Earlier this month, the intimacy coordinator for Miller’s Girl, a 2024 thriller starring Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman, defended the film’s sex scenes. “There was many, many people throughout this process, engaging with [Jenna] to make sure that it was consistent with what she was comfortable with, and she was very determined and very sure of what she wanted to do,” Kristina Arjona explained. “Part of my job too is supporting her decisions. I adapt to whatever is the comfort level of my actors, especially on a production like this where there is a large age gap between the actors.”
Following Arjona’s comments and the subsequent discussion around them, SAG-AFTRA has updated its rules around what intimacy coordinators are allowed to share about the sex scenes they work on.
Deadline reports that the actors guild has “tightened up its Standards and Protocols for the use of Intimacy Coordinators – especially when it comes to confidentiality. As a part of the stricter measures, any intimacy coordinator who does not adhere to the required standards could potentially be removed from SAG-AFTRA’s registry after an investigation by the Guild.”
“Intimacy coordinators should maintain the confidentiality of an actor’s work and experience in performing highly sensitive scenes unless they have the actor’s permission to publicly share this information,” the Guild rep added in language mirroring the new edition to the S&P requirements. “The public release of details about an actor’s scene work or confidences entrusted to the intimacy coordinator without the performer’s consent is unacceptable.”
One of the few exceptions for an intimacy coordinator to speak out is if law enforcement is involved or if they receive permission from the actors, which Arjona, who reportedly signed an NDA, did not.
(Via Deadline)
