The Deuce actress: Playing a porn star in the #MeToo era requires dealing with an "intimacy director"

The New York Times

The Newsroom alum Margaret Judson was initially supposed to be partially naked for her one-episode prostitute role, but she ended up clothed for her intimate scenes due to script changes. Nevertheless, Judson explains how she was greeted by the show's "intimacy director," Alicia Rodis. Judson writes that she was confused at first. "But I quickly realized what a no-brainer it was for The Deuce to employ someone like Ms. Rodis," Judson writes. "In human terms, the producers were showing sensitivity to actors; in business terms, they were stopping potential problems (and their expensive repercussions) before they started. On the day of the shoot, Ms. Rodis watched over the set like a chaperone at prom. She made sure the man playing opposite me sanitized his hands before we started, and then wiped them down after every single take. She checked in with me constantly, bringing water and coffee and mints. She also choreographed certain movements, much like a stunt director. Ms. Rodis pointed out that in a simulated sex scene, an actor may be touched on a vulnerable part of the body, and therefore deserves the same attention and protections as in a combat sequence. Otherwise, she told us, intimate scenes won’t look seamless and natural."