‘New Levels of Explicitness’ Intimacy Coordinator On Heated Rivalry’s Steamy Scenes

The film industry is always changing, and during recent years a new crew member has joined the chat: intimacy coordinators. Those position is a person who is specifically there to ensure that actors feel protected and comfortable during love scenes, which is extremely vulnerable work. Many feel intimacy coordinators to be essential, and one person with experience in this position recently spoke to CinemaBlend about shows like Heated Rivalry and Bridgerton showing steamy love scenes.

There's been a ton of discourse about this position recently, with some naysayers out there doubting the importance of intimacy coordinators. I recently had the chance to speak with Laura Desiree, who is an intimacy coordinator and the creative director of the exclusive erotic theater SNCTM. I asked her thoughts about shows like Heated Rivalry and Bridgerton, which went viral thanks to their sex scenes. She told me:

Points were made. While love scenes are nothing new in Hollywood, they are getting both more steamy and more realistic in recent years. Desiree seems pleased at this new version of simulated sex onstage, which includes some of the less sexy and polished moments that often come with intimacy.

Not all intimacy coordinators are made the same, and actors have been real about some being helpful, while others made things overly complicated. I asked Laura Desiree what makes someone good at this newly created job, and she told me:

This definitely makes sense, given just how delicate actors might feel about simulating the act of sex on screen... and in front of a crew of people. For instance, Heated Rivalry's intimacy coordinator made sure actors could take breaks, whether it be to use the bathroom or because they've accidentally become aroused. After all, the body can sometimes respond in a way that stands in juxtaposition with what actors might actually be feeling. As Desiree put it, allowing actors to set boundaries is just as important as helping to choreograph love scenes.

While Heated Rivalry's sex scenes were the subject of some backlash, they're a big reason why audiences were hooked on the book to screen adaptation early in the season. Eventually Ilya and Shane's love story took center stage rather than their sexual relationship, but they still helped to make the series go viral.

Both Heated Rivalry and Bridgerton are streaming in their entirety on HBO Max and Netflix respectively. As for Laura Desiree, she continues to work at SNCTM, which has membership fees ranging from $15,000 - $125,000 and attracts an elite clientele.