By and large, the implementation of intimacy coordinators on movie and TV sets has been a net positive for the industry, even if some actors are critical about their effect on performances. That BTS position is basically a built-in necessity for just about any new TV show hitting HBO’s schedule, and the Rachel Sennott-created comedy I Love LA proves it’s no exception with its very first “sex during an earthquake” scene between Sennott and on-screen boyfriend played by Josh Hutcherson.
More On Intimacy Coordinators
As an outspoken and shameless creative, Sennott takes no issue with her own on-screen nudity, and she imbues her character Maia with a lot of the same tendencies, which can lead to interesting conversations with I Love LA’s intimacy coordinator, even if the convos may not be entirely different each time. The Bottoms writer and star appeared on the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend and addressed how her on-set job is largely split between producer/showrunner duties and acting duties, which is where the intimacy conversations get questionable.
Addressing a particular day of shooting involving multiple sex scenes and at least one emotional breakdown for her character, Sennott said:
There was a day where I had multiple sex scenes. Which, by the way, oh my god, this was so funny. With all the sex stuff, I wrote or was in the room for writing. And I think for me, sex and stuff, if you’re gonna show it in a show or a movie, it should be funny [and] it should tell you something about the relationship. Because if I look at my relationships, I can immediately tell where we are based off of how the sex is. I want all of the sex to feel like it’s in the show for a reason, basically.
As she and O’Brien’s crew discussed, that first sex scene was meant to signify that Maia and Dylan have been in their relationship long enough that she felt comfortable asking him to hold off on seeking safety during a natural disaster because she was so close to orgasm. Not something one does on a first date, at least hopefully.
In any case, the point is that Sennott purposefully peppered the show with overtly alluring and salacious moments, which the intimacy coordinator made a point to talk to her about. As Sennott put it:
We of course had an intimacy coordinator, but I would have a conversation with her as the showrunner and be like, ‘We want to hear what the actors are comfortable with. Ideally this scene accomplishes this sort of feeling. Or we’d like to shoot it this way.’ Whatever. And then she would call up the actors. So I would have the conversation with her as the showrunner and she would be like, ‘Totally.’ But then she calls me like 30 minutes later and is like, ‘This is what they’re thinking.’ I’m like, ‘I just talked to you, love.’
Hilariously enough, despite the crew member stuck to her professional guns and handled the situation as she would any other, despite the fact that she and Sennott had already discussed all the necessary precautions and other concerns. To the point where Sennott says she was even asked if she actually wanted to go through with filming an oral sex scene, among others. As the actress put it:
She’s like, ‘You tell me what you feel comfortable with. In the script, you’re giving a blow job. Do we even wanna go there?’ I’m like, ‘I wrote that. What?’ She was like, ‘I know, but are we gonna do that?’ And I was like, ‘Yessss? Yes.’ So that was so funny and sort of bizarre, going at that from two angles.
To be sure, props to the intimacy coordinator for making damned sure everything that went on during I Love LA was completely above board and agreed to by all involved, even if it resulted in some redundant conversations. Michelle Williams shared that working with one actually taught her how to give better oral sex, so that’s worth having the same talk twice, I’d think. At least for somebody.
I Love LA airs Sunday nights on HBO (and via HBO Max subscription) at 10:30 p.m. ET.