“I’m sure there were people that overstepped”: Michael Douglas is No Fan of Intimacy Coordinators on Set Despite Acknowledging Actors Who Took Advantage of Their Female Co-Stars
Michael Douglas has brought back the discussion about intimacy coordinators in Hollywood. These experts help in planning intimate scenes in movies to make sure actors feel safe and comfortable. The 79-year-old Douglas admitted there have been problems with how these scenes were handled in the past, but he’s not fully sold on the idea of intimacy coordinators.
He’s worried they might limit the freedom of filmmakers to create the scenes they want. He sees them as another way for Hollywood bosses to restrict filmmakers. The actor also stated that he’s too old to stress about filming intimate scenes now. However, he did say that the way these scenes are managed has changed a lot over his years in Hollywood.
Michael Douglas Questions Intimacy Coordinators’ Role on Set
Michael Douglas, famous for his roles in movies like Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction, believes actors should handle boundaries during intimate scenes. He is the actor who has himself been labeled as “womanizer” (via The Independant).
Now, the New Brunswick native stresses the need for clear communication and states it’s the male actor’s job to make sure the female co-star feels comfortable. He told Radio Times (via Telegraph):
“I’m sure there were people that overstepped their boundaries, but before, we seemed to take care of that ourselves. They would get a reputation and that would take care of them. But I talked to the ladies, [because] I did a few of those s*x movies — s*xual movies — and we joke about it now, what it would have been like to have an intimacy coordinator working with us…”
Douglas is concerned about losing control, but there are other actors like Kate Winslet who think that setting clear rules can actually improve scenes. And it’s only possible with having intimacy coordinators on set.
Intimacy Coordinators’ Role in Actors’ Safety vs. Creative Freedom
The #MeToo movement shed light on a widespread problem of abuse in Hollywood. Actresses like Kate Winslet have shared their experiences of feeling pressured into n*de scenes or uncomfortable intimacy on set. She said in an interview with The New York Times:
“I would have benefited from an intimacy coordinator every single time I had to do a love scene or be partially naked or even a kissing scene. It would have been nice to have had someone in my corner, because I always had to stand up for myself.”
Intimacy coordinators help solve these problems. They give actors a safe place to talk about what they’re comfortable with. They also make sure scenes are filmed with everyone’s agreement and planned carefully to avoid any uncomfortable situations or misconduct.
The talk about intimacy coordinators is all about finding a middle ground between protecting actors and letting filmmakers be creative. The main idea is to make sure actors feel safe and confident so they can give their best performances.
