Florence Pugh Says Intimacy Coordinators Can Make or Break a Scene

Florence Pugh just gave a very honest rundown of intimacy coordinators, and it is refreshingly nuanced: she has had both 'good' and 'bad' experiences. She opened up about it on the latest episode of Louis Theroux's podcast, joining a conversation other actors like Jennifer Lawrence, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Mikey Madison have chimed in on lately.

They are not there to get in the way

The Oscar-nominated 'Dune: Part Two' actress said the point of having an intimacy coordinator is not to make scenes awkward or slow everything down. It is to make sure the actors feel heard and comfortable, and that the intimate stuff actually serves the story instead of just being filler.

Before intimacy coordinators were a thing

Pugh has been doing sex scenes since before the job even existed. She says she was pretty confident in her own skin and able to advocate for herself back then, but even so, there were moments when someone on set asked her to do something completely inappropriate. So, yes, the position exists for a reason.

Her take now: evolving job, mixed results

These days, she says she is having fantastic experiences with the good ones. But she is also clear the profession is still evolving. She remembers one terrible day where the coordinator made everything weird and awkward and, frankly, was not helpful. That spread is the reality of any newer, specialized role: when it is done well, you feel it; when it is not, you really feel it.

What the good ones actually do (according to Pugh)

Here is the behind-the-scenes nuts-and-bolts version she laid out — the job is more than modesty garments and closed sets:

• Build the story behind the sex: why the scene exists, what it reveals.
• Choreograph touch: how the characters make contact, what that says about them.
• Map the relationship history: where the characters are emotionally and physically.
• Set safety protocols: safe words, what is off-limits, what is negotiable.
• Handle coverage and logistics: a designated person, separate from costume, focused on what needs to be covered and how.

'Everybody is just kind of working away to chip away at the scene. And I was like, Oh, this is what I have been missing — understanding the dance of intimacy as opposed to just shooting a sex scene.'

That is the piece that swayed her: when an intimacy coordinator is great, the scene stops being an obligation and becomes storytelling. Pugh, 29, puts it simply — she has had good ones and bad ones — but the trendline for her is positive. Coming from the future 'Thunderbolts*' star, that is a pretty clear endorsement for doing this the right way.