[2] While intimacy coordinators already existed in the realm of live theater, demand for their role gained significant traction within Hollywood and television and streaming platforms after the 2017 Weinstein scandal and the subsequent rise of the #MeToo movement.
[3] They pointed out the imbalanced power dynamics often seen in productions, which could leave actors—particularly young and inexperienced ones—feeling too powerless to speak up if directors, staff members or other actors disregarded their consent or previous agreements regarding intimate scenes.
In 2017, the London talent agency Carey Dodd Associates fronted a campaign for an industry standard in handling scenes of intimacy using guidelines developed by Ita O'Brien.
[8] During HBO's filming of Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke often spoke of feeling like she was too inexperienced of an actress to fight the nudity requirements on the show.
[6][3] Actor Emily Carey, who played young Alicent Hightower in the series, recalled how nervous they were to film an intimate scene with Paddy Considine during production.
[12] Scenes involving simulated sex and/or kissing, power dynamics, suggestive movements, and sexual trauma among other things would be instances where an intimacy coordinator would be necessary during filming.
[21] Furthermore, intimacy coordinator Amanda Blumenthal states that this is a definition that Showtime uses and that anything that would typically be underneath a bathing suit and is shown on-screen requires a nudity rider.
Actor Sean Bean in an interview with Variety criticized the practice stating "I think the natural way lovers behave would be ruined by someone bringing it right down to a technical exercise.
"[24] French film director and screen writer Mia Hansen-Løve has also spoken against the use of intimacy coordinators, calling them "some kind of virtue police.
Series co-creator and director Katja Blichfeld spoke in support of the profession, noting it was "a relief to be able to turn to a person for these moments that, in the past, we've had to navigate to our best ability.