Topics: Florence Pugh, Sex and Relationships, Celebrity, TV And Film, Entertainment, Podcasts
Florence Pugh has opened up on the reality of utilising intimacy coordinators on set - including the not-so great experiences actors can sometimes face.
The Thunderbolts star, 29, is no stranger to a raunchy scene, from that moment playing the housewife of Harry Styles' Jack in Don't Worry Darling to her more recent role as Almut in the movie We Live In Time alongside Andrew Garfield, where the duo got so into it they didn't hear the cameraman shout 'Cut!'
However, as we say, behind the scenes it isn't always the smooth moment we see on screen and as Pugh points out, sometimes these scenes can feel 'weird' and 'awkward' if you have a 'bad' coordinator.
For those not familiar, an intimacy coordinator is a professional who choreographs and oversees scenes with simulated sex and nudity.
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As defined by the Screen Actors Guild, the person is 'an advocate, a liaison between actors and production…in regard to nudity and simulated sex and other intimate and hyper-exposed scenes.'
They began being introduced around 2018 and are described by the Golden Globes as a 'relatively new but necessary element'.
Speaking on the Louis Theroux podcast on Wednesday (11 November), Pugh explained how when she first started out, intimacy coordinators didn't exist and she had plenty of experiences where the things she was asked to do were 'completely inappropriate'.
The actress explained: "I did a lot of my sex scenes before that was even a job. I’m quite confident, I’m quite happy in my skin, I’ve always been able to make sure that I’m heard.
"That being said, even though I know that I believe that, and even though I know that I felt that at the time, there are plenty of things that I remember where it was just completely inappropriate to have asked me to do that, to have directed me in that way."
The Oppenheimer star reasoned: “But my view is changing about it as well, because I'm now having fantastic experiences with intimacy coordinators. I’ve been able to understand better meaning now through working with great ones in sex scenes."
She then went on to describe a 'sh** example' that 'wasn't helpful,' without namedropping the movie or person.
Pugh recalled: "However, that being said, I've also had a s*** example where someone just made it so weird and so awkward and really wasn't helpful and kind of was just like wanting to be a part of the set in a way that wasn't helpful, and I think it's a job that's still figuring itself out."
She continued: "I will say that I've been able to understand better meaning through working with great ones in sex scenes, finding the story of what it is, what kind of sex is it, how do you touch each other, how long have you been having sex for? This all matters and I had never thought of it before as it is so awkward.
"Everybody's just kind of working away to chip away at the scene. And I think when I worked with a fantastic coordinator, I was like, oh this is what I've been missing, understanding the dance of intimacy as opposed to just shooting a sex scene.
"There are good ones and bad ones, and it's through the good ones that I have learned how effective it can really be."
