Most actresses have championed the inclusion of intimacy coordinators on film and television sets in the wake of the #Metoo scandal.
But Lily Allen has said they make performing sex scenes ‘weird’ and thinks constantly asking for the other actor’s consent to touch them is ‘difficult’.
The Smile singer, 39, appeared in the six-part Sky comedy drama, Dreamland, last year, in which she shared a steamy scene with her co-star Kiell Smith-Bynoe.
But speaking on her podcast Miss Me? Lily told her co-host and best friend Miquita Oliver: ‘I don’t know how helpful I found it [intimacy co-ordination] personally. I would have preferred to just have just thrown myself in the deep end and let it happen.
‘But what I found difficult is you had to ask the person’s permission if they were okay with you putting your hand somewhere before you did it and I just couldn’t.
Lily Allen has said the inclusion of intimacy coordinators on film and television sets make performing sex scenes ‘weird’ and thinks constantly asking for the other actor’s consent to touch them is ‘difficult’ (pictured in February)
The Smile singer, 39, appeared in the six-part Sky comedy drama, Dreamland (pictured), last year, in which she shared a steamy scene with her co-star Kiell Smith-Bynoe
But speaking on her podcast Miss Me? Lily told her co-host and best friend Miquita Oliver (pictured): ‘I would have preferred to just have just thrown myself in the deep end and let it happen’
‘I’d be like, “Kiell, are you happy with me putting my hand on your… I just didn’t understand the format, it was a bit of a mind bog.
‘I was like, can we just snog? It’s like you’re making it weird… this is making it weird.’
The singer-turned-actress’s opinions on intimacy coordinators are in opposition with those of many Hollywood stars’ from Dame Emma Thompson to Phoebe Dynevor – who have campaigned for their presence on set.
Dame Emma, 65, has previously spoken out and argued that intimacy coordinators are ‘fantastically important’ and that many performers speak in favour of their positive presence.
The Nanny McPhee star said: ‘You might find that people go, “It made me feel comfortable, it made me feel safe, it made me feel as though I was able to do this work.”
‘And no, you can just let it flow. There’s a camera there and a crew. You’re not on your own in a hotel room, you’re surrounded by a bunch of blokes, mostly. So it’s not a comfortable situation full stop.’
Meanwhile, Bridgerton star Phoebe, 29, had to perform various sex scenes in the steamy Netflix period drama opposite her co-star and heartthrob, Rege-Jean Page.
She praised her intimacy co-ordinator, Lizzy Talbot, who made the experience feel safe because Phoebe would speak to her first if the director requested something different from the scene.
The singer-turned-actress’s opinions on intimacy coordinators are in opposition with those of many Hollywood stars’ from Dame Emma Thompson (pictured last year) to Phoebe Dynevor – who have campaigned for their presence on set
Dame Emma, 65, has previously spoken out and argued that intimacy coordinators are ‘fantastically important’ and that many performers speak in favour of their positive presence (pictured in Good Luck To You, Leo Grande)
Meanwhile, Bridgerton star Phoebe, 29, had to perform various sex scenes in the steamy Netflix period drama opposite her co-star and heartthrob, Rege-Jean Page (pictured together in show)
She praised her intimacy co-ordinator, Lizzy Talbot, who made the experience feel safe because Phoebe would speak to her first if the director requested something different from the scene
The actress, who starred as Daphne Bridgerton, said: ‘I think it would have been a difficult experience if Lizzy hadn’t been on set protecting me and looking after me.
‘We did the intimate scenes like stunts – we blocked them out, so you have yoga balls in between you and all sorts of things that never make you feel exposed in any way.
‘You always feel safe. I’d rehearsed with Rege so much that we both knew what we were doing. It felt very practical.’
And husband and wife Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead even had an intimacy coordinator during filming for A Gentleman in Moscow, with Ewan saying they were vital for the crew, actors and director.
He told the Radio Times: ‘It’s still necessary, because it’s also about the crew, and it’s odd to be naked in front of people, it’s odd to be intimate in front of the camera.
‘If you were doing a dance scene, you’d have a choreographer. It’s an important part of the work now, because it’s somebody that the director and actors meet in the middle.’
And husband and wife Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead even had an intimacy coordinator during filming for A Gentleman in Moscow, with Ewan saying they were vital for the crew, actors and director (pictured together in March)