Could you explain the role of an intimacy coordinator and your specific role?
I'm the chair of the intimacy coordinator branch at the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union. An intimacy coordinator is a specialist choreographer for intimate scenes. Beyond choreography, we also liaise with numerous departments, thinking about things like closed sets, modesty garments, and nudity riders. We work with the production team alongside costume, the assistant directors, and obviously with the actors and directors around any choreography of intimate scenes.
We also work with nudity. We work with kissing. We work with other intimate scenes that people might not assume to be intimate, whether that is a birthing scene or a scene where a character's on the toilet. So it's quite a wide spectrum of work.
I think a lot of people might not realise this job even exists. So why is it so important for a film or a TV show to have an intimacy coordinator for these sorts of scenes?
We work on embedding consent processes into the creative process and consent is such a huge factor in any role in film and television. But when we're asking actors to perform a certain level of vulnerability through either a state of undress, nudity, or performing simulated sex, the importance of that consent process goes up exponentially.
So we are there to make sure that people are doing their work as safely as possible, but also supporting the creative vision. Without an intimacy coordinator, it's quite hard for an actor to feel like there's a neutral point of contact to be able to communicate their boundaries honestly and effectively.
As well as being an intimacy coordinator, you've been an actor and a director. Do you think that having worn so many hats in the industry makes you a better intimacy coordinator?
I think it's really important to have a good deal of empathy for the experience that an actor and other members of the crew are going through. In my experience of being a director, it made me realise just how important it is to be able to rely on your team because you have so much on your plate. So having someone who's there specifically to look at the intimacy, to specifically think about the story beats, to make sure that those actors are staying within their boundaries for whatever reason and taking that load off you is a massive help.
Similarly, being an actor who also has had to perform intimate scenes before and having that experience without an intimacy coordinator, I really can empathise with the value of having somebody there to help navigate that process.
Obviously the role of an intimacy coordinator has been around for quite a long time, but it really gained prominence after the #MeToo movement and lots of women and people from other marginalised groups came forward and bravely spoke about the abuses and exploitation they faced in the industry. How significant was that movement in increasing the prominence of intimacy coordinators and showing everyone how important that they are?
It's obviously been incredibly important for having a lens through which to look at power dynamics and understanding that, of course, there's going to be a power dynamic present with someone who is employed to play a role within a larger production that often has huge financial implications. So I think being able to sort of see the work through that lens has enabled a role like the intimacy coordinator to arise.
Tommy Ross-Williams has done a variety of jobs in the world of film and TV
(Credit: Emily Cullum)
Since intimacy coordinators became more prominent, most actors and directors speak in really glowing terms about how wonderful intimacy coordinators are. But why do you think that there are still some people in the profession who take against the whole idea of intimacy coordinators?
I think sometimes it's from having a lack of experience of working with intimacy coordinators, and other times it feels very justified by people's experience of having to navigate the industry without anybody to advocate, without anybody to support them. I can only imagine the experiences of women and femmes who have had to be in this industry without an intimacy coordinator and fight their own battles. And I can understand that for some folks, it might feel like they've had to stand up for themselves a lot, so it can feel a little bit too little too late. I can understand that perspective.
But I would say that I've had really wonderful experiences with older women actors who have very long, illustrious careers. I have only been met with open arms. They really embrace the role and have been so grateful for my presence as an intimacy coordinator.
On that note, what's the current situation in the industry with requiring intimacy coordinators? Is it something that is down to each individual production to choose?
In America, part of the Screen Actors Guild strikes in 2023 meant that any production with simulated sex or nudity – that doesn't include kissing or scenes that are not deemed to have nudity based on SAG – requires an intimacy coordinator if it's a SAG production. It's not the same in the UK. The BBC, I believe, in 2021 made it mandatory for any scenes with simulated sex or nudity to have an intimacy coordinator, but it is very much production house to production house. If you are working with American studios over here, they will on the whole adhere to the American standards.
If any of our readers were interested in pursuing this as a career and becoming an intimacy coordinator, how would you suggest they go about it? What sort of qualifications and training do they need to get?
We've created a registry at BECTU for intimacy coordinators, which specifies some criteria that are needed to become an intimacy coordinator. There is a lot of training that you require for things like mental health first aid and anti-bullying and harassment training. There's a whole list of those you can find on the BECTU website. But more than that, we also really value experience in the industry and movement experience – as an actor, a movement teacher, or as a dancer. But being able to understand how choreography works and the body is obviously a key tenet.
From my experience, there is a value to coming at this role with a fair bit of experience under your belt – and a variety of experience. I would say it's not often that I would meet an intimacy coordinator in their 20s, and I think that there's a reason for that because it does require so many different experiences.
A big one that people often forget is that you're doing a lot of facilitation, essentially, and you're liaising through departments and facilitating and managing power dynamics. So I really recommend that people who are interested in this actually spend a lot of time having those facilitation skills as well.
For more about Tommy Ross-Williams and their work, visit their website. You can also look at the BECTU registry of intimacy coordinators and find BECTU's guide for intimacy coordinator training.
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