Celebrities Slam Sean Bean for Saying Intimacy Coordinators Ruin “Spontaneity”: “Nobody Wants an Impromptu Grope”

Not long after Game of Thrones star Sean Bean fired shots at intimacy coordinators, claiming they “spoil the spontaneity” of filming sex scenes, fellow show-biz peers, including his Snowpiercer co-star, Lena Hall, took to Twitter to dispute the actor’s perspective.

During an interview with U.K’s Times Magazine, Bean discussed a nude scene he filmed with Hall, claiming “they cut a bit out,” adding that “often the best work you do, where you’re trying to push the boundaries, and the very nature of it is experimental, gets censored when TV companies or the advertisers say it’s so much,” per Variety.

However, when the interviewer pointed out that intimacy coordinators can help actors, especially post-#MeToo, he said, “I suppose it depends on the actress. [Hall] had a musical cabaret background, so she was up for anything.”

Hall took to Twitter to clear the air about some things regarding their scene, saying that while she was “naked,” she wasn’t actually naked, and that Bean was in the bathtub wearing a tuxedo.

“Just because I am in theater (not cabaret, but I do perform them every once in a while) does not mean that I am up for anything,” Hall said. “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 actress clarified that Bean is an “awesome actor” who made her “feel not only comfortable” but like she had “a true acting partner in those bizarre scenes,” adding that if she feels comfortable with her scene partner and with others in the room then she won’t need an intimacy coordinator. However, if there is any part of her that feels “weird, gross, [or] overexposed,” she would want one.

“I feel that when an actor has to do a scene that is extremely emotional (like committing suicide or being raped) there needs to be some kind of mental health person available to talk to post shoot,” Hall said. “Even though we are only acting we are still experiencing trauma.”

She continued, “I do feel that intimacy coordinators are a welcome addition to the set and think they could also help with the trauma experienced in other scenes. Sometimes you need em sometimes you don’t but every single person and scene and experience is different.”

Other celebs like West Side Story breakout actress Rachel Zegler slammed Bean for his comments.

“Intimacy coordinators establish an environment of safety for actors,” Zegler began. “I was extremely grateful for the one we had on WSS — they showed grace to a newcomer like myself + educated those around me who’ve had years of experience. Spontaneity in intimate scenes can be unsafe. Wake up.”

Comedian Jameela Jamil took to the comments section to voice her opinion saying, “It should only be technical. It’s like a stunt. Our job as actors is to make it not look technical. Nobody wants an impromptu grope…”

Women who work behind the camera also came to the defense of intimacy coordinators, including Girls showrunner Jenni Konner, who sarcastically wrote, “I think we should do all dance sequences from now on without a choreographer. No way that goes wrong.”