Russell T Davies has branded big-name stars who dismiss the importance of intimacy coordinators “disgraceful”, as he reaffirmed his support for the relatively recent addition to TV and film crews.
The role has grown in prominence over recent years, particularly following the #MeToo movement, with an objective to ensure that all performers feel safe and comfortable during any intimate filming, such as sex scenes.
David Thackeray served in the role on Davies’s new Channel 4 drama Tip Toe, having previously done so on Doctor Who spin-off The War Between the Land and the Sea, plus The Night Manager season 2, Heartstopper and Sex Education, to name a few.
At the BFI premiere of Tip Toe, Davies voiced frustration at “very famous actors” who have questioned the need for the on-set role, going so far as to call them “disgraceful”.
“They have so much power and so much privilege, and they have no idea what it’s like to be a jobbing actor with no power on a set,” he commented. “Shame on them!”
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Davies mentioned Gwyneth Paltrow by name, who made headlines last year by revealing that she declined having an intimacy coordinator on Marty Supreme, telling Vanity Fair that she would be “very stifled” by their input.
Another actor who has voiced scepticism about the position is Sean Bean, who feared they’d “spoil the spontaneity”, while Jennifer Lawrence turned it down on recent drama Die My Love as she felt “safe” with co-star Robert Pattinson.
However, in the latter example, the former Hunger Games star didn’t dismiss the role in every instance, adding that “if there was a little bit of [awkwardness or real-life advances] I would probably have an intimacy coordinator” (via Las Culturistas).
Previously, another intimacy coordinator named Marci Liroff told Variety that the role is “not just there for the lead actors” – a sentiment that Tip Toe director Peter Hoar echoed in his comments.
“I started working with intimacy coordinators on It’s a Sin… Before that point, I was just left out there,” he said. “It was like, ‘Go on, make this sexy’, and then it’d be me and two actors, all looking at each other, and lots of people with their arms folded.
“I was like, ‘This is a horrible situation for everybody’, and then the intimacy coordination process happened on It’s a Sin, and it was incredible. It was life-affirming, as well as life-saving, so we used the same process.”
Tip Toe follows the disintegration of relations between next-door neighbours and acquaintances Leo (Alan Cumming) and Clive (David Morrissey), which has devastating consequences for all involved.
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Tip Toe premieres on Channel 4 on Sunday 31 May 2026.
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