Emma Thompson Says Intimacy Coordinators Are 'Fantastically Important' In Response To Sean Bean

After Sean Bean said that intimacy coordinators "spoil the spontaneity" of sex scenes, British actor Emma Thompson defended their use on movie and television sets. A number of actresses, notably Rachel Zegler from West Side Story, have criticised Bean's remarks. Intimacy coordinators, who plan intimate moments, are becoming common these days.

Conversing with Fitzy & Wippa on Australian radio station Nova, Dame Emma said they were "fantastically important." She said many entertainers would acquiesce. "You might find that people go, 'It made me feel comfortable, it made me feel safe, it made me feel as though I was able to do this work.'"

Emma Thompson defends Intimacy Coordinators

The English actor, who most recently portrayed a widow looking for sexual fulfilment in the film Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, said that intimacy specialists were the most incredible additions to sets. "And no, you can't just let it flow," she voiced. "There's a camera there and a crew. You're not on your own in a hotel room, you're surrounded by a bunch of blokes, mostly. So it's not a comfortable situation full stop."

Bean admitted last week that he had misgivings about the new method of working to The Times. "It would inhibit me more because it's drawing attention to things. Somebody said: 'Do this, put your hands there, while you touch his thing.'

He claimed that reducing love to a technological exercise would damage the way that couples interact naturally. The 63-year-old Game of Thrones actor also contrasted contemporary techniques with those used when he and Joely Richardson filmed the 1993 television rendition of Lady Chatterley's Lover.

In response, Zegler stated on Twitter that spontaneity in intimate situations "may be risky" and that intimacy coordinators "create a climate of safety for actors." She claimed that the person who collaborated with her on Steven Spielberg's most recent West Side Story remake treated a novice like herself with elegance and educated those around her who had more experience.

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Jameela Jamil, star of The Good Place, delivered: "It should only be technical. It's like a stunt. Our job as actors is to make it not look technical. Nobody wants an impromptu grope." In the same interview, Bean expressed his regret at seeing a scene with Snowpiercer co-star Lena Hall get "censored" when it was removed from the final edit, noting that she "had a musical cabaret background, so she was up for anything."