Toni Collette says she ‘asked sex-scene co-ordinators to leave’ movie set

Intimacy co-ordinators are people hired by productions to ensure the wellbeing and consent of actors filming sex scenes, and are now commonplace on TV and film sets.

The Hereditarystar, whose latest project The Poweris released later this month, claimed that the presence of intimacy co-ordinators on set had made her “anxious”.

“I think it’s only been a couple of times where they’ve been brought in, and I have very much trusted and felt at ease with the people I was working with,” Collette said, in an interview with The Times.

“It just felt like those people who were brought in to make me feel more at ease were actually making me feel more anxious. They weren’t helping, so I asked them to leave.”

With intimacy co-ordinators still a relatively new role on set, Collette was asked whether she would have appreciated their presence earlier in her career.

“It depends,” she responded. “Look, every job is different. Every single job is different. Because it’s a bunch of new people it’s a new energy; everyone brings their whole life with them, and it’s all thrown in the pot. You never know what you’re going to get and it’s a miracle that a film ever comes together, let alone thrives.

“I’ve been very fortunate in that I’ve only worked with a few arseholes over the several decades that I’ve managed to keep this boat afloat.”

In recent months, a number of other high-profile actors have voiced their opinions on intimacy co-ordinators.

Ian McKellen claimed that coordinators ruined the “purity” on set. Emma Thompson, however, has described them as “absolutely essential”.