U.S. actors' union issues standards for intimacy co-ordinators

The American union that represents actors and television performers issued a series of standards and guidelines Wednesday for crew members who supervise scenes involving sex and nudity. The goal is to combat on-set sexual harassment.

The framework announced by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists provides a common set of policies and practices for so-called "intimacy co-ordinators" to help productions and actors navigate sexually sensitive scenes.

Under the guidelines, intimacy co-ordinators should have pre-production meetings with producers, directors and writers to establish the exact degrees of nudity expected and the specifics of simulated sex as established in scripts. As well, one-on-one meetings with actors to be clear about what they're consenting to are also recommended.

"These protocols and guidelines will help to normalize and encourage the use of intimacy co-ordinators in productions, therefore ensuring the safety and security of SAG-AFTRA members while they work," union president Gabrielle Carteris said in a statement.

WATCH: What does an intimacy co-ordinator do? Lindsay Somers explains.

'A lot of prep work:' Lindsay Somers describes intimacy co-ordination

5 years ago

Duration 1:07

Toronto-based intimacy co-ordinator Lindsay Somers details how she works with directors, producers and actors on creating intimate scenes for film and television.

The guidelines say that on set, intimacy co-ordinators should review the so-called "modesty garments" and physical barriers used during simulations of onscreen sex, and be familiar with ways to help directors choreograph the scenes in ways that can keep them believable and artistic without sacrificing the dignity or safety of performers.

The guidelines, drawn up by a team of leaders from the union, actors and intimacy co-ordinators, directly address the problem of sexual harassment on sets, said David White, the union's national executive director.

Deviations from the standards do not carry enforcement penalties.

Amanda Blumenthal, founder of the Intimacy Professionals Association, helped create the guidelines and said in a statement that they "strike the right balance between describing the roles and responsibilities of intimacy co-ordinators while still allowing for flexibility from show-to-show."

The move is the latest of several made by SAG-AFTRA during the #MeToo era in an attempt to fight sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct aimed at actors. They include the adoption in 2018 of a code of conduct, which says among other things that auditions and similar professional meetings should not be held in hotel rooms or homes.

Canadian guide forthcoming, says ACTRA

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, the union representing Canadian performers, has also been working with intimacy co-ordinators in recent years and many are ACTRA members, according to Theresa Tova, treasurer of the national group and president of its Toronto branch.

ACTRA is slated to release a similar guide on International Women's Day (March 8), she told CBC News on Wednesday.

"We are very, very committed to safe workspaces" and working together with other industry partners on improvements, Tova noted. 

"[The role of intimacy co-ordinators] is being accepted as vitally important," she added. "There is a real understanding that this is an expertise that directors [and others] might not have."