it’s drawing attention to things,” or “…the natural way lovers behave would be ruined by someone bringing it right down to a technical exercise,” this viewpoint has become archaic. Past a certain point it’s safe to say we all know that the “natural way lovers behave” isn’t quite accurately depicted on the silver screen.
Furthermore, Bean dug in his shovel, citing previous productions with actresses Joely Richardson (Event Horizon) and Lena Hall (Snowpiercer) where he shared an intimate scene. With intimacy coordinators being a relatively newly-adopted role within productions, Bean reminisced on his experience in the early 90s on the set of Lady Chatterly, where he argued, “It was a joy. We had a good chemistry between us, and we knew what we were doing was unusual.” While Richardson was completely missing from the conversation, it’s absurd for Bean to decry the use of intimacy coordinators based on his level of comfort alone.
In response, rising star Rachel Zegler (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) posted in support of intimacy coordinators to her Twitter:
When given the opportunity to place both feet back on the ground by the interviewer, who helpfully pointed out that intimacy coordinators “…can help to protect actors in the wake of #MeToo,” Bean said that it depended on the actress. “This one [referring to Hall] had a musical cabaret background, so she was up for anything,” he said of his Snowpiercer series co-star Hall. Bean doubled down on an incredibly harmful belief that because someone has a background that may be deemed sexual by Puritanical values that they are then forever-after “up for anything.”
Hall’s response on Twitter offers perspective:
After Thompson’s most recent film, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, in which she plays a widow intentionally seeking sex and human connection, the actress was confronted with Bean’s opinion during an interview of her own. Having wrapped and released a film dedicated to intimacy, Thompson relayed her own views, Variety reports, suggesting the importance of having intimacy coordinators may be necessary for other parties involved:
“Intimacy coordinators are fantastically important and I don’t know [if] you were speaking to somebody who found it distracting but another conversation you might find people go, ‘It made me comfortable, it made me feel safe, it made me feel as though I was able to do this work,’” Thompson replied. “So intimacy coordinators are the most fantastic introduction in our work. And no, you can’t just ‘let it flow.’ There’s a camera there and a crew. You’re not on your own in a hotel room, you’re surrounded by a bunch of blokes, mostly. So it’s not a comfortable situation full stop.”
Early in 2020, according to USA Today, intimacy coordinators became a recommended resource for Hollywood set standards and protocols, following the #MeToo movement. The Screen Actors Guild further defined the role as “an advocate, a liaison between actors and production and a movement coach and/or choreographer in regards to nudity and simulated sex and other intimate and hyper-exposed scenes.”
The backlash toward Bean comes from a slow-moving cultural shift in the film industry that is attempting to take accountability for its previous disregard towards sensitive issues like sex, rape and trauma. Other creators like director James Gunn have also spoken out. Perhaps Bean is in need of a sensitivity coordinator. While some fans may rally their troops in Bean’s defense with outcries spitting “woke,” they are a collective adamantly devoted to halting evolution. We used to live in the dark, but then we discovered fire. If you upgrade your phone each decade, consider upgrading your mindset and leave room for learning and adaptation. You can see Gunn’s response and watch a video explaining the necessity of intimacy coordinators below:
