In order to create safer working environments SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents Hollywood actors, is creating standards for filming scenes that involve sex and intimacy. The hope is to establish industry-wide protocol so that actors never have unsafe or negative experiences while on set.
SAG-AFTRA Hopes to Make Intimacy Coordinators More Common
People working in this role would help keep everyone involved with the production feeling safe and secure. Here’s what SAG-AFTRA’s president had to say in an article published by NBC.
“Our goal is to normalize and promote the use of intimacy coordinators within our industry,” said Gabrielle Carteris, president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. “Intimacy coordinators provide an important safety net for our members doing hyper-exposed work. At a time when the industry still needs to make great changes, our initiative will ensure the safety and security of SAG-AFTRA members while they work and respects the boundaries of actors.”
These coordinators would operate off a uniform set of guidelines to ensure that sex scenes would be handled in a standardized way across all productions. The hope is that this policy will make working environments safer for casts and crews.
The Union Established Anti-Sexual Harassment Policies Last February
After waves of stories about sexual harassment in Hollywood began to surface, SAG-AFTRA also adopted a code of conduct hoping to inhibit this egregious behavior. Canteris gave another statement about the code of conduct last year:
“This initiative gives members a clear understanding of their workplace rights and provides reliable guidance for members to navigate the unique environments of the entertainment, music and media industries,” Carteris said in 2018. “To truly change the culture, we must be courageous and willing. At it’s most basic, this Code will ultimately help better define what harassment is, and what members’ rights are in real world situations.”