Sean Bean Slams Intimacy Coordinators, Twitter Claps Back

In an interview with the UK's The Times Magazine, Game of Thrones actor Sean Bean said intimacy coordinators "spoil the spontaneity" of shooting sex scenes

"It would inhibit me more because it's drawing attention to things," Bean said of having an intimacy coordinator in the room. "Somebody saying, 'Do this, put your hands there, while you touch his thing…'"

He added, "I think the natural way lovers behave would be ruined by someone bringing it right down to a technical exercise."

Bean then discussed his experience filming the 1993 adaptation of Lady Chatterly's Lover, in which he starred opposite Joely Richardson.

"Lady Chatterly was spontaneous," Bean said. "It was a joy. We had a good chemistry between us, and we knew what we were doing was unusual. Because she was married, I was married. But we were following the story. We were trying to portray the truth of what DH Lawrence wrote."

He also discussed his current TV series, Snowpiercer, in which he stars alongside Lena Hall. And when the interviewer pointed out that intimacy coordinators help to protect actors after #MeToo, Bean said, "I suppose it depends on the actress. This one [referring to Hall] had a musical cabaret background, so she was up for anything."

The response from readers of Bean's statements was swift and overwhelmingly negative, as many on Twitter lambasting the actor for not understanding that intimacy coordinators prevent assault and harassment on set.

One Twitter user wrote, "An intimacy co-ordinator is there to protect and support often vulnerable, often young, often female actors in situations that have on many occasions in the past led to pressure, exploitation, or regret. It's a vital role, that is long overdue in the business."

An intimacy co-ordinator is there to protect and support often vulnerable, often young, often female actors in situations that have on many occasions in the past led to pressure, exploitation, or regret.
It's a vital role, that is long overdue in the business.

— Cristen (@cristencaine) August 8, 2022

Another wrote, "It's about consent and people being comfortable Sean. There's bigger things in the world than the spontaneity of acting."

It’s about consent and people being comfortable Sean. There’s bigger things in the world than the spontaneity of acting.

— Matt (@matips_men) August 8, 2022

This is weird. He is weird. There should be no spontaneity when it comes to filming sex scenes. Spontaneity is how things go wrong. What a creepy take. https://t.co/SAMFMqZTX3

— Justin Casselle (@justincasselle) August 8, 2022

Look. I love #SeanBean , but old white men shouldn’t be chiming in negatively about the progressive steps this industry is taking to create comfortable environments to work.

So far, I don’t see any actresses complaining about “intimacy coordinators”. There’s a reason for that. https://t.co/2LDCpdF2AW

— John Rocha @ #TheOutlawNation (@TheRochaSays) August 8, 2022

sean bean, sitting in the wreckage of an industry riven by on and off-set abuse, sexual misconduct, systematic predation and bullying: why are you trying to ruin my good time with the bare minimum of care towards my colleagues??? https://t.co/OtnePsLfxO

— Meghna Jayanth (@betterthemask) August 8, 2022

Others also pointed out that the same would not be said of any other types of scenes, such as those involving fighting or stunts, where stunt coordinators are required but do not get accused of ruining the "spontaneity" of the scene.

You'd think Sean Bean's beef would be with the stunt coordinators who choreograph violent deaths since he has one in every one of his movies https://t.co/HhQzFKeWxf

— Stephen Silver (@StephenSilver) August 8, 2022

Sean Bean speaks out against the use of fight coordinators on set: “I think the natural way fighters behave would be ruined by someone bringing it right down to a technical exercise” https://t.co/OyqUdfXfPq

— Pearl (@pearlrhein) August 8, 2022

It’s been pointed out many times before: One of the reasons this argument is so silly is that fist fights IRL are also spontaneous and yet in TV/film they are carefully choreographed for obvious safety reasons. An actor’s job is to make it look spontaneous https://t.co/PF76iKs0C3

— Nina Metz (@Nina_Metz) August 8, 2022

Deena ElGenaidi's writing has been featured in Nylon, MTV News, Insider, The AV Club, and more. You can follow her on Twitter @deenaelg.