Topics: Celebrity, Film and TV, Jennifer Aniston, Sex and Relationships
Intimacy co-ordinators have urged Jennifer Aniston to be 'open' to the idea after she declined help in a saucy scene.
The job of 'intimacy co-ordinator' was created to ensure that performers feel comfortable while carrying scenes which involve sex or nudity.
Acting must be a very strange job. You can meet a colleague for the first time and then end up having to simulate sex together in front of an audience after barely getting to know each other.
Advert
Having an intimacy co-ordinator is a good way to make sure that everyone's boundaries are respected while such scenes are being shot, and raising any concerns.
Aniston raised eyebrows when she revealed she declined to use an intimacy co-ordinator during a scene with her co-star, Jon Hamm, in the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show.
In an interview with Variety, she said: "They asked us if we wanted an intimacy coordinator. I'm from the olden days, so I was like, 'What does that mean?'
"They said, 'Where someone asks you if you're OK,' and I'm like, 'Please, this is awkward enough! We're seasoned - we can figure this one out'."
Now intimacy co-ordinators have urged the star to reconsider this the next time she is filming such a scene.
Samantha J McDonald, an Intimacy Directors and Coordinators certified coach, told The Daily Mail: "I hope someday my path crosses with hers and she’s open to hearing more about how an Intimacy Coordinator functions, and how best to utilize working with one as an actor, or director, or crew member, or writer, or producer."
She added: "Should that conversation ever happen with me or another IC, she still may very well decide she’s comfortable without one, and she is entitled to that decision.
"But with that knowledge, she may be able to help educate other actors around her who may need that extra support, and hopefully advocate for the position of Intimacy Coordinator in the future."
McDonald added that she thought the simplistic explanation may have been a factor.
She said: "Not everyone has the experience of working with an IC and not everyone knows how expansive and intricate this job can be.
"We are still very much in education mode, and almost every week I am explaining to someone new what our job is and how we function for the cast, crew and production as a whole."
While Intimacy Coordinator Heather María Ács added: "It sounds like the actor, regardless of her experience, is not familiar with the role, practices or workflow of an IC, which is not atypical.
"Many people within and outside or the industry are still unfamiliar with the work of intimacy coordinators."
But McDonald was still very clear that it's perfectly okay to decline using an intimacy co-ordinator if you want, saying: "Jennifer has the right to make whatever decision she feels is right for her."
