Tipperary intimacy coach says Blake Lively sexual harassment claims shows need for their role

Blake Lively filed a civil complaint against co-star and director Justin Baldoni shortly before Christmas, accusing him of sexual harassment during the filming of 'It Ends with Us'.

The film footage at the centre of Blake Lively’s high-profile legal row proves intimacy co-ordination should be considered as necessary on set as organising stunts, an Irish consultant has said.

Lively filed a civil complaint against co-star and director Justin Baldoni shortly before Christmas, accusing him of sexual harassment during the filming of It Ends with Us — a romantic drama released last year. Baldoni denies the claims.

His legal team retaliated by releasing a video of the pair going through three takes of one scene in which the pair slow-dance in a bar, which is alleged by Lively in her lawsuit to be an example of his inappropriate behaviour.

However, while his lawyers claim the video exonerates him, Lively’s team said it further proved she felt uncomfortable in scenes she said had not been choreographed.

Intimacy co-ordinators say the myriad allegations and counter-allegations show the importance of having a professional on set to mediate intense scenes with complicated power dynamics.

“Dancing can absolutely be intimate, and having an intimacy co-ordinator on set should be a given,” says Tipperary born Ita O’Brien who pioneered the role. Ms O'Brien has advised on intimate scenes in productions such as Normal People and Lady Chatterley's Lover.

Ita O'Brien: 'Having an intimacy co-ordinator on set should be a given.' File Picture.

She added: “In the past, some people would go, ‘I do my own stunts. I don’t need a stunt co-ordinator’. Whereas today, if there’s a stunt or a fight, you have a stunt co-ordinator there to offer their skills. It should now be the same with intimacy co-ordinators.” 

The video depicted Lively and Baldoni discussing how they spend time with their spouses and joking about the size of Baldoni’s nose. Baldoni’s team says it provides context to Lively’s allegation that Baldoni told her she smelt good, showing the comment to be in response to Lively talking about her spray tan.

However, Lively’s legal team called the video “damning” and said it showed Baldoni repeatedly “attempting to kiss” her, “rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking her lip with his thumb, caressing her … and talking with her out of character”.

They alleged every moment was improvised by Baldoni “with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy co-ordinator present”.

'Negotiating scenes in real time'

On Thursday, Mia Schachter, an intimacy co-ordinator on Apple TV+’s Lessons in Chemistry and HBO’s Insecure, told the Hollywood Reporter she could see Lively trying to “appease” Baldoni and “keep a smile on her face”.

Arielle Zadok, an intimacy co-ordinator and sex educator, claimed it was clear the actors were “negotiating the scene in real time”, when an intimacy co-ordinator would have handled everything in advance.

She added: “This is an instance where I definitely would have had a conversation with Blake to check in on what I was picking up, ask the director for more clarity on the specific beats, and make sure everyone was clear and confident prior to doing another take.” 

Ms Zadok said it was also important to note “the inherent power dynamic between actor and director is glaringly obvious”.

Ms O’Brien, who has worked on dozens of hit films and TV shows, said in general she urged actors “not to bring their personal and private life into their character’s physicality” because the two “should never be confused”.

Asked how an intimacy co-ordinator would approach a romantic dance scene, Ms O’Brien said: “It starts with reading the script and interrogating why the scene is in the story.

“From that conversation will emerge the physicality. We always invite the director to think about what they really want to capture. We gain agreement and consent for every beat — whether that’s fingers intertwining, a hand around the back of a neck, or fingers running through someone’s hair.” 

The intimacy coaches interviewed acknowledged they were not physically present on set and were not privy to the full details or context of the controversy between Baldoni and Lively. They shared their views solely on viewing the footage or as experts in the field.

• Guardian