- Russell T Davies criticised actors who question the importance of intimacy coordinators on film sets.
- He said such comments come from a place of “power and privilege.”
- This came after Gwyneth Paltrow admitted she felt uncomfortable with the detailed choreography during intimate scene
Hollywood's debate over intimacy coordinators is getting messier. Now, Russell T Davies has entered the scene with some explosive remarks. The acclaimed Welsh screenwriter and producer criticised actors who question the importance of intimacy coordinators on film sets, saying such comments come from a place of “power and privilege.”
His reaction came after veteran actress Gwyneth Paltrow recently admitted she felt uncomfortable with the detailed choreography involved while filming intimate scenes with Timothée Chalamet in the upcoming sports drama Marty Supreme.
Insiders close to Davies reveal that she believes stars like Paltrow fail to understand how important intimacy coordinators can be for actors who are still trying to establish themselves in the industry.
“Stars like Gwyneth are speaking from a position of enormous power, while actors with less status often rely on intimacy coordinators to feel safe and protected,” Radar Online stated.
Speaking about the growing criticism against intimacy coordinators, Davies said, “There's been a rash recently of very famous actors saying you don't need intimacy coordinators,” as quoted by the Mirror.
Name-checking Paltrow, he added, “They are disgraceful human beings. They have so much power and so much privilege and they have no idea what it is like to be a jobbing actor with no power on a set. Shame on them.”
Gwyneth Paltrow's View
The role of intimacy coordinators became more prominent after the #MeToo movement exposed several cases of abuse, misconduct and forceful actions within Hollywood. Their job is to ensure actors feel safe and comfortable while filming intimate scenes.
But Paltrow, who belongs to an older generation of actors, shared a different perspective during her interview with Vanity Fair. Recalling the filming process for Marty Supreme with the younger actor, she said, “I was like, ‘Girl, I'm from the era where you get n***d, you get in bed, the camera's on.”
The actress further revealed that she and Chalamet eventually told the coordinator, “I think we're good. You can step a little bit back.”
Kim Basinger supports Gwyneth Paltrow's statements
Paltrow is not alone in her opinion. Veteran Hollywood actress Kim Basinger also questioned the increasing dependence on intimacy coordinators. During an interview with Variety, she said, “I can't imagine having somebody come up to me and say, ‘Do you mind if they put their hand here?'”
She added that too much supervision by the coordinators can sometimes affect the spontaneity of intimate scenes.
