Jennifer Aniston, back in 2023, shared an “old-fashioned” perspective on intimate scenes.
Jennifer Aniston at the premiere of Murder Mystery 2 on March 28, 2023 in Los Angeles. (AP)
The FRIENDS star chose to forgo an intimacy coordinator while filming steamy scenes with Jon Hamm for the Apple TV+ series ‘The Morning Show.’ “They asked us if we wanted an intimacy coordinator. I’m from the olden days, so I was like, ‘What does that mean?’” she told Variety. Aniston donned the news anchor Alex Levy, while Hamm portrays business tycoon Paul Marks.
“They said, ‘Where someone asks you if you’re OK,’ and I’m like, ‘Please, this is awkward enough!’ We’re seasoned — we can figure this one out,” Aniston added.
“Jon was such a gentleman, always — I mean every move, every cut, ‘You OK?’” she shared. “It was also very choreographed. That’s the beauty of Mimi and our gorgeous editor, the music and lighting. So, you don’t prepare.”
Director Mimi Leder supported this perspective, recalling, “It was a closed set and two very grown-up actors who really understood the nature of the storytelling and were very much a part of it. We wanted it to be sensitive.”
“We wanted it to be sexy. We wanted it to be adult. We wanted it to be emotional. They really let go.”
Aniston’s remarks did not sit well with intimacy coordinators
“I hope someday my path crosses with hers and she’s open to hearing more about how an Intimacy Coordinator functions, and how best to utilize working with one as an actor, or director, or crew member, or writer, or producer,” Samantha J. McDonald, an Intimacy Directors & Coordinators certified coach, told Daily Mail in 2023.
“She may be able to help educate other actors around her who may need that extra support,” McDonald said. “We are still very much in education mode, and almost every week I am explaining to someone new what our job is and how we function for the cast, crew and production as a whole.”
Another intimacy Coordinator, Heather María Ács, pointed out that many seasoned Hollywood actors are still unfamiliar with the “workflow and practices” of intimacy coordination.
“It sounds like the actor, regardless of her experience, is not familiar with the role, practices or workflow of an IC, which is not atypical. Many people within and outside or the industry are still unfamiliar with the work of intimacy coordinators,” she told Daily Mail.
