Heather Graham brands new Hollywood sex scenes technique as ‘awkward’

Acting is a strange profession - there aren’t many jobs that require you to portray very emotionally or physically intimate moments with your colleagues.

This is where intimacy coordinators come into the picture. They’ve grown in popularity in recent years, ensuring to keep everyone on set comfortable while filming. They also help make sure the actors are portraying the scene in the best way they can.

Actress Heather Graham is reflecting on the shift intimacy coordinators have made in the industry after rising to fame at a time before the roles became so widespread.

Heather Graham in Boogie Nights (New Line Cinema)

“I think the MeToo movement was amazing [and] I think there is a very good intention behind intimacy coordinators. But it is odd when you come up without having them, and suddenly there’s this random person in the room just staring at you when you’re, like, pretending you have sex,” she told Us Weekly.

One of Graham’s most recognisable roles is Rollergirl, the naive adult entertainment actress in the 1997 film Boogie Nights in which Graham has several nude scenes.

Graham, 56, also starred in the erotic thriller Killing Me Softly and portrayed a former adult star in About Cherry.

On SAG-AFTRA’s website, they state that all union-made films must simulate sexual behavior under the purview of an intimacy coordinator, stating that 'at no time should a performer auditioning or working under a SAG-AFTRA contract engage in, or be asked to engage in, actual sex acts'.

Heather Graham at the premiere of They Will Kill You (Erika Goldring/WireImage)

Unlike the time when Graham filmed Boogie Nights, intimacy coordinators are now a fixture on many Hollywood sets to help choreograph sex scenes.

“I know that they have a beautiful intention, and they really want to help and protect actors,” says Graham. “But as the actor, sometimes I’m like, ‘Can you just get all these people out of the room?’”

Graham reflected on his awkwardness after filming a recent project when she realised she was more worried about the person overseeing the scene than the scene itself.

“I just did this other horror movie, and there was this adorable intimacy coordinator. She was in her 20s, super sweet. We were doing this scary scene, and I felt like I had to take care of her,” she shared.

“She’s like, ‘This is really disturbing.’ And I’m like, ‘I know, I’m sorry,’” she adds. “It’s kind of awkward.”

Graham also recounted a time when an intimacy coordinator ‘started directing’ her on ‘how to have sex in a scene’.

“They were like, ‘When you do this, you can do this.’ And I was like, ‘You’re not the director, OK? I’m not asking for notes on how to have sex in the scene. I just felt, like, ‘Shut up,’” she said.

However, Graham isn’t against the role. “It might be better if you’re younger and don’t know how to stand for yourself and speak up for yourself,” she said. “ “At this point, I feel like I’m strong enough. So I just don’t want a lot of extra people in the room.”