Press

Safe Sets Intimacy Coordinators in the news, podcasts, interviews and articles.

• Leila George on Golden Globe-nominated series 'Disclaimer': I felt on fire playing Catherine' - Filming Alfonso Cuarón's Apple TV+ series felt like shooting a "very well-funded indie movie." George said - > | yahoo!news - > | 4 January 2025 - > | by Elisabetta Bianchini - > | George went on to stress that she felt the set of Disclaimer was a particularly comfortable space to film those more intimate scenes, with everyone having "the utmost care and respect," and working with intimacy coordinator Samantha Murray.

• 'Disclaimer' has a shocking twist ending that centers on an intense sex scene.  Star Leila George breaks down filming 2 very different versions of it. - > | Business Insider - > | 8 November 2024 - > | by Caralynn Matassa - > | She and Louis Partridge, who plays Jonathan, worked with intimacy coordinator Samantha Murray for roughly a week prior to filming the intimate scenes.  "Everyone is safe as long as you're following the moves that you've pre-planned," George said, likening coordinated sex scenes to fight scenes or dance scenes. "That's what we did."

• WATCH: Sara Blecher, Producer, at Masterclass on Intimacy Coordination and Safety on Production Sets - > | aptantech Blog - > | MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF), in partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Kenya Film Commission, hosted Kenya's first two-day Masterclass tackling Intimacy Coordination and Safety on Production Sets.

• Leila George on the Magical, Cinderella-esque Dream of Making Disclaimer - > | Who What Wear - > | 20 September 2024 - > | by Jessica Baker in Features - > | For her more intimate scenes in the show, of which there are quite a few, George and co-star Louis Partridge (Enola Holmes) worked with intimacy coordinator Samantha Murray to get the scenes just right. George likens working with Murray to choreographing a dance or a fight scene.

• WATCH: Intimacy Coordinator Keneilwe Matidze Speaks Everything Intimacy and Safety Make Good Stories - > | The Film Biz Show - > | October 2024 - > Keneilwe Matidze has been in the industry for years after leaving her law practice to persue her dreams. And through observing the industry she realised she was meant to do more for actors. She wanted them to feel safe. Now as a Casting Director and Intimacy Coordinator, she has created the spaces she desired when she started out.

• Intimacy Coordinator, balancing between "actor protection" and "directorial vision" Intimacy Coordinator, in bilico tra "tutela degli attori" e "visione registica" - > | Cinecitta News - > | 4 September 2024 - > | We interviewed Luisa Lazzaro, the first Italian Intimacy Coordinator certified Sag-Aftra, who worked on the sets of 'Queer' and 'M. The Son of the Century', and her assistant and cover Beatrice Magalotti - Abbiamo intervistato Luisa Lazzaro, la prima Intimacy Coordinator italiana certificata Sag-Aftra, che ha lavorato sui set di 'Queer' e 'M. Il figlio del secolo', e la sua assistente e cover Beatrice Magalotti

• LISTEN: The job of the intimacy coordinator - > | Rai Play Sound - > | 3 September 2024 - > | Con Luisa Lazzaro ai microfoni di Hollywood Party scopriamo un nuovo mestiere del cinema, quello dell'intimacy coordinator - > | 03 Set 2024. - > | With Luisa Lazzaro on the microphones of Hollywood Party we discover a new profession in cinema, that of the intimacy coordinator

• Actor Leila George steps into the light - > | Vogue - > | August 20 2024 - > | by Hannah-Rose Yee - > |  Their intimate scenes will prove to be crucial as the story unravels towards its twist—don't worry, Cuarón, no spoilers—and the pair worked closely with intimacy coordinator Samantha Murray.

• 'Wyfie' se Beáta Bena Green en Evan Hengst gesels oor intimiteit op skerm ('Wyfie''s Beáta Bena Green and Evan Hengst talk about intimacy on screen - > | terloops: In Features - > | 14 August 2024 - > | by Deur Riëtte van der Wat featuring the work of Dr. Èmil Haarhoff

• (Veilige) Seks op skerm: 'Dit kan mooi wees. Maar ook real' (Safe) Sex on Screen: 'It can be beautiful. But also real' - > | terloops: In Features - > | 6 August 2024 - > | Deur Riëtte van der Wat interviews Sara Blecher

• Blog Post: Meet Umjolo Intimacy Coach Thembela Madliki - > | Deeply Rooted Blog 2024 - > | Interview with Lex LaFoy

• WATCH: Intimacy Coordination & Safety on Sets Masterclass for Filmmakers - > | Cultural and Creative Industries Channel - > | May 2024 - > | Panel including Sara Blecher

• Intimacy Coordinator: where we are and what needs to be done - > | NSS G-Club - > | 2 April 2024 - > | by Priscilla Lucifora - We asked professional and experts in the field (including Italy) for a look at the present and the future - talking to Kate Lush and Luisa Lazzaro

• Intimacy Coordinators: useful or essential? - > | Cineuropa - > | 19 January 2024 - > | During the first ANICA Talk of 2024, professionals were given the opportunity to reflect upon the potential of this new figure in the workplace - > | ... intimacy coordinator Luisa Lazzaro (one of the first in Italy to receive professional certification, obtained abroad

• 'Fair Play' Doesn't Play Fair - > | The News Lens - > | 3 January 2024 - > | by CJ Sheu - > | The film also uses sex scenes quite well. As the culture yet again convulses over whether sex scenes are necessary, Fair Play joins the ranks of In the Cut (2003) and The Last Seduction (1994) as films that rely on sex — its physicality, its intimacy and thrill and danger (coordinated by Samantha Murray)

• WATCH: Interview interview with Luisa Lazzaro - MIA Market 2023 - > | Mia Market - Mercato Internazionale - > January 2024 - > | Luisa Lazzaro talks about the role of the Intimacy Coordinator in Italy

• Sex in Films: What is Intimacy Coordinator and what directors think about it - Sesso nei film, cos'è l'intimacy coordinator e cosa ne ... - > | Luce! - > |  15 December 2023 - > | by Giovanni Bogani - > | The figure, born in Hollywood and also arrived on Italian sets, has the task of supevising sex scenes to make sure that actors and actresses are comfortable - La prima "intimacy coordinator" in Italia. Fra le prime in Italia a svolgere questa professione è Luisa Lazzaro, ballerina formatasi a Londra.
• Sex? Yes, please.  But with the intimacy coordinator - Sesso? Si, grazie.  Ma con' l'intimaacy coordinator - > | Rolling Stone Italia - > | 12 December 2023 - > | by Alessandro Desimone - She has become an essential figure on any set, and not just for hot scenes.  An investigation into a professional figure who will become increasingly important - Si chiama Luisa Lazzaro e al momento e impegnata sul set di numerose produzioni italiane, tra cui la... - talking with Kate Lush and Luisa Lazzaro

• From Intimacy Coordinator to Green Manager: the (not recognized) audio-visual professions - > | The Hollywood Reporter - > | 11 December 2023 - > | The Roma Lazio Film Commission has organized a conference with professionals in the film and TV industry to photograph the work landscape of an evolving sector from which the need for training and regulation of professional figures emerges - Luisa Lazzaro talking on the role of the intimacy coordinator

• WATCH: From Script to Screen: Navigating the Film, TV and Media Landscape, Sara Blecher - > | FAME Week Africa | 26 Oct 2023

• Fair Play director: 'Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenreich had instant chemistry' - > | RadioTimes.com - > | 6 October 2023 - > | Given the steamy nature of some of the scenes, Domont also spoke about the importance of having an intimacy coordinator [Samantha Murray] on set – and hit back at some figures in the industry who have questioned the need for this role in the past.

• WATCH: INSTAGRAM - MISEDUCATION - > | Instagram Promo - streaming on Netflix | 19 September 2023

• WATCH: Rawiyat Talks EP1 on Intimacy Coordination with Sondos Shabayek and Aida Kaadan - > | Rawiyat | Aug 2023 | 

• Recap: We Need to Talk about Intimacy on Set - > | Objectifs Centre for Photography and Film | Aug 2023 - Familiar names in the international film industry candidly shared their perspectives in the Short Film Forum... 

• LISTEN: Career crazy: Intimacy Coordinator, Dr. Èmil Haarhoff - > | 5 Weekend Breakfast | 8 August 2023 - This week for #CareerCrazy, we focus on being an Intimacy Coordinator in film!
  

• The Rise of Sexually explicit TV and Intimacy Coaching in SA - 'They're exactly like a fight scene' - > | SNL24 True Love, online - 25 July 2023 - Fatal Seduction's lead stars Kgomotso Christopher (who plays Nandi Mahlati), Thapelo Mokoena (who plays Leonard Mahlati) and Prince Grootboom (who plays Jacob) – supported by stellar performances from Lunathi Mampofu (who plays Brenda) and Nat Ramabulana (who plays Vuyo) – are presented in a new light...

• Fatal Seduction's Kgomotso Christopher and intimacy coach Kate Lush on building on-screen chemistry, filming steamy scenes, and more - > | Glamour Magazine, online - 24 July 2023 - Here, we sit down with Lush, along with the Kgomotso Christopher (Nandi), who share their experiences of on-screen chemistry, sexual expression, and more.

• FATAL SEDUCTION - Interview | Lunathi Mampofu , Nat Ramabulana & Kate Lush  - > | SA Film Chronicles - July 2023 - LUNATHI MAMPOFU as Brenda Grootboom , NAT RAMABULANA as Vuyo Mahlati & KATE LUSH - Intimacy Coordinator on Netflix Series, FATAL SEDUCTION, speak with SA Film Chronicles Host, EDDIE RAMOHLALE

• Maintaining the Consent-Bubble: an Intimacy Coordinator's Perspective on Touch in Performance Training - > | Taylor and Francis online - 28 June 2023 - This article sets out to argue that purposefully consenting to touch constructs a metaphorical 'consent-bubble' in which only those invited into its parameters (often not including the IC, facilitator or teacher) may engage in touch, considering they comply with its uniquely constructed rules and boundaries. - by Dr. Èmil Haarhoff & Kate Lush
  

• WATCH: Saying it like it is.  We applaud @podcastwithmacg - > | Instagram - > | 31 May 2023 - > | cast of Adulting talking about the Safe Sets team on Adulting 

• Sara Blecher: Tracking Old Photographs and Championing Safe Sets - > | The Nollywood Reporter | May 3 2023 - Film freezes a period in celluloid.  However, an uncoordinated intimate scene could leave a psychological scar.

• LISTEN: Maude talks about acting as a 'watchdog' for intimate scenes - Maude vertel oor rol as 'waghond' vir intieme tonele - > | Maroela Media - > | 13 March 2023 - > | Maude Sandham interviewed by Jhua-Nine Wyrley-Birch

• LISTEN: Episode 78: Maude Sandham (Aktise) - > | Afrikaans.Radio - > | 3 March 2023 - > | The term "intimacy coordinating" is something I knew nothing about, but thanks to people like Maude Sandham who came to talk on the podcast, we were now able to gain clarity about what this term and profession entails. Maude is a storyteller, actress and director who is going to make a deep mark in the entertainment landscape of the world.

• Sam Wants Safe Sex (Scenes) - > | RSMD - February 2022 - Vanessa Coffey is hired as the first intimacy coordinator on Outlander.  Heughan tells us about recruiting Outlander's First Intimacy Coordinator 
• A lot of heart: Evan Hengst on his character in 'Troukoors' - > | The South African | 13 December 2021 - Evan Hegst on the impact of an intimacy coordinator on set, 'I feel, as an actor, it should be done on a wider scale, especially in South Africa.  There is not enough focus on intimate scenes, especially not to make actors feel comfortable.
• Bianca Flanders on the bravery needed to play Abi in Troukoors - > | Showmax Stories | 13 December 2021 - What was the impact of having an intimacy coordinator on set? 
• LISTEN: What intimacy coordinators do and why sexual predators still lurk in SA film industry - > | 22 August 2021 - Safe Sets' Sara Blecher Provides insight into the role of intimacy coordinators and the situation in SA, on Weekend Breakfast
• WATCH: New sex and nudity film protocols laid bare - > | Alberton Record | 17 June 2021 - Izak du Plessis asked intimacy coordinator Kate Lush to shed more light on the development
• Shooting sex scenes and the importance of intimacy protocols - > | Daily Maverick | 13 June 2021 - Intimacy coordination unveils accumulated psychological and emotional trauma, sometimes buried deep in unconsciousness.  Giving consent to being touched is critical, but actors often have no experience of being asked permission to be touched.
• South Africa sets out to protect cast and crew involved in nudity and simulated sex scenes - > | The Conversation | 17 May 2021 - Performer and academic Fiona Ramsay asked Kate Lush, a co-creator of the new protocols, why they matter.
• Intimacy Coordinator Vanessa Coffey on her life behind the scenes - > | The Herald | 8 May 2021 - What makes a good sex scene? Vanessa Coffey is the woman to ask.  Her Job as a TV, film and theatre intimacy coordinator means that she is often in the thick of the action.
• WATCH: Intimacy Coordination Protocols Launch - > | Facebook - SWIFT - Sisters Working in Film & Television - > | promoted on 14 April 2021 - > | Following the launch of the South African Protocols for working with intimate content, Kate Lush appears at the DIFF 2019 invited by SWIFT 
• Lecturer Vanessa Coffey: 'I would love intimacy coordinators to become standard practice' - > | The Stage | 6 April 2021 - The intimacy coordinator and lecturer at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland offers her advice to students and graduates and tells John Byrne what she would like to see changed in the theatre industry 
• Lifting the covers on safe and authentic screen sex - > | Television Business International | 22 January 2021 - TBI deputy editor Mark Layton talks to intimacy coordinator Vanessa Coffey about the emerging industry role that helps actors establish personal boundaries and deliver more authentic performances during scenes of a sexual nature.
• 'It was a misuse of power': how screen sex scenes have been forced to change - > | The Guardian | 29 December 2020 - Vanessa Coffey, an intimacy coordinator whose credits include I Hate Suzie and Fate: The Winx Saga, says an incident involving Knightley while filming the 2007 film Atonement demonstrates the change in attitude on set.
  
• Job Description: Intimacy Coordinator - > | Drama Quarterly | 19 November 2020 - Intimacy Coordinator Vanessa Coffey discusses her role working on television series and how it has changed during the Covid-19 Pandemic
• My new normal: Vanessa Coffey - > | Harpers Bazaar | 6 November 2020 - How the pandemic has made the role of an intimacy co-ordinator in the entertainment industry even more pivotal
• Jessica Brown Findlay interview: 'The first female Bond? Go on then!' - > | The Telegraph | 26 September 2020 - On the set of Brave New World, she says, she would consult the intimacy co-ordinators "basically every single time there is something intimate - and that's not even just sex stuff". "You negotiate with them, you talk to them," she says. "You think, 'How do I feel today, in my body, right now?' When I was younger, I had no idea I could say no. And when I tried to sometimes in the past, it just didn't go down well - 'You're new, we can find someone else.' It was very manipulative. So, this was actually an amazing experience, considering the show. It was the safest and the most comfortable I've ever felt." (Kate Lush Intimacy Coordinated Brave New World Eps 4-8 while working for Intimacy on Set.)
• COFFEY BREAK Scots co-ordinator Vanessa Coffey says marathon sex scene in I Hate Suzie is all part of the job > | The Scottish Sun | 22 September 2020 - 'Vanessa, who is one the highest-profile experts the new field developed in the wake of the #metoo movement, had no idea they were about to set a record with a 7min 4sec masturbation scene.

  She said: "The sex montage that Suzie has with all the different men - that was one I worked on and that was very interesting to choreograph and navigate.' (Vanessa Coffey intimacy coordinator on I Hate Suzie Eps 4 &  ) (Kate Lush Intimacy Coordinator on I Hate Suzie Ep 6)

• Pre- & post-covid, womxn are vulnerable to sexual harassment on film and TV sets > | Safrea Chronicle | 20 September 2020

• Directors UK publish intimacy in the time of COVID-19 guidelines > | the location guide | 20 August 2020

• Intimacy in the Time of COVID > | Directors UK | 19 August 2020

• Embodied Shiftings to Bridge Actor-Character Dissonance, by Dr. Èmil Haarhoff - > | Faculty of Humanities, University of Pretoria | August 2020 | When a script stipulates, gestural routines and mental models for a character that clash with the personal values of the actor, it creates dissonance between what the actor (as person) believes, represents or feels ....  

• Meet your fellow A-List Woman in Film, Sara Blecher (South Africa) > | Ladmina Foundation | 17 August 2020

• Brave New World's, Queen of Orgies, knows you have some questions > | Refinery 29 | 15 July 2020 | 'As John-Kamen looked back on the experience on set, it was clear she is still struck by the "gorgeous" scene. It's likely production was so positive because Brave New World hired an intimacy coordinator to educate the cast. A series like Brave, filled with dozens upon dozens of nude actors simulating sex, certainly benefits from such instruction. 

  "It was so great to be able to actually have communication and feel like you're having that wonderful acceptance from the other actor coming into your personal space," John-Kamen said of working with Brave's intimacy expert. This work helped John-Kamen prepare for her own sex scene in "Firefall," which pairs Helm and Ehrenreich's John. "It really does get rid of any awkwardness or embarrassment that you might be feeling," she added, explaining that intimacy coaching exercises helped talent rehearse exactly what would happen on the day of filming - "so there's no surprises."'.(Kate Lush Intimacy Coordinated Brave New World Eps 4-8 while working for Intimacy on Set.)

• Budding actors get sex scenes coach... > | The Scottish Mail on Sunday | 19 April 2020

• Brave New World Takes a Dark Turn in Episode 8 > | TV Insider | 17 July 2020 | (Kate Lush Intimacy Coordinated Brave New World Eps 4-8 while working for Intimacy on Set.)

• New World Order >  | Drama Quarterly | 8 July 2020  | 'The project also saw Wiener work with intimacy coordinators for the first time, with Ita O'Brien and Kate Lush overseeing choreography of the numerous sex and nude scenes that take place.  "There's a lot of sex in the book; it's very necessary to how New London society works," Wiener says. "I had never worked with an intimacy coordinator before. I didn't know if it was necessary or really what they do, but it made all the difference. Kate and Ita gave our actors such confidence, command and ownership of the experience of being vulnerable. You're exposed, and they just embraced it.  "The show is not graphic but there are a lot of bodies. Sex is a part of the show. But I had no idea how valuable they would be and how they made it a safe thing to talk about. They created an atmosphere of respect. It was really liberating for the actors, and certainly liberating for the filmmakers because we felt protected. Now, I couldn't ever imagine working without an intimacy coordinator. Everyone should."

• The Weekend Read: intimacy Co-ordinator Vanessa Coffey > | RCS Blog > | 11 April 2020

• Sara Belcher : Intimacy Coordinator > | Weekend Special | 30 November 2019

• Intimacy coordination on SA film and TV sets > | Screen Africa | 11 November 2019

• There Needs to be Consent to act in intimate scenes, says film director - > | 702. | 8 November 2019 | Intimacy Coordinator Sara Blecher explains the measures the entertainment industry is putting in place after the #MeTooMovement

• Sara Blecher becomes SA's first intimacy coordinator >  | Algoa FM | 1 November 2019

• Meet Sara Blecher: SA's first intimacy co-ordinator > | IOL | 31 October 2019

• Up Close and Personal with Sara Blecher > | Full View | 20 October 2019
• Actors + Sex: How to Handle Consent > | Backstage.com | 2 October 2019

• Why it's important to create safe spaces for sex scenes on movie sets > | Times Live | 25 August 2019

• Intimacy Co-ordinators are Changing Sex Scenes for Good > | Thecallsheet.co.za | 23 Aug 2019

• REVIEW: THE CENSOR by Anthony Neilson at The Hope Theatre until 13 July 2019 | London Pub Theatres | 30 June 2019 |  'Painful and explicit, the company must be congratulated in incorporating an Intimacy Supervisor & Coordinator into the rehearsal process and creative team. For Pub & Fringe Theatre, this is a positive step forward in an already difficult budget juggling corner of the industry. Round Peg have taken responsibility in utilising the skills of Kate Lush and Ita O'Brien.'

• The Censor - A thought-provoking take on a provocative play | The Stage | 28 June 2019 | 'Director Imogen Beech focuses on exploring attitudes to sex rather than outright titillation, and intimacy coordinator Kate Lush ensures that physical contact is artfully handled. Occasionally, glimpses of incontinent rage hint at the dangers of ignoring pent-up desires.'

• The Censor - Theatre Review > | Close up Culture | 28 June 2019 | 'Skilfully directed by Imogen Beech, and with both Ita O'Brien and Kate Lush justifying their inputs as intimacy supervisor and coordinator respectively, The Censor, a RoundPeg Theatre production, is well worth a peep. '18' rated - and worthy of four stars (out of five) from Close-up Culture'

• The use of embodied imagination and empathy to bridge actor-character dissonance > | South African Theatre Journal - written by Èmil Harhoff | 19 January 2018)