Ewan McGregor Says This One Thing Makes Every Sex Scene Better
"It was such a relief. It's about time," he said.
Ewan McGregor hasn't shied away from sex scenes over the course of his 25 years in Hollywood. However, at a certain point in his life, McGregor admitted it wasn't a part of his job he enjoyed. "I don't like them very much," he said on The Graham Norton Show in 2011."They are awkward because it is a strange and bizarre thing to be doing. It's not a normal situation, I am 40 now, and the actresses get younger and younger."
But in a new interview about Halston—his upcoming Netflix series about the titular 1970s fashion designer—McGregor said there was a change that made the sex scenes much better. Read on to find out what it was, and for another actor's least favorite intimate scene, Dakota Johnson Said This Was the Sex Scene That "Shocked" Her the Most.
McGregor says having an intimacy coordinator makes sex scenes better.
As the 50-year-old Scottish actor spoke with The New York Times about his most recent sex scenes, he explained how incorporating an intimacy coordinator into filming makes the process much better, especially for young actors. "Imagine you're 22 and you just got cast and you're on set. The leading man is always 25 years older than you, and you're suddenly with a male director and a male leading actor," McGregor told The Times. "Everyone's always embarrassed about it. It's like, 'Just see what happens.' This poor 22-year-old girl—maybe she doesn't want what happens to happen."
As the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) explains, an intimacy coordinator acts as "an advocate, a liaison between actors and production, and a movement coach and/or choreographer in regards to nudity and simulated sex and other intimate scenes."
McGregor said the coordinator on the set of Halston made intimate scenes run smoothly by posing questions to actors on what they feel most comfortable doing. He told The Times: "It's literally like, 'Are you happy to have your bum touched?' 'Are you happy for somebody to put their hand on your chest?' 'Are you going to kiss with tongues?'"
And for more celebrity news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Halston was McGregor's first time doing sex scenes with an intimacy coordinator.
The first time McGregor had an intimacy coordinator on set was during the filming of Halston, he told The Hollywood Reporter last month. "It was such a relief. It's about f***ing time," he said. "The temptation in my experience is just for the director to go, 'Just do whatever.' It's embarrassing. That's not fair on either actor to do that," he added.
And for another actor's struggles during an intimate scene, check out Salma Hayek Said This Was the Hardest Sex Scene She Ever Had to Film.
Intimacy coordinators have only been used frequently since 2017.
After the 2017 Harry Weinstein scandal and the accompanying #MeToo movement highlighted the sexual harassment and misconduct that occurs in Hollywood, the demand for intimacy coordinators grew, as The Hollywood Reporter details.
While movies and TV shows had often used intimacy choreographers to plan sex scenes, an intimacy coordinator's job is also to communicate with staff and actors about the details of a scene, which are negotiated and agreed upon by all parties involved.
Netflix, which is behind Halston, first used one in 2019 on its hit show Sex Education.
And for another celebrity who hasn't enjoyed filming some sex scenes, check out Megan Fox Says These Are the Kind of Sex Scenes She Won't Do Anymore.
Hollywood has recently made more changes in an effort to eliminate sexual harassment on set.
On Apr. 29, SAG-AFTRA announced a new way to report sexual harassment and updated standards for training and qualifications of intimacy coordinators. The news revealed "the first industry wide accreditation for intimacy coordinator training programs and registry, and a tool that will allow members to report harassment right from their smartphones."
"Protecting the well-being, security and dignity of our members is the reason that SAG-AFTRA exists," SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris said in a statement. "Last year, SAG-AFTRA took a huge step toward normalizing and encouraging the use of intimacy coordinators in productions large and small. These professionals have proven to be effective in changing the culture while safeguarding the safety and security of our members as they work."
And for another star's take on this topic, "James Bond" Star Naomie Harris Is Pushing to Ban These Sex Scenes.
