Sean Bean has been criticised by female stars over his comments about sex scenes, having argued that intimacy co-ordinators could ‘spoil the spontaneity’.
In a recent interview with The Times, Bean had said the use of such intimacy consultants – which are being increasingly used by the industry in the wake of the #MeToo movement – might slow down ‘the thrust of it’, later correcting himself.
“That’s the wrong word," he said, before continuing: “It would inhibit me more because it’s drawing attention to things. Somebody saying, ‘Do this, put your hand there, while you touch his thing...’
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“I think the natural way lovers behave would be ruined by someone bringing it right down to a technical exercise.”
Bean also referred to an intimate scene with Lena Hall in Netflix series Snowpiercer, describing the sequence as ‘quite surreal, dream-like and abstract. And mango-esque'.
A number of female stars have since responded to his comments – including co-star Hall, who started a Twitter thread about the issue, saying intimacy co-ordinators were a ‘welcome addition to the set’ and can ‘help with the trauma experienced in other scenes’.
“Sometimes you need 'em, sometimes you don't, but every single person and scene and experience is different,” Hall wrote.
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Saying Bean was an ‘awesome actor’ and made her feel comfortable, she also clarified details about the scene they filmed together, saying: “The infamous mango scene wasn't a naked scene. I was 'naked' (but not really naked) in the bathtub/suicide scene (which I guess is in that same moment) but Sean Bean was in the bathtub fully clothed in a tuxedo.”
Others, meanwhile, were more critical, with actor and presenter Jameela Jamil referencing Bean’s point about intimacy co-ordinators reducing sex scenes to ‘technical exercises'.
“It should only be technical," she said.
"It’s like a stunt. Our job as actors is to make it not look technical.
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"Nobody wants an impromptu grope...”
Meanwhile, West Side Story star Rachel Zegler shared an article on Bean's comments, urging people to ‘wake up’.
Zegler, who filmed intimate scenes with 25-year-old Ansel Elgort when she was just 17, tweeted: “Intimacy coordinators establish an environment of safety for actors. I was extremely grateful for the one we had on WSS – they showed grace to a newcomer like myself + educated those around me who’ve had years of experience.”
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She added: “Spontaneity in intimate scenes can be unsafe.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivor’s Trust for free on 08088 010 818, or through their website thesurvivorstrust.org
Topics: Celebrity
Jess Hardiman