In 2018, when the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal made headlines and the #metoo movement emerged, Julia Effertz was at the Cannes Film Festival watching a panel discussion on coordinating intimacy.
“I was fascinated as an actor,” she says.
After Effertz’s experience shooting love scenes, directors relied on actors to fall back on their private lives and simply “get started,” which made her feel increasingly uncomfortable.
“When I’m playing in an intimate scene, I don’t want to feel vulnerable or for parts of my private life to come into play; it’s not me, it’s a character.”
Effertz was so fascinated by the talk that she trained first in London and then in California as an intimacy coordinator before ending up in her home country of Germany.
“I’ve started to spread the news in Germany. People said what are you talking about? That is ridiculous.
“I had doors slammed in my face.”
Now Effertz works in a completely different landscape and has coordinated for German productions on Amazon and Netflix, but what does the actor, author and now intimacy coordinator actually do?
Why are intimacy coordinators needed?
In August this year, actor Sean Bean aroused controversy when he said in an interview that intimacy coordinators spoil the “spontaneity” of on-set sex scenes.
“It would hinder me more because it draws attention to things,” Bean said.
“Someone says, ‘Do that, put your hands there while you touch their thing…
“I think the natural behavior of lovers would be ruined by someone reducing it straight down to a technical exercise.”
Bean was criticized by many fellow actors, including his co-star in “Snowpiercer” Lena Hall, who described Bean as “ready for anything” in the same interview due to her “cabaret background.” Hall is in fact a stage actress who has starred in “Kinky Boots” and “Hedwig.”
Bean’s claim that spontaneity is key is questioned by Effertz, who says that sex scenes should be as coordinated as a fight scene, with stunt choreography being something Bean from Lord of the Rings would be very familiar with.
“When it comes to violence, we always knew that we had to have someone who knew how to fake it for the camera, so we always have stunt coordinators, that’s a standard,” says Effertz.
“It’s fake blood, you can’t tell that the actor is breaking his nose or his leg — God forbid.
“For the sake of intimacy, it’s historically like we’re all adults here, you’ve got a private life, you know how to kiss, you know how this whole sex thing works, so just go for it and we’ll let the cameras run.”
That has all changed now.
Effertz is conducting a close operation on the project she is currently working on.
“80 to 90 percent is preparation,” she says.
Before arriving on set, Effertz has extensive discussions with directors to understand their creative vision, but also with actors to set their limits. She also works with other departments such as cloakroom to discuss methods for concealing nudity and goes through contracts to explore wording on nudity clauses.
“We’ve introduced a process that allows the actor to enthusiastically give approval,” she says.
What does an intimacy coordinator do?
Effertz says intimacy coordinators are stunt choreographers’ “cousins,” and agreeing on the technical details of a scene is important to ensure actors feel comfortable.
The choreography acts as an anchor, it tells the story and is repeatable. It ensures that actors know what story they’re telling, and as a bonus, there are fewer editing issues.
“You rehearse how the character behaves; touch, groan, react; that protects your private intimate self,” says Effertz.
“When you tell actors that they should just try and your co-star sticks his tongue in your mouth, do you think okay, is that the private person — the actor — or the character?
“You design intimacy and rehearse it like a fight. This process allows them to act very freely.”
Another important element of Effertz’s role is ensuring that actors are not exploited or otherwise feel pressured to live up to expectations due to an inherent imbalance of power on set.
In interviews, many young actors have said that they either regretted it or would have done things differently if they had set their mind off in their early career. Kate Winslet said in an interview that she only went as far as in her famous nude scene in ‘Titanic’ because she “had things to prove.” Meanwhile, Downton Abbey actress Jessica Brown-Findlay said that she believed a scene in ‘Albatross’ where she showed that her breasts were being shot from behind and that at this stage in her career she didn’t know “what she could say no to.”
Just last year British actor and director Noel Clarke was accused of pressuring an actress to appear topless in a sex scene, a claim he denies.
“I’ve had so many conversations where an actor or actress says to me: ‘Well Julia, I’m not a prude, but… ‘” says Effertz.
“It shows me that there is a pattern and a systemic problem and that the actor is under pressure to be ready for anything.”
How often are intimacy coordinators used?
During Effertz’s career, the conversation of “Why do I need an intimacy coordinator? “moved to ‘How do I find one?
After a slow start in their home country, intimacy coordinators became more sought after the high-profile law enforcement of Harvey Weinstein.
“I thought it was likely that I would never work on a German set,” she says.
“Radio stations finally contacted me when the Weinstein process began. They were looking for someone who could comment on this.
“A young director heard me on the radio and contacted me, that was my first professional appearance.”
But while the position has become standardized in the Anglicized world (the BBC has made it mandatory), there is still a long way to go.
“You can see that this is becoming an issue in Germany, but whether I am welcomed with open arms is another story.
“I’ve turned down projects where it’s clear that the director or company wants to tick a box.”
Despite a few horror stories on set, Effertz also had positive experiences with great directors and producers who were willing to take their role seriously. In the future, she hopes that intimacy coordinators will become the gold standard for every stage, film and television production and that this will not only increase safety but also quality.
“I want better sex scenes, I want to see better intimate scenes.
“The more I do this job, the more I am aware that human intimacy is such a diverse and complex part of our ability to express ourselves.
“I see too many clichés, too many scenes that haven’t been worked on properly, and that’s a missed storytelling opportunity.”
In 2018, when the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal made headlines and the #metoo movement emerged, Julia Effertz was at the Cannes Film Festival watching a panel discussion on coordinating intimacy.
“I was fascinated as an actor,” she says.
After Effertz’s experience shooting love scenes, directors relied on actors to fall back on their private lives and simply “get started,” which made her feel increasingly uncomfortable.
“When I’m playing in an intimate scene, I don’t want to feel vulnerable or for parts of my private life to come into play; it’s not me, it’s a character.”
Effertz was so fascinated by the talk that she trained first in London and then in California as an intimacy coordinator before ending up in her home country of Germany.
“I’ve started to spread the news in Germany. People said what are you talking about? That is ridiculous.
“I had doors slammed in my face.”
Now Effertz works in a completely different landscape and has coordinated for German productions on Amazon and Netflix, but what does the actor, author and now intimacy coordinator actually do?
Why are intimacy coordinators needed?
In August this year, actor Sean Bean aroused controversy when he said in an interview that intimacy coordinators spoil the “spontaneity” of on-set sex scenes.
“It would hinder me more because it draws attention to things,” Bean said.
“Someone says, ‘Do that, put your hands there while you touch their thing…
“I think the natural behavior of lovers would be ruined by someone reducing it straight down to a technical exercise.”
Bean was criticized by many fellow actors, including his co-star in “Snowpiercer” Lena Hall, who described Bean as “ready for anything” in the same interview due to her “cabaret background.” Hall is in fact a stage actress who has starred in “Kinky Boots” and “Hedwig.”
Bean’s claim that spontaneity is key is questioned by Effertz, who says that sex scenes should be as coordinated as a fight scene, with stunt choreography being something Bean from Lord of the Rings would be very familiar with.
“When it comes to violence, we always knew that we had to have someone who knew how to fake it for the camera, so we always have stunt coordinators, that’s a standard,” says Effertz.
“It’s fake blood, you can’t tell that the actor is breaking his nose or his leg — God forbid.
“For the sake of intimacy, it’s historically like we’re all adults here, you’ve got a private life, you know how to kiss, you know how this whole sex thing works, so just go for it and we’ll let the cameras run.”
That has all changed now.
Effertz is conducting a close operation on the project she is currently working on.
“80 to 90 percent is preparation,” she says.
Before arriving on set, Effertz has extensive discussions with directors to understand their creative vision, but also with actors to set their limits. She also works with other departments such as cloakroom to discuss methods for concealing nudity and goes through contracts to explore wording on nudity clauses.
“We’ve introduced a process that allows the actor to enthusiastically give approval,” she says.
What does an intimacy coordinator do?
Effertz says intimacy coordinators are stunt choreographers’ “cousins,” and agreeing on the technical details of a scene is important to ensure actors feel comfortable.
The choreography acts as an anchor, it tells the story and is repeatable. It ensures that actors know what story they’re telling, and as a bonus, there are fewer editing issues.
“You rehearse how the character behaves; touch, groan, react; that protects your private intimate self,” says Effertz.
“When you tell actors that they should just try and your co-star sticks his tongue in your mouth, do you think okay, is that the private person — the actor — or the character?
“You design intimacy and rehearse it like a fight. This process allows them to act very freely.”
Another important element of Effertz’s role is ensuring that actors are not exploited or otherwise feel pressured to live up to expectations due to an inherent imbalance of power on set.
In interviews, many young actors have said that they either regretted it or would have done things differently if they had set their mind off in their early career. Kate Winslet said in an interview that she only went as far as in her famous nude scene in ‘Titanic’ because she “had things to prove.” Meanwhile, Downton Abbey actress Jessica Brown-Findlay said that she believed a scene in ‘Albatross’ where she showed that her breasts were being shot from behind and that at this stage in her career she didn’t know “what she could say no to.”
Just last year British actor and director Noel Clarke was accused of pressuring an actress to appear topless in a sex scene, a claim he denies.
„Ich hatte so viele Gespräche, in denen ein Schauspieler oder eine Schauspielerin zu mir sagt: ‘Nun, Julia, ich bin nicht prüde, aber… ‘“, sagt Effertz.
“It shows me that there is a pattern and a systemic problem and that the actor is under pressure to be ready for anything.”
How often are intimacy coordinators used?
Während Effertz’ Karriere hat sich das Gespräch von „Warum brauche ich einen Intimitätskoordinator?“ verschoben zu ‘wie finde ich einen? ‘
After a slow start in their home country, intimacy coordinators became more sought after the high-profile law enforcement of Harvey Weinstein.
“I thought it was likely that I would never work on a German set,” she says.
“Radio stations finally contacted me when the Weinstein process began. They were looking for someone who could comment on this.
“A young director heard me on the radio and contacted me, that was my first professional appearance.”
But while the position has become standardized in the Anglicized world (the BBC has made it mandatory), there is still a long way to go.
“You can see that this is becoming an issue in Germany, but whether I am welcomed with open arms is another story.
“I’ve turned down projects where it’s clear that the director or company wants to tick a box.”
Despite a few horror stories on set, Effertz also had positive experiences with great directors and producers who were willing to take their role seriously. In the future, she hopes that intimacy coordinators will become the gold standard for every stage, film and television production and that this will not only increase safety but also quality.
„Ich möchte bessere Sexszenen, ich möchte bessere intime Szenen sehen.
“The more I do this job, the more I am aware that human intimacy is such a diverse and complex part of our ability to express ourselves.
“I see too many clichés, too many scenes that haven’t been worked on properly, and that’s a missed storytelling opportunity.”