Barbie director Greta Gerwig has been promoting the importance of creating a safe and inclusive space for actors. Her latest film has reached a new level of success, and it also opened more room for discussion about progressive feminism.
Hollywood has been in constant work to address the issue of actors experiencing abuse and harassment while on set. One of the most common situations is during the filming of intimate scenes.
Greta Gerwig Believes Intimacy Coordinators Are Essential In Movie Productions
Greta Gerwig shared the importance of hiring intimacy coordinators in movie sets. The director likened it to having a fight choreographer teaching precautions to avoid injuries while performing stunts. She stated via Vanity Fair:
“I think one substantive change is intimacy coordinators. They make perfect sense. It’s like a fight choreographer. Nobody would ever say, ‘Just take these swords and see what happens, just duel a little and see where the spirit takes you.’ That’s insane.”
She also admitted she’s fortunate enough to have a support system that has always got her back. Gerwig further shared:
“Aside from being a woman, the parallel world I see is getting stuck in some whirlpool of development where you never get out, you never get the thing made or find the right champions. I’ve been extremely lucky that I’ve managed to be supported by the system and not eroded by the system.”
The topic of intimacy coordinators has become a hot debate in Hollywood after a couple of celebrities spoke against it, raising the concern that it only inhibits the natural performance of actors.
Industry professionals Haruka Kuroda and Sherilyn Oliphant explained the actual job of an intimacy coordinator and the benefits of having one in film productions. They commented via Far Out Magazine:
“Actors can still be spontaneous; the intimacy coordination just ensures the cast and crews safety and well-being. Intimacy coordinators help the actors to realize and respect their own boundaries. An action scene may feel ‘spontaneous’ to one actor, but to another, it may feel like an assault.”
They also warned about consent and that every actor must have some sort of protection in the form of a signed agreement, indicating the scenes that both parties agreed to engage with:
“You can’t just touch a person without their consent, even if you are an actor, and that’s your job. This is where the industry has been going wrong up until recently. There needs to be a pre-thought-out, signed agreement of what will happen when the camera starts rolling, which can only really be obtained with the help of an intimacy coordinator.”
Kurado and Oliphant also suggested including rehearsals and conversations with the director to be clear about what they want to achieve in the picture.
Fans Support Greta Gerwig On The Issue Of Intimacy Coordination
Fans also agreed with Greta Gerwig’s take on intimacy coordination. True enough, movie sets should be a safe space for everyone, and there should always be consent from both parties before engaging in certain scenes. The public has spoken, and the majority loved the idea. Check out their tweets below:
Completely agree
— AJG (@AJG1832858) November 14, 2023
It makes perfect sense
— Amarachi Blossom🇳🇬 (@AmarachiBl17484) November 13, 2023
It’s kinda crazy to think that full blown Hollywood movies don’t have intimacy coordinators. I just did a musical production at my college and even we had an intimacy coordinator for stuff that’s way more tame than what they’re doing in movies
— Jake (@JakeErvin3) November 13, 2023
Makes perfect sense to me. Eay too many awkward scenes in moves. Someone needs and eye on this.
— Dana A (@AzDraon) November 13, 2023
I’ve worked on film sets and the “just go with it” can end up being so awkward for them and it can just look confusing at times.
— jedispyder (@jedispyder) November 14, 2023
The purpose of intimacy coordination is not only to help actors deal with uncomfortable scenes on screen but also to prevent certain crimes such as harassment and assault.
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