After starring in the acclaimed Dune sequel, the Hollywood star Zendaya is gearing up to grace the silver screen once again in the upcoming romantic sports drama, Challengers. She has described the film as a significant stride toward the next chapter of her career with more mature roles as Challengers features her in some of the most erotically charged scenes of her career.
While she admitted feeling a bit scared about it, the Dune star recently opened up about finding the invaluable assistance of an intimacy coordinator in capturing such sequences for the film.
Zendaya Highlights the Crucial Role of Intimacy Coordinators
Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming film starring Zendaya alongside Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, Challengers, follows a former tennis pro turned coach, Tashi Duncan, who decides to enroll her husband in a Challenger Tour, leading to a face-off with her ex, Patrick.
With the romantic sports drama poised to explore themes of eroticism and emotional tension, the Euphoria star, who is portraying Tashi Duncan in the film, opened up about the significant role intimacy coordinators played in ensuring a safe working environment for the cast.
“We had an intimacy coordinator which was fantastic and very helpful because it was important that we felt safe,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. The actress further elaborated on the measures taken to foster comfort among the cast, sharing that she and her co-stars engaged in various activities to cultivate a sense of comfort.
“I spoke with my colleagues so that we could find a way to feel at ease. We played tennis together, we went out together, we rehearsed together. We got to bond and feel good with each other.”
Mike Faist also echoed her sentiments as he shared that they spent a significant time together and were able to get to know each other before moving ahead with the filming. While the Challengers cast found having an intimacy coordinator comforting and helpful, it’s worth noting that opinions on their presence during filming vary among Hollywood stars.
Hollywood Celebrities Who Prefer Not Having an Intimacy Coordinator
Similar to Zendaya, many Holywood stars have emphasized the necessity and significance of intimacy coordinators when filming intimate scenes. However, some still perceive such assistance as unnecessary, including actors like Sean Bean and Jennifer Aniston.
The Game of Thrones actor has expressed opposition to such formalities, asserting that they detract from the natural flow of a scene. “It would spoil the spontaneity,” he said before adding, “I think the natural way lovers behave would be ruined by someone bringing it right down to a technical exercise.”
Toni Collette is another actress who has voiced discontent with intimacy coordinators. She has shared that while they are meant to ease the actors through intimate scenes, their presence only made her more anxious. “They weren’t helping, so I asked them to leave,” she said.
The Friends star Jennifer Aniston has also opted against employing an intimacy coordinator for her intimate scenes with Jon Hamm in The Morning Show. Aniston suggested that having another person present might heighten the discomfort of the situation, and said that they were experienced enough to navigate such scenes without additional assistance.
Challengers is set to be released on April 26, 2024.
