Should “Anora” include an intimacy coordinator on set (despite Mikey Madison not wanting one)?

The 2025 Oscar-season frontrunner, Anora, is packed with scenes of violence, drugs, and sex. Mikey Madison plays Ani, a stripper whose beauty and professionalism captivate a wealthy Russian heir, Vanya, to the point where she even earns his wedding ring. However, as enforcers sent by Vanya's parents arrive to force them to annul the marriage, Ani faces being gagged, restrained, and tied up.

The film has received widespread acclaim, but a recent revelation from Mikey Madison has stirred controversy in the industry—she revealed that there was no intimacy coordinator on set for Anora’s sex scenes: “That was my decision,” she said out loud during a recent Variety Actors Roundtable.

To clear up any misunderstanding, she explained that director Sean Baker and producer Samantha Quan had suggested hiring an intimacy coordinator. Still, she and Mark Eydelshteyn, who plays Vanya, felt that “the fewer people on set, the better. Plus, it made the process more efficient—we could get it done quickly.”

So, what exactly does an intimacy coordinator do in film production? And why is their role important?

Having an intimacy coordinator on set is still a relatively new practice in Hollywood. In fact, it wasn't until the late 2010s that Hollywood studios began regularly hiring specialists in stunt coordination and mental health to oversee intimate scenes and provide legal and emotional support to those involved. While some studios now mandate intimacy coordinators on set, the rule is far from universal, leaving independent productions like Anora with the freedom to decide for themselves.

Actors, however, have their own perspectives. During the roundtable, Madison explained that Ani’s profession influenced her decision to forgo an intimacy coordinator: "The character I play is a sex worker. The film requires Ani’s body and skin to be on display—nudity is essentially her costume. She appears in an overtly sexualized way because that’s how she makes a living. So as an actor, approaching this role, I had to treat it as my job too."

Instead of hiring a professional to oversee the filming of intimate scenes, Anora had its director and producer couple personally demonstrate the actions they wanted the actors to perform. As the director, Sean Baker had his take on the matter: "Intimacy coordinators? It depends on the situation and the needs of the film. If an actor requests one, then, of course, there should be one. But I’ve directed at least ten sex scenes in my career—I know what I’m doing." He believes his experience as a director is enough to ensure actors feel safe, and that an intimacy coordinator’s presence might break their focus.

Although Madison has described filming Anora’s sex scenes as a positive experience, her revelation has ignited debates across social media. On Twitter, some users have criticized Baker, calling it inappropriate for a person in power to ask an actor—who has less power—whether they need an intimacy coordinator. Others have speculated that Madison may have been manipulated. However, some have defended her decision, arguing, “If she felt comfortable, then what’s the problem?”

Perhaps due to their vested interests, intimacy coordinators have voiced particularly strong opposition. Casting director, acting coach, and professional intimacy coordinator Marci Liroff responded to Madison’s statement: “That’s her right, and I totally understand. But intimacy coordinators aren’t just there for the lead actors.”

Another veteran intimacy coordinator, Jessica Steinlock, echoed this sentiment: "When you're asked, ‘Do you need help?’ some people will say no because they think they don't need extra support. But they don't realize that other people on set—like the cinematographers—might."

“I have a lot of respect for Sean Baker as a filmmaker, but it’s obvious that he’s intentionally ignoring the power dynamics on set,” Liroff argued. “An actor cannot realistically say no to someone who has the power to make or break their career. You don’t want to be labeled as ‘difficult’ or cause the production to spend more money—especially on a new role like intimacy coordination, which adds to the budget.”

People tend to focus on the most powerful figures in a film crew, like the director and lead actors, but other crew members also exist. This is precisely where the role of an intimacy coordinator is often overlooked. As long as nudity is involved in a scene, intimacy coordinators are responsible for ensuring that everyone on set feels comfortable and safe.

As Liroff put it, one of the most important aspects of an intimacy coordinator’s job is trauma prevention: “Making sure that neither the actors nor crew members suffer emotional distress from a particular scene.”

“I think having an intimacy coordinator is important for everyone’s safety,” actress Blake Lively stated in an August 2024 interview about It Ends With Us. "You need a stunt coordinator for action scenes, a choreographer for dance scenes, but when two naked bodies are intertwined, suddenly it's just the director calling ‘Action’ and ‘Cut’—that makes no sense." The production of It Ends With Us hired two intimacy coordinators.

That said, does having an intimacy coordinator eliminate all disputes? Not necessarily. In December 2024, Lively accused It Ends With Us director and lead actor Baldoni of sexual misconduct, alleging that he repeatedly showed her nude photos and videos of women and added unscripted sex scenes during filming.

Last year’s Babygirl, which won the Best Actress award at the Venice Film Festival, also featured an unforgettable intimate scene between its two leads. Director Halina Reijn later explained that she had hoped the film would make her a “better feminist.”

What does it mean for a feminist director to shoot intimate scenes? There are lessons to be learned here. As a former actress herself, Reijn knew that her leads, Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, needed a support system: “Not just physical safety, but emotional safety too—like the kind of trust you build in theater.”

One of the film’s most crucial moments is when Kidman and Dickinson’s characters first meet in a rundown motel. To prepare for this, Reijn created a fully controlled environment in a studio: “The carpet may look filthy and stained, but it’s actually spotless.” She took pride in these details: "I want everything to be clean and soft. These are things people don’t usually think about. Looking back on my acting career, I remember how many times I had to crawl on disgusting, grimy floors…”

Reijn was particularly meticulous about the film’s long takes in the intimate scenes. Only the cinematographer was allowed in the room with the actors; even the director had to watch from a monitor outside. Lighting and sound were set up in advance to ensure no one interrupted the performance.

Reijn expressed deep appreciation for her intimacy coordinator, Liz Talbot.

“A good intimacy coordinator is like a good stunt coordinator. As an actress playing a sex scene, awkwardness is inevitable. I’ve experienced so much shame and discomfort,” Reijn recalled, reflecting on her first on-screen sex scene. “I was only 16, still a virgin, and had to perform a sex scene in a TV series. I remember the male director just saying, ‘Alright, action,’ and then… nothing. I didn’t even know what I was supposed to do.”

“I wish I had an intimacy coordinator back then.”