Oscar-nominated actress Florence Pugh has offered a nuanced perspective on working with intimacy coordinators, revealing she has encountered both positive and negative experiences with the relatively new on-set role, per deadline.com.
Appearing on The Louis Theroux Podcast, the Thunderbolts star weighed in on a topic that has recently generated headlines, particularly since the #MeToo movement sparked the creation of the coordinator role around 2017. Other stars, including Jennifer Lawrence, have recently shared their own views on using them.
Pugh emphasised the fundamental purpose of the coordinator: “It’s not to get in the way, it’s not to confuse… It’s simply to make sure that everybody is happy with what they’re creating and also that you’re creating things that have meaning to them.”
The Little Women actress noted that she filmed many of her intimate scenes before the job even existed.
“I did a lot of my sex scenes before that was even a job, and I think I’m quite confident and quite happy in my skin, and I’ve always been able to make sure that I’m heard,” Pugh explained. “That being said … there are plenty of things that I remember where it was just completely inappropriate to have asked me to do that, to have directed me in that way.”
The We Live in Time actress believes the profession is still evolving and learning: “My view is changing about it as well, because I’m now having fantastic experiences with intimacy coordinators.”
However, she did recall a detrimental experience: “I’ve also had a shit example where someone just made it so weird and so awkward and really wasn’t helpful and kind of was just like wanting to be a part of the set in a way that wasn’t helpful, and I think it’s a job that’s still figuring itself out.”
Discussing her more fruitful collaborations, Pugh praised coordinators who help craft the story and depth behind on-screen intimacy. A great coordinator helps define how characters would realistically touch each other, considering the history of the relationship.
Pugh highlighted that a key benefit of the role is establishing safe words, discussing what’s off-limits, and ensuring a designated person manages on-set coverage beyond the costume department.
“When I worked with a fantastic coordinator, I was like: Oh, this is what I’ve been missing, understanding the dance of intimacy, as opposed to just shooting a sex scene,” she concluded.
Pugh is next slated to appear in “Dune: Part Three,” “Avengers: Doomsday” and the limited TV series “East of Eden”.
