Sean Bean Says Intimacy Coordinators ‘Spoil’ Sex Scenes – And Actresses Aren’t Happy

Sean Bean, AKA Ned Stark on Game Of Thrones, revealed that he’s not a fan of intimacy coordinators.

The actor argued that having coordinators around makes things feel more mechanical than emotional. “It would inhibit me more because it’s drawing attention to things,” he told The Times of London. “Somebody saying, ‘Do this, put your hands there, which you touch his thing… I think the natural way lovers behave would be ruined by someone bringing it right down to a technical exercise.”

Bean also recounted a positive experience filming a Snowpiercer intimate scene with his costar, Lena Hall. “This one had a musical cabaret background, so she was up for anything,” the English actor claimed.

Bean is (unsurprisingly) already receiving backlash for his comments.

Hall responded to her costar’s theories about her on Twitter. “Just because I am in theater… does not mean I am ‘up for anything,'” she wrote. “Seriously does depend on the other actor, the scene we are about to do, the director and whatever crew has to be in there to film it.”

The Becks actress added that if “any part” her is feeling at all weird, she will “challenge the necessity of the scene or want an IC.”

Many actresses welcome the structure and safety that intimacy coordinators bring to set. West Side Story star Rachel Zegler tweeted, “Intimacy coordinators establish an environment of safety for actors. I was extremely grateful for the one we had on WSS – they showed grace to a newcomer like myself + educated this around me who’ve had years of experience.”

She added, “Spontaneity in sex scenes can be unsafe. Wake up.”

The Good Place actress Jameela Jamil also had thoughts on the matter. “It should only be technical,” she argued. “It’s like a stunt. Our job as actors it to make it not look technical. Nobody wants an impromptu grope…”

Back in the 2018 “Me Too” era, HBO introduced the use of intimacy coordinators as standard practice in order to avoid sexual harassment on set. It seems like that practice is likely to stay in place for the time being, regardless of Bean’s thoughts.