Lena Hall Responds to Sean Bean's Controversial Take on Intimacy Coordinators

You may recognize Sean Bean from his iconic roles as Ned Stark in Game of Thrones or his early internet meme inspired by a quote from his Lord of the Rings character. Today, the actor’s face is all over Twitter, not as a meme, but as a result of some recent controversial comments.

In his interview with British publication The Times, Bean said that intimacy coordinators, whose job is to choreograph sex and other intimate scenes in order to ensure the safety and comfort of the actors involved, “spoil the spontaneity” of sex scenes.

Bean explained, “I think the natural way lovers behave would be ruined by someone bringing it right down to a technical exercise.”

The actor also referenced his experiences on the show Snowpiercer with co-star Lena Hall: “I suppose it depends on the actress,” Bean said. “[Lena Hall] had a musical cabaret background, so she was up for anything.”

Hall responded to a Variety article about the actor’s comments with a Twitter thread. The actress clarified that her background does not mean she is down for anything, expressed that she is pro-having intimacy coordinators on set, and said that her experience with Bean on the show was a positive and respectful one.

Actress Jameela Jamil also responded on Twitter to the Variety article, saying that, “[A sex scene] 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...”

West Side Story actress Rachel Zegler also chimed in, saying that she was “extremely grateful” for intimacy coordinators on the set of the Spielberg musical, especially as a new actress. “Spontaneity in intimate scenes can be unsafe,” Zegler said in a tweet.

As a Variety article covering the actor’s comments says, these coordinators “have become increasingly prevalent in film and television following the advent of the #MeToo movement,” and serve a similar purpose to stunt coordinators, whose need on set is not questioned, something actor Rahul Kohli also pointed out.

Kohli urged young actors not to do anything they are uncomfortable with. “Being committed & giving your all to a job is [admirable], but not at the expense of your mental health,” the Midnight Mass actor said in a tweet. “Create boundaries.”

Amanda Seyfried recently opened up to PORTER about her own experience as a young actress afraid to speak up in uncomfortable positions. She said that, though she made it out of the era before the #MeToo Movement “pretty unscathed,” she wishes, in some ways, that she was a rising actress now that intimacy coordinators are more common on sets.

“Being 19, walking around without my underwear on — like, are you kidding me? How did I let that happen?” the Mamma Mia! actress said. “Oh, I know why: I was 19 and I didn’t want to upset anybody, and I wanted to keep my job. That’s why.”

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