What does an intimacy coordinator do? Controversy around Jenna Ortega's latest film sheds light on how the role is evolving.

Hollywood is taking steps toward enhanced privacy and confidentiality for actors filming intimate scenes onscreen.

The shift comes after backlash surrounding a simulated sex scene with actors Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman in their latest film, Miller’s Girl. Directed by Jade Bartlett, the film depicts the sexual relationship between an 18-year-old student and her older teacher.

Not long after the film opened in theaters on Jan. 26, moviegoers took to X, formerly Twitter, to criticize the scene due to the 31-year age gap between Ortega, 21, and Freeman, 52.

The film’s intimacy coordinator, Kristina Arjona, spoke to the Daily Mail in early February about her work on the movie, insisting that consent was of the utmost importance throughout the filming process. In the interview, she said her role included discussing the “level of nudity” the actors were comfortable with and how to maintain an “appropriate distance” while shooting.

As an employee of the film, Arjona signed a confidentiality agreement and nondisclosure agreement with Lionsgate, the film’s production company, according to Deadline.

Following the interview, the actors' union SAG-AFTRA updated its Standards and Protocol requirements on Feb. 22, to make clear that intimacy coordinators are prohibited from publicly disclosing “an actor’s work and experience” on set without permission from the actors involved. They’ll also need to have state and federal background checks before working with talent.

The additional requirements are an extension of SAG-AFTRA’s 2023 preexisting contract rules requiring producers to “use best efforts to engage an intimacy coordinator for scenes involving nudity or simulated sex” and to consider all requests made by a performer to have a coordinator for other scenes, without retaliation against the performer.

Yahoo Entertainment reached out to SAG-AFTRA for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

What does an intimacy coordinator do?

An intimacy coordinator “is 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,” according to SAG-AFTRA.

Jessica Steinrock, CEO of Intimate Directors and Coordinators (IDC), one of four U.S.-based training programs accredited by SAG-AFTRA, told Yahoo Entertainment that the coordinator’s main job is to ensure that sex scenes are filmed safely and ethically for everyone involved — not just for the actors but the entire crew.

“Our role is to ensure boundaries are protected and actors are able to do their best work,” she said. “The intimacy coordinator is there to support the entire production team, and we work to facilitate the director's vision within the boundaries of the actors.”

Steinrock said “consent and autonomy” are the bedrocks of the profession. “Intimate scenes involve a high level of vulnerability, and actors deserve specialized support during these moments,” she says. “As the role has grown in use, so too has the need for skilled and qualified professionals.”

When did they gain prominence?

The filming of intimate scenes has been “inconsistent at best,” Steinrock said about years past, when there were fewer regulations in place to “prevent the misuse of power or intercept moments where coercion could happen.”

That all changed amid the rise of the #MeToo movement.

In 2017, Alicia Rodis, an IDC co-founder, was the first credited intimacy coordinator on Season 2 of HBO's The Deuce. By 2018, the network began requiring intimacy coordinators to be present on any set involving nudity or simulated sex, thus creating a new model for the industry.

“Most major networks quickly followed suit, and the practice has grown exponentially,” said Steinrock.

SAG-AFTRA followed suit in 2020, when it mandated that actors receive their nudity rider agreement, a contract outlining the specifics of nudity and simulated sex scenes depicted on camera, at least 48 hours in advance of filming. Steinrock said this “allows more space for informed consent.”

What SAG-AFTRA rule change means

Intimacy coordinators now risk losing their job if they share details publicly about their process working with individual actors on sets, unless they have the actor’s full consent.

While preexisting requirements advocated for an actor’s right to request coordinators, and for producers to take those requests seriously, they didn’t specifically address confidentiality and privacy once filming was complete, particularly when it comes to speaking to the media.

A union rep elaborated on the changes with Deadline, saying, “[SAG-AFTRA] members have to feel safe, comfortable and confident in engaging with intimacy coordinators.”

What have actors said about it?

Actors and actresses have spoken both in favor of and against working with intimacy coordinators for recent projects.

Game of Thrones alum Sean Bean faced backlash after telling Variety in August 2022 that coordinators “spoil the spontaneity” when shooting sex scenes, insisting that “the natural way lovers behave would be ruined by someone bringing it right down to a technical exercise.”

Jennifer Aniston told Variety in December 2023 that she declined working with a coordinator when shooting intimate scenes with actor Jon Hamm on Season 3 of The Morning Show, saying, “We’re seasoned — we can figure this one out.”

Toni Collette and Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo, however, are on the fence. Collette told the Times of London in March 2023 that coordinators make her “feel more anxious,” while Pompeo told Variety in June 2023 that “intimacy coordinators create a whole other slew of problems, but the intention behind it is good.”

A number of stars, including Emma Stone, Sam Heughan, Amy Schumer, India Amarteifio and Jonathan Bailey, have applauded the work of intimacy coordinators.

“Having her there felt like having both a safety net and a choreographer and a handhold,” Stone told NPR in January about working with intimacy coordinator Elle McAlpine for her Oscar-nominated role in Poor Things, which had multiple sex scenes.

Heughan said he implored the Outlander team to hire its first intimacy coordinator while shooting Season 6.

“It’s important that everyone is protected,” he told Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast in March 2022. “[The coordinator] really helped us understand what we are doing and how we build up this relationship and take it somewhere else.”

Why it matters

Ensuring confidentiality before, during and after filming intimate scenes creates a safer environment on set, which in turn helps actors deliver their best performance and creates a safer culture for the entire crew, said Steinrock.

“Intimacy coordinator training programs play a vital role in ensuring that these professionals are able to perform this role in a way that supports both actors and the entire production — ultimately leading to greater storytelling,” she said, calling the latest changes “a huge step forward to ensure actors are provided the support needed to perform these scenes.”